Hi all,
I have an uncommon case here and I need your help. I am currently a freshman undergraduate at a very good public university(among the top 5 public U ranked in US news, but I don’t want to specify which one it is…). As my first year comes to an end, I have made up my mind to withdraw from this institution and reapply to other private research universities for several reasons. However I do not know whether or not these universities give consideration for students like me. And if they do accept students who have the same position as I have, could I apply as a freshman this fall. I mean I have two choices here: I can tell the AOs that I enrolled to another institution Or maybe I will just pretend that I just took one year off after high school… (I know I can’t transfer my credits if I choose to apply this way. My GPA for first semester is 3.65 and for this spring semester should be around 3.7)
However today I asked the AO from JHU, they told me if I have taken 12 or more credits then my only option is to apply as a transfer and I need to stay at my current institution for another year, but I don’t want to…
Then I sent an email with my detailed rationale. Here it is:
I will finish my first year this May. So I will have my grades for my freshman year. So I still have sophomore, junior and senior year to finish. I want to go to China for a year (not for an education/exchange program, but for volunteer and research work). So I will leave school from June 2013 to March 2014 but I am planing to apply as a transfer to continue sophomore March 2014, which is class of 2017.
So I think they are probably worried about my academic strength and adaptability if there is an abeyance in my study. Am I correct?
But is this negotiable?
Many thanks,
Kevin
@arrow: “However I do not know whether or not these universities give consideration for students like me. And if they do accept students who have the same position as I have, could I apply as a freshman this fall.”
Would you mind explaining? It would be easier to try to help you if you explained your situation clearly. (I don’t mean that in a rude way – just want clarification so I can attempt to be of service.)
OP is suggesting that if he can’t get in as a transfer student, maybe he could get in by pretending to have no prior college experience, as if he’d graduated high school then taken a gap year.
Most colleges have rules similar to JHU’s “once you’ve had a certain number of credit hours, you’re a transfer student” rule, and lying on your application to get around that rule is as bad an idea as any other lie on an application.
@emersongarcia
I am just a freshman who wants to leave a institution to start afresh at another one…
So AOs will know whether or not I have enrolled previously?
Ok now I have get rid of the thoughts about pretending to be a high school graduate…
now I want to ask whether I may apply next March, to get into the class of 2017 ( It would be Sophomore) There may be a possibility that I will withdraw from my current university after the summer. That basically means I will complete my freshman year, take one year off and apply to the class of 2017 next year.<br>
Thanks!
This is really shady. I don’t like the idea of offering you advice.
@arrow -
So, did you finish your first year? Did you withdraw next year’s registration?
Sure, you can take a year or ten off from school and then reapply. What you do in your time off is your choice.
You will come into a new school as a transfer student. There is no point in trying to wash away your first year. Your GPA is fine. Or are you hoping to get accepted to a school that doesn’t take transfer students or very low acceptance rate? Or is your issue that schools want you to complete more than 1 year at your current school before applying as a transfer student?
I think if you withdraw, don’t attend school for (at least) a year and apply, that they will consider your application (obviously likely wanting an explanation).
You should be fine. BTW, if you get any federally funded financial aid or loans, please consider those as you make the decision to withdraw for a year.
Bear in mind that most US schools have databases they can consult to see if an applicant has attended other schools previously. The whole “pretend you took a year off” strategy is a non-starter that NO ONE should attempt because not only is it a lie, it is a lie that is easily caught.
Personally, I am on the verge of advising you not to transfer, though. What concerns me is that you have not clearly articulated your reasons for leaving the top-5 public school you are at, nor the qualities that would make you happier at a different institution. I simply don’t think you have thought the matter through. And this idea of yours about pretending to have a gap year is just further evidence of a lack of thorough reasoning.
So, perhaps belatedly, I advise you to either tough it out where you are, or present a more clear argument for why you need to transfer and where you want to go. As Emerson pointed out, when you help us see the situation clearly with your eyes, we can be much more helpful.