Possibly transferring... Need some help

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, sorry for the somewhat vague title, but I really couldn't think of any good titles. </p>

<p>I am currently a member of the class of 2015 at Auburn University in Alabama. I am out of state and from Pennsylvania, so I am a good way away. I love just about everything about Auburn, and I have been developing a really good rapport with some of my professors. This is sort of breaking my heart to post this, but I think it's time for me to face reality. </p>

<p>Basically, the main concern for me is finances, as you might have guessed. Auburn didn't give me a very generous financial aid package - mostly loans. Another issue is travel expenses back and forth from Alabama to Pennsylvania. My parents have always sort of left me in the dark about their finances, and they assured me that they would be able to handle the tuition expenses, but I am not sure what their plan was, exactly, since we are not rich by any means. I also feel somewhat uncomfortable asking because there has been some tension in my household lately. Again, the travel expenses are proving to be a real challenge right now. I have been feeling guilty about how much they are having to pay, and this is the main reason why I want to transfer. </p>

<p>I was hoping I could maybe find a decently-priced state school back home in PA. I am now aware after reading some scary topics here that merit-based financial aid is somewhat hard to come by, but I would like to keep costs as low as possible, obviously. I have around a 3.6 GPA now at Auburn (I am not sure if this would impact my search or not). I am currently an economics major, with an interest in becoming an actuary. Another tidbit of information is that I am actually hearing disabled, and I would love it if my new school had a good audiology department for hearing aid repairs and tests and such (Auburn has a really good program for this - one of the reasons why I wound up there!). But that is really not a deal-breaker for me. </p>

<p>From some cursory research, it looks like Temple might be a good fit (and I am adjusting to the idea of possibly being in a city), but I am not really sure. I know their graduate program in actuarial science seems to be really good, but I am not really considering grad school right now. I just want to make sure I have a good background in the math and econ courses I will probably need to pass the actuarial exams.</p>

<p>I am planning to stay at Auburn for at least one semester, but I would like to have this decision made ahead of time so I can stop procrastinating on at least one thing in my life. ;) Any help is appreciated, and I do apologize if this is in the wrong forum or something. If you need any more information, I will do my best.</p>

2

<p>Instead of returning to Auburn for the fall and spending more money for the OOS tution and fees, why don’t you just ask for a leave of absence, get a job, and investigate your transfer options in PA? Find out if Temple or any of the other places you are interested in admit transfers for second semester.</p>

<p>You also would benefit from a visit to the Transfer Forum. You can find it by going to the main page where all the forums are listed and then scrolling down. Once there, read through the thread titled “Transfer Admissions 101” that is stickied near the top.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

3

<p>^^^</p>

<p>I agree. Don’t return for fall. </p>

<p>You say that you got mostly loans…that’s just too much debt for you and your parents. And, not necessary for your major at all. </p>

<p>By not attending this fall, you’ll save at least $20k. </p>

<p>If you want, you can attend your local CC. They may have transfer agreements with PA schools.</p>

<p>What is your FAFSA EFC? What is in your Auburn aid pkg?</p>

4

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<p>Switching to in-state tuition will be like an automatic grant of $15,000-$18,000/year due to avoiding the out-of-state tuition. That’s going to be hard to beat as a transfer.</p>

5

<p>What about Penn State and Pitt</p>