Ready to transfer out of CC but having reservations

Parent Cafe
1

I seriously doubt that is the appropriate forum, as I am not a parent, nor is this a question that can necessarily be better answered by parents, but I love the wisdom you folks always offer. If this thread is relocated, so be it.

I’m a 20 y/o male finishing up my third and what should be final year at a local community college. After first enrolling at this school in the fall of 2012, I anticipated transferring to a university each subsequent semester, but I lacked the determination and direction to do so. After failing several courses early on, and dabbling in a few different degree programs, I’m on track to earn an associates in engineering science this spring. My real passion, and what I intend to study in the future, however, is environmental science. I stuck with the engineering degree because I was already so close to completion, but after discovering the environmental field I quickly immersed myself in whatever relevant classes the school offered.

I don’t mean to fluff this post up like I always manage to. So anyways, I’m at the point where I should begin to seriously consider what schools I might want to attend in the fall. But I’m having reservations. My GPA is a rather low 3.00. I expect to raise it to a 3.15 by the end of this semester but I’m not sure if that means anything when applying for colleges now. I don’t really need to go into why my transcript turned out the way it did. I made a lot of bad decisions, and for a while I didn’t care for continuing a traditional education. My main purpose for studying environmental science, and one that I’m still partial to, is rather humanitarian; I feel the need to save the earth in a way, and all its inhabitants. An insurmountable task really, but the urge to do so has delightfully eliminated a lot of career options for me. I was ready to finish my associates and jump right into the field, maybe even by myself. But I see now that I need the education, and connections that a college education provides. What’s more, as much as I detest certain symbolism behind a college education, I really seem to enjoy an academic setting.

I would give my left leg to be able to attend one of these ivy league schools. Certainly not because of the title, or the elitism associated, but purely for the opportunities and atmosphere. Most of these schools, Yale, Duke, Cornell, MIT, the UCs, have fantastic environmental studies programs. I’m also looking for other passionate students. ASU, for example, has a renowned sustainability program. If I was just coming out of high school I would have no doubts in attending. But at this point in my academic career, I really have no interest in the standard college atmosphere, particularly one of a state school. Rarely in the last three years have I gotten a chance to have meaningful interaction and discussion with other students who are passionate about learning, and the true purpose behind it. This is one quality that I envy about low acceptance rate schools. I want to surround myself with people more passionate and more intelligent than myself.

2

With my current transcript, I think I am destined for low to middle tier colleges. Are my worries justified or not?

3

You make your community where you find it. If not with one or two other undergraduates, with a couple of graduate students, or a professor or two, or a SIG in the community or online. There will be a distribution of people wherever you go. One of the great things about a large state school is that every kind of person finds him/herself there. You will find a community if you seek it out, or if you form it. There will be at least one or two like-minded intellectuals wherever you go.

Good luck with this! Your cup is truly half-full. Many people much older than you do not have a calling. Be thankful that you have direction and opportunity.

4

I think you are in a really good place right now. I’m not 100% sure why you think that a state school can’t offer you what you need, even while in the same paragraph you acknowledge that the UCs and ASU are strong programs. It seems somewhat contradictory to me, but I think it’s something that you can move past. As ItsJustSchool says, there are bright, talented leaders pretty much everywhere if you know where to look. The people who work for those NGOs that do all of that great work, the social entrepreneurs, the people who work for the social entrepreneurs, all of those great leaders come from all schools, not just the Ivys.

As someone who comes across as dedicated and thoughtful as you seem to be, I would not let the difficulty in getting into an Ivy League school be what bars you from pursuing your goals.

5

You’ll be fine. It’s not about who surrounds you. It’s about you! Yeah, it’s helpful if everyone is like-minded, but play the cards you have. You don’t have a bad hand at all. I may be reading between the lines, but you sound driven and resourceful.

Remember you essentially wipe out any prior college degree with an advanced degree. It is so much easier to get into an MBA program at a top university than it is to get into that same university as a high school senior. I’m in MetroNY and it’s common for people to have Masters from Columbia University with initial degrees from state schools or mediocre schools. If you can’t get in immediately, or if you don’t want to continue school, apply in several years to a really good school near you. This would only be if you’re intention was for senior management positions, where other senior management and/or the board wants to see pedigree.

6

Have you looked at College of the Atlantic? They are all about environmental studies and I think they would be your type of people.

7

I second College of the Atlantic, as well as Warren Wilson College in NC.
Lewis&Clark would be good, University of Portland? You could try environmental engineering, which is ABET accredited at Clarkson, Colorado School of Mines, Humboldt (CSU so cheap in-state and safety for you), San Diego State (in state so cheap, but a reach academically for engineering?), New Mexico Insitute of Mining and Technology, WPI, University of Oklahoma. UC Riverside is ABET Accredited for Environmental Engineering, but I don’t know whether you could get in.
3.15 is too low for some colleges, but you can find dedicated, passionate students in many places, especially if you look for Environmental Science rather than engineering. College of Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan (both matches for you), New College Florida (not for engineering but for dedicated students and environmental science -beware, it’s super intense), Hampshire (if you can have the discipline), Beloit, Gustavus Adolphus, St Olaf (reach), Reed (big reach), Wheaton (Massachusetts), all come to mind. SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry is a college solely dedicated to Environmental Science in all its aspects and even if it’s out of state, its costs are reasonable and it’s highly thought of.
Apply to UC Merced, UCR, UCSC, of course. What about Cal State Maritime?
What’s your budget?

8

@bopper I expressed interest in environmental science throughout high school. My guidance counselor always suggested College of the Atlantic. During my junior year, my parents paid for me to meet with a professional college advisor who recommended the same thing. My mind was in a bad place, and I had no interest in any discussions about further education. I’m not sure if I mentioned this but interestingly enough I actually live in Maine, about 2 hours south of that campus. I never gave that college the review I’m sure it deserves. I’ve spoken to several graduates who said that the students are of a far-out nature, perhaps even too much for me. I need to give it another look, though.

@MYOS1634 Thanks for the suggestions; I will look into them. How about Green Mountain College in Vermont?

I haven’t really considered a budget. I will be graduating community college relatively debt free - perhaps 5k in loans total. I would rather not have borrowed at all but the school is actually out-of-state and incredibly expensive for a CC. I never really thought about it though. 25k a year or 50k a year. I will need to take loans. I’ve always seen debt as debt.

9

As a student you are limited to $7500 in loans as a Junior or Senior. How will you make up the gap?

10

@"Erin’s Dad"‌ interesting. I was not aware of this. Can you link a source? I intended to begin growing specialty crops in a few months for a nice bit of revenue, however, small-scale farming is certainly not lucrative enough to cover that gap.

Well if that’s the case, then I suppose my only option is the University of Maine. I would never ask such a thing of my parents. I’ll give their program a look, though I may just change my plan entirely.

11

I completely discredited College of the Atlantic when I was in high school for no rational reason. I just took a look at their website for the first time in years. This school seems almost perfect to me now - easily climbs to #1 on my list. 50k a year though…

12

Most CC students transfer instate for the lower tuition, so they don’t have as much debt load. Ivy is not going to work for you, and I agree that you are really underestimating what it is like when you are taking upper division coursework with your cohort, interacting with the department profs, researching with the grad students and profs.Not being elitist and then dismissing school as being state school really doesn’t become you. Keep an open mind. I think it would be a good idea to continue even at U of Maine.

Some colleges will give a transfer scholarship but likely not. Jack Kent Cooke foundation gives transfer scholarships but the gpa might need to be much higher but check it out to see it there is a chance. Worth it.

Student Loan limits chart
https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized#how-much

13

In what State is the OOS CC that you attend and why do you attend CC OOS?
(Most students attend CC near their home).
Does your CC have articulation agreements with some universities or programs (such as the one many NYS Colleges have with CALS at Cornell - which would be good for environmental science, too).
Since you didn’t max out your federal loans, you’d be eligible from a bit more than $7500 per year (probably $3,000 more). Since you’re under 24, you’re still automatically a dependent student so your parents’ income will be taken into account
Run the NPCs on each website (since each college calculates differently) - even if they’re not likely to be accurate, they’ll at least tell you the minimum your parents will be expected to contribute (then, expect more).

14

University of Maine also looks good: http://umaine.edu/ecologyandenvironmentalsciences/

15

@MYOS1634 Well I live in Maine, twenty minutes from the New Hampshire border. I opted for a CC in NH because it’s a twenty minute drive, and they have programs in both engineering and environmental science. The cost is quite absurd (I believe 250 per credit). In hindsight, I could have attended UMaine for a similar tuition, however, I was not ready to leave home. There are two in state CC’s near me. One is a twenty minute drive and very inexpensive, but they offer no STEM related degrees. The other school is larger and offers the same coursework that my current school does, but it’s closer to an hour commute. I wasn’t prepared to make that drive 3-4 days a week.

16

That makes sense - I thought you may have lived in NJ and decided to go to CC in Florida, or something of the kind (don’t laugh… some students have such ideas :d)
UMaine is a safety for you, right?

17

Haha, well a year ago I was pretty close to attending CC out in California for a seamless transition into UCSD, one of my dream schools. UMaine is a safety, yeah.

18

The elite schools are not the only ones with top notch students and environmental science programs. btw- a 3.0 is required by UW-Madison for transfers. Also, 60 semester credits are needed to obtain a degree from UW and I’m sure most/all schools will have similar requirements- after all, they are awarding the degree with their name on it.

You are at the stage in your education where you need to move to the upper level courses found at 4 year schools to obtain a bachelor’s degree. This is the main difference in getting the associate level degree and the bachelors. You need to decide if a BA/BS is the route you plan to take. You should not be a snob about the school, especially since the elite schools may not have the classes that work best for your interests. You may be surprised at the academic caliber found at the state flagships. Not every top student even wants those Ivies et al. There is life outside of them!

In order to succeed you need to want to take the upper division courses in your chosen major. This is a step up from CC classes. But, if you are truly interested in the field it will be a welcome challenge.

19

@MYOS1634‌ I know what you mean. One kid was from MD and went to CC in Florida…

@Eric515‌ St. Joseph’s College of Maine, UMaine, University of New England, and University of Southern Maine are great instate options for you!