Question regarding CC transfers and others

Transfer Students
1

<p>I originally posted the topic in the Admissions board, but I was told I'd have a better chance at having my question answered here because one of the more important parts deals with transfers. Below this is the original post - I'm sorry if making multiple topics is not allowed here, and if this is the case I'd rather have my topic in the admissions forum locked.</p>

<p>I'll try and make this post as brief as I can because I have a propensity to digress on this topic. I am 18 years old and have been independently homeschooled since 2003. I didn't get my SAT or my GED scores until after December 2007, so I missed the application deadline for the three universities I most wanted to attend. I still applied, but I got rejection letters from all three because their classes were filled to capacity.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I can't just wait another year to apply again (losing health insurance and a home if I'm not in school..) so I was trying to see what else I can do so that I'm still studying this year. I had a couple of ideas, but I'm not sure how plausible they are.</p>

<p>The first - is it possible to take classes at one of the universities (U of MN) without being enrolled as a freshman? They have a department of continuing education where, in theory, one could take classes and get credits. Would I still be able to enroll in all of the classes I would have otherwise taken?</p>

<p>The second - community college. I'm not adverse to the idea because I'd also be saving a lot of tuition fees :) The problem is that I don't want to spend two years getting an associate's and transferring; I'd rather transfer as soon as possible. Is it possible to transfer from a community college after one or two semesters without first getting the associate's?</p>

<p>I don't know a lot about the process, so I thank you in advance for any advice and information you can offer! If there are any other things that I could do, I'd love to know.</p>

2

<p>As for the transfer after 1 year from a community college - some colleges are fine with this, others are not. Create a list of colleges you want to transfer to and then start reading their transfer admissions requirements. You should find very clear answers for the most part.</p>

<p>Also, I think cc's get overlooked. I attended St. Olaf College (but did not graduate) - then moved to California. I'm attending a cc (changing majors) and guess what... the quality of professors for the majority of the classes is on par with what I experienced at the private school. There are definite perks I miss, the culture is different, and I had to be much more of a self-starter and look for ways to be challenged at cc, but the effort I had to put in has only made me a much more mature student. I'm at the tippy-top at my cc whereas I was average at the private... and because of that, I've been much more challenged at the cc. I've met <em>brilliant</em> people at my cc and they are transfering to Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford. So - cc is what you make of it! Don't necessarily be in too much of a rush... I suggest that whatever school you go to (and I do suggest that cc's, while not glamourous, can still lead you to glamourous places!) that you just dive into the schoolwork and excell. The rest will follow, assuming you do your research on schools you are aiming to transfer into.</p>

<p>Also note that at the U of MN, even if you can take a few classes here or there, you very well may have a problem getting into a lot of the classes you need - so that your year at the U would be mixed in terms of forward progress. This is contrasted to a cc, where you may be able to get into a full load of classes and progress further in classes completed toward your general ed.</p>

<p>So - research your 3 top schools - find out what would make you an attractive transfer candidate (assuming cc here) - and then go for it! One year or two, whatever it takes - good luck!</p>

<p>Annika</p>

3

<p>It is possible to transfer after one year at a CC. The UC and CSU systems want you to have at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units before you transfer which is appox 2 years worth of units unless you have alot of AP units, take alot of college courses throughout the year or when you were in high school it may take you less than 2 years.</p>

<p>The only downside to transfer after one year is some universities will look at your high school record more than your college record. Depending on how well you did in high school it may be a disadvantage as it was in my case.</p>

<p>Annika is right. You might miss out on dorm life and some of the other things that a big university has. At a CC you can explore alot of different fields since each class cost very little at a CC compared to a state or private university. I know I was paying like $22 per unit at my CC while it can cost around $1000 or more per unit (I got this from looking at Stanford's summer program). So at a CC you can just take classes for fun and see what it is like and drop it later if you feel that you aren't doing so well in the class or you do not like the class anymore because it won't hurt your pocket as much as if you were at a 4 year university.</p>

<p>The only reason why might wait is if you want to go to a school that does not accept transfer like Princeton or now Harvard (until 2010-2011 year, I assume since it is closed to transfers for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010).</p>

<p>Unless it is those schools above I highly suggest going to a CC. Most of the time you would not have to compete with other students for an A because the class would not be curved. So it wouldn't "every person for themselves" kind of situation. No GSIs at a CC.</p>

<p>Also, an associate's degree is not required to transfer. I have 60 units at the moment and I am transferring without an associate's.</p>

<p>If you have questions about CCs or my experiences at a CCs feel free to drop me a PM or two.</p>

<p>Otherwise good luck</p>

4

<p>I'm at a CC right now and loving the experience. For background, I was a decent high school student with a subpar GPA of 3.2ish but two full years of APs and 1560 (old system) SATs; I was accepted to MIT but ended up going to Maryland for financial reasons. I flunked out there, mostly because I was sixteen and immature and didn't have the forethought to realize that one actually has to attend one's classes occasionally and take the tests in order to pass them, but partly because I frankly just hated the school.</p>

<p>Anyway, after five years in the military I decided to go back to school, so I'm now at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. The quality of instruction is absolutely outstanding with very few exceptions. The faculty is approachable and completely dedicated to teaching. They're not famous researchers, of course, but who really cares about that in an introductory chemistry course? It's only in the last two years that cutting-edge facilities and top researchers can make a big difference. The only real downside to a cc is that the peer competition may not be as strong, but I think small classes taught by real faculty rather than TAs can make up for that difference.</p>

<p>As far as transferability, if you want to go to U of MN, many state schools have explicit transfer agreements with community colleges in their own states or bordering states. With good grades at a cc, it can actually sometimes be easier to get into a state school than it would have been as a freshman, particularly if you take a challenging curriculum strong in 'core' subjects like math and English. Sometimes the transfer preference only applies if you have the associate's or 90 transferable credits, but some schools or programs will give the same preference to rising sophomores interested in programs like engineering or physics where community colleges don't offer sophomore-level courses in the major.</p>

<p>Basically, if you know what you'll major in, just try to develop a strong curriculum that prepares you well for that major. If you're ready to transfer with junior standing in the major (or sophomore, for majors that "start" in the sophomore year), even if you don't have junior standing overall, you still have a good chance of being perceived well by the admissions committee.</p>

<p>None of the above really applies if you're trying to get into a private school though (well, except the "take challenging courses" part). Some accept transfers, some don't, some do but don't fund them as well as they fund freshmen, some will offer you admission but won't accept many of your transfer credits, some are just absurdly selective. If you have your heart set on a private (or just want to be sure to keep the option available) and can't go to a four-year school, take the year off or go at most half-time so as to remain in the "freshman" category for admission.</p>

<p>Re U MN continuing ed, some classes may be for-credit and some may not. If they do let you take for-credit classes, they may be restricted to evenings and weekends. If they let you in the daytime classes with the regular students, you will have the absolute last registration priority and may be restricted on the number of credits you can take (in which case you might be better off going half-time at a community college). And no matter what, you won't be eligible for financial aid, and you may have to pay higher tuition rates.</p>