Non-traditional transfer student

I have finished two years of my undergraduate degree and am currently taking time off from school. I’m seriously considering waiting until I’m 24 before I return to college in order to take advantage of my status as financially independent and (hopefully) garner a better financial aid package. I’m particularly interested in transferring to St. Johns.

I have two sets of questions: 1) Is there anybody here who has personally or knows someone who has transferred to St. John’s from another school? How common is this, and how well do these students integrate with the rest of the school community? Does it feel burdensome to basically “restart” you college education and do another four years? 2) Is there anybody who can speak to applying for financial aid at St. John’s with the tax status of being financially independent? How generous are their awards for these students?

Thanks for your help!

St. Johns has a fixed curriculum and all students are required to take all coursework at the college. You will need to begin as a first semester freshman.