<p>Note: I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section of the forums. I'm obviously new here, and I didn't mean to do anything against the rules.</p>
<p>I just graduated from high school in early June, and I'll be attending Vanderbilt University this coming autumn. I had tried applying to four Ivy League schools (Cornell, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale). Unfortunately, I wasn't accepted to any of them.</p>
<p>My situation is this. Hardly anyone within my family has even heard of Vanderbilt University, so they're not too thrilled about my planned attendance. They argue that it's too expensive and that I should stay within the state (Florida). However, they would've been more than happy to pay for my college education if I were going to go to something like Harvard.</p>
<p>I know that a major part of the transfer application is an essay on why you want to transfer, and I'm wondering if that's a good reason (financial). I'd of course try to phrase it better if I wrote about that.</p>
<p>Sorry to bash on your family. But they have to be completely oblivious. Vanderbilt is ranked 17th in the nation tied with Rice. Above them Cornell. It’s far better than Florida state far far far better. Tell them to shove it and stay at Vanderbilt. You could try transferring to Harvard or the ivies again. Unless you are doing that sorry I skimmed through the post.<br>
Resources: colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+2</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is amazing. One of my top schools. My mom hasn’t heard of it either. So? Never let others make your decision for you. If you feel its worth it, then go.</p>
<p>Also, typical viable candidates to transfer into Ivies are people with a pocket full of Ivy accepts but decided to not attend them, not rejections. Go Vandy. It’s a remarkable institution. Your family is simply simple.</p>
<p>But to your original question: colleges are looking for people who will take advantage of them – not because they are trying to appease family or chasing prestige.</p>
<p>Each family has it’s own notions about how much it is willing to pay for it’s children’s educations. Some are willing to pay more for a particular institution, and others have a fixed budget and won’t go over that amount for any college or university. You need to sit down with your parents, and find out just exactly how they feel about paying for Vanderbilt. If they have serious issues, you need to resolve them now. And yes, you need to be prepared to study at a public U in Florida if the truth is that your family can’t afford Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks for all of the help. It’s just that my parents keep telling me that it would be better that I stay in state, even though I’ve told them that the education at Vanderbilt is better. They say that I could just apply for a private school when I go to graduate school.</p>
<p>Seriously just show them the rankings. Yeah you could do that. But what if you don’t end up going to graduate school? Imagine how much better a degree from Vanderbilt would be. Its well worth it.</p>
<p>Your parents are correct that if you intend to go to grad school, you may be better off starting out at a less expensive place. Law school, med school, and business school you will almost certainly have to pay for on your own. Grad school in the humanities and social sciences often isn’t as well funded as grad school in the sciences, and even there the best support is for Ph.D. candidates.</p>
<p>Either your parents haven’t been completely up-front with you about the financial situation, or you haven’t been paying close attention to what they have been saying. Sit down with them and with the calculators at FinAid.org, and do your best to get to the bottom of this issue. If you are comparing costs at two or more places, this is a good one to start with: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid)</p>