<p>Bookmarked</p>
<p>Our D was told she was the 1st student who ever transferred from flagship CC to the selective OOS private, where she has been thriving.</p>
<p>The school where your child plans to ultimately attend is the one to ask which courses would be accepted & get credit, etc. D found that if you don’t get at least a C or C+ in courses in her major at her U, the student MUST re-take. She also found out that the U she attended did NOT accept on-line courses she took at her CC. Fortunately, these setbacks did not derail her but were important for her to learn. After her 2nd semester at CC, she had the happy notion of contacting the admissions counselor at target U and worked with him to figure out which courses would likely transfer IF she was accepted at the U. Happily nearly all of her credits (but NONE of her grades) did transfer.</p>
<p>We are very glad D had the chance to explore while attending CC–she even took an art course that she may not have been able to fit into her schedule at the U & explored other subjects that she was interested in there. She was impressed by the quality of the instructors and found them to be excellent and very interested in her because she obviously loved learning. Quite a few kids at her CC did transfer to in-state flagship U but we don’t have the #s–some were dually enrolled in both campuses & paid lower tuition for the CC courses.</p>
<p>Kids who aren’t into books should also REALLY explore other options available at CC, including possibly mechanic, electrician, medical technician and other programs/courses that could lead to rewarding, stable employment without the bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>Interesting point - since CC grades don’t transfer to state U. it doesn’t help kids in tough majors to get their gen eds out of the way at CC because a killer physics class is easier to survive gpa wise if it is balanced with a nice class in something like femininst cinema in America…</p>
<p>Sometimes the option to attend CC is a lifesaver…but there are exceptions to this depending on the student, the ultimate goal and taking all particulars into consideration.</p>
<p>Update. My son had one A and three Bs at Wakte Tech. He was admitted to ECU as a transfer stdent with a Transfer GPA of 2.61. </p>
<p>He will be back at ECU this fall. Hopefully, this experience will make him appreciate his 2nd chance.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of a “University” school being easier than a “State” school. I would have thought that “North Carolina University” was the tough school and “NC State” was the easy school.</p>
<p>If his problem was in Math then I can see how he might have stuggled if the was not a strong student at the time. It is possible for him to still succeed in those tough classes like Calculus. I did it and so can he.</p>
<p>JoeD…glad to hear that things are working out for your S. Hope all goes well this time.
My S graduated from ECU in May. He had a great four years there. He will really miss it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the optimistic update!</p>
<p>As for “North Carolina University” vs “State”…in North Carolina there are a number of colleges that make up the University system. The OP stated the son was at a North Carolina University, not “The University of North Carolina” at Chapel Hill. While UNC-Chapel Hill is generally more difficult get into than NC State (in Raleigh), there are some programs at NC State that are also very difficult to get into (although, for out of state students, NC State is much easier to get into than UNC-Chapel Hill.) The other schools in the North Carolina higher education system vary (Some are UNC… and some are State.) As an out of state student, once you get past UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State, the higher ed schools in North Carolina are mostly accessible to the same type of student. Not sure if the “Univ” vs “State” difference in admission exists for in-state students. I’m sure some the NC folks on this site will add to this discussion of Uni vs State.</p>
<p>Congrats & thanks for the promising update. It sounds like he’s got a lot of good options and opportunities before him. Great job sticking with him & helping him get to this point.</p>
<p>It brightened my day to read this update! Thank you, JoeDNC.</p>
<p>JoeDNC, so glad to hear that your son turned his grades around and is back at ECU!</p>
<p>Has he figured out a major? I hope he finds something that he loves, and that his return to ECU is a successful one all around.</p>
<p>This is good news. JoeDNC, what is your advice for parents of younger kids? Clearly, as you said earlier, the parent must be involved in confirming the arrangements for any transfer, leave of absence, etc. It would be nice to think that the students are adults and can handle all the details, but the stakes are very high for the family and things are not always so clear when dealing with registrar’s offices, etc.</p>
<p>Other than that, any advice?</p>
<p>JohnSix – UNC is the flagship state school and is the most difficult to get into, if you look at GPA, SAT/ACT, acceptance rates, etc. It has particularly strong humanities, arts, and science programs. The acceptance rate for out of state students is very low, and I’ve known several out of state students to turn down Ivies and Stanford for UNC. NC State is the land grant agricultural school, but it’s now best known for its very strong engineering programs. The freshman level calculus, physics, and chemistry courses are especially tough at both universities, perhaps even more so at State because they are the weed-out courses for the engineering, science, and math majors. In addition, the School of Design is extremely selective (I think something like 3%). NC State is by no means an easy school.</p>
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<p>Of course not. But as someone with nephews and nieces who attended both, without a doubt all would agree that State is ‘easier’ (less competitive) than Chapel Hill. (the State grads were science majors, but not-engineering, however).</p>
<p>My other S is an NCSU grad. (turned down UNC). He was your typical CC h.s student with all the usual accolades. Calc.,Physics and Chem. at NCSU were no walk in the park for him. Physics II for engineering was the only C he ever made in his life and he was happy to get it. Marsian is correct about the School of Design…very tough admit. DH is an NCSU engineering grad. (and was a Morehead scholar nominee for UNC). Those classes were tough even back in the day when they used slide rules!</p>
<p>The saying in NC is that it’s easier to get in NCSU but easier to stay in UNC. Lived in NC all my life… the debate will go on forever. North Carolinians who attended any other school in the state generally dislike UNC not because of the school itself but because of the “we’re better than you” Carolina attitude many students and alumni exude. You’d have to live here to understand.</p>
<p>If you paid cash to the previous school, couldn’t you just ignore that the 2 classes at that school ever happened? I mean…there would be no records that would HAVE to go…like financial aid records. If he won’t transfer those credits in anyway, this could work.</p>
<p>PackMom – There are a few UNC fans who have a “UNC’s better than anyone else” attitude. They tend to show up on this website, and they embarrass me. However, there are a few NC State fans who are equally obnoxious. I’ve been approached by strangers with State shirts on in public places telling me they hate my UNC shirt (excuse me, have we met?), and my children have been harassed at school for being UNC fans (even to the point of being bullied in one case). More than once, State fans have gone on and on to me about how much they hate Carolina, when I’ve never said a negative word at all about State.</p>
<p>Most people, though, from both schools are very respectful toward each other. I even know a lot of State-Carolina married couples, and while they get a lot of teasing, they will cheer for the other school against anyone else. I also know several current students at both schools, and not once have I ever heard any of them “dis” the other school. They’re more likely to be meeting in Raleigh or Chapel Hill for lunch on the weekends! UNC and State have some overlapping programs, but most of the time they complement one another and play vital roles in educating young people in our state. I would be just as happy to have a child attend State as I would Carolina, and I would be confident that a degree from either place would be a strong one. I don’t like rankings in general, and I disagree with saying that one school is academically “better” than another. However, I do think that there is one ranking that is pretty obvious: NC has one of the best, if not the very best, state university systems in the country.</p>
<p>By the way, as for students who attend every other university in NC, on all the many tours my children have been on we’ve seen UNC t-shirts galore on students from ASU to UNC-W (State shirts, too), so both schools seem to have a tremendous fan base even at the other state universities. </p>
<p>Now, if you’re talking about Duke, that’s another matter … ;)</p>
<p>Applied engineering may be the way to go. I’m thinking of Construction Management, for example. Our friend’s daughter did this…she was not great in math but had good advising & tutoring, and may have taken an extra year to complete the degree. It was also a co-op program, which is great for kids to see the application of what they’re learning.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the postive responses. I really appreciate the support and good advice.
I am hopeful this post will help some parents avoid the pitfalls of changing schools.</p>
<p>In hind site the major advice is be involved. Don’t assume your student or his advisors have the class selections figured out. College is very expensive. If you are paying, you have the right to particpate in the decisions.</p>
<p>My son is going to major in industrial engineering.</p>
<p>Parents need to be aware there is a real epidimic out there. 1/3 students do not complete college. Be involved.</p>
<p>I graduated from an Ivy League private school and majored in electrical engineering. They told us freshman year 1/3 out of us would not graduate. The new 1/3 statistic is for all state schools. I will be very proud of any of my children who graduate from one of the 17 NC state schools.</p>
<p>In the mid 80s, both of my brothers went to Florida Universities because they accepted everyone. Not anymore. As the economy tanks and education costs increase, state schools become harder to get into.</p>
<p>Read the posts on this site. There are many strong B students concerned with getting into ECU. The NC State schools will continue to get more competitive.</p>
<p>UNC Chappel hill is one of the best value schools in the US and hardest to get into. However, the flagship Engineering school in NC is NC State. 1/3 of the students at both schools will not graduate. They sell house divided license plates for couples wo went to both schools.</p>
<p>Time to tackle off campus housing now and class enrollment.</p>
<p>"If you paid cash to the previous school, couldn’t you just ignore that the 2 classes at that school ever happened? I mean…there would be no records that would HAVE to go…like financial aid records. If he won’t transfer those credits in anyway, this could work. "</p>
<p>You could falsify your application. That would be a big risk and make for a real shaky college career. In this age of information, I would not count on it not catching up with you.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if applying to unc is harder for Nursing or Communications?</p>