Soon to be Transfer Student-Where to Start?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hello, I'm a 24 year old student who just completed my first year of community college. While the extra age brings wisdom, I am far greener than the typical high school student when it comes to admissions. </p>

<p>Here are a few facts about me first:</p>

<p>-I did horrible in high school. Parents didn't push me, it was a tumultuous time with divorces and relocations, and I didn't go to college afterward. Never took an SAT. </p>

<p>-I did very well the past year. At first, I signed up merely because I didn't want to work at my current not-so-savory job for the rest of my life, but I now see a greater potential. </p>

<p>-3.96 gpa (One 3.5 first quarter, the rest 4.0s). English student of the year award for the school. Phi Theta Kappa honor society member. President's list two of three quarters. About to start and run the school's literature club.</p>

<p>I can call upon a professor who thinks the world of me, (sounds so arrogant ha. I do respect her immensely) who has some connections in the midwest and south to write a recommendation letter. I can write a sharp essay.</p>

<p>-Undecided major. I would enjoy teaching english or history or doing free lance writing. </p>

<p>-Resident of Washington State.</p>

<p>-Plan to transfer for Fall 2010.</p>

<p>Phew, glad you're still with me. Things I'm curious about:</p>

<p>-Will schools block me because of my grim high school grades?</p>

<p>-How much does it hurt that I don't have a bunch of clubs and sports to boast of? It's hard enough to work and do school at the same time let alone fit extra application boosters in. I digress...</p>

<p>-Do I need to take an SAT/ACT? I'm relatively weak in math. </p>

<p>-How does one gauge scholarships and financial aid for schools without being accepted/committing first? I haven't taken out loans yet; I'm prepared to do so, but I'd rather not take out 100k. I have no parental backing and little saved. (Most important question for me)</p>

<p>-Let's say my wildest dreams come to and I go to a prestigious private school. Are students guaranteed large loan amounts?</p>

<p>-Is there a comprehensive list of department/major/program rankings available anywhere online? </p>

<p>That's all I can think of for right now. I very much appreciate you taking the time to read this and for all replies.</p>

2

<p>If you have two years worth of college credit (90 quarter credits) you aren’t expected to take the SAT and your grades in high school don’t really matter. If you get an associates degree before you transfer, you’ll look a lot more attractive in your applications.</p>

<p>What caliber school are you looking to get into? Like a University of Washington or Seattle University or a step above that to a UMich or Northwestern? </p>

<p>If you’re working a decent amount of hours a week, most universities will give you a break on extra curriculars although it might make for a good letter of recommendation if your applying to a school that cares about such letters.</p>

<p>If money is an issue, I’d probably just recommend the UW unless you’re dead-set to get away from the rain. It’s really easy to get into the UW from a community college with a GPA > 3.5. If you’re financially independent from your parents you’ll probably be able to find enough good loans and grants to get by if you attend a public in state school or a private school anywhere. The only thing you have to worry about is public out of state schools, they generally have terrible programs for out of state students.</p>

3

<p>Glad to hear that Will.</p>

<p>I will have my AA at the end of this year. UW is definitely there. I know there are far worse fall backs, and I shouldn’t complain. However, I hear its more based in science and research than liberal arts, and I wouldn’t mind a new chapter somewhere else. I have few connections, hardly any family, and some bad memories in western Washington (not to mention rain and the perpetual gray).</p>

<p>So I’m open to schools across the country. Although, I’m not too excited about the out of state tuition, and of course I’ll have to narrow things down and not apply to 80 schools!</p>

4

<p>State schools “tend” to not require submitting high school grades and/or standardized test scores if you are applying for junior standing. You can search the forum for other threads about schools that don’t require submitting a high school transcript.</p>

<p>There are schools that require a standardized test score. Or you can apply to schools that are test optional. See here: [Optional</a> List | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional]Optional”>ACT/SAT Optional List for Fall 2025 - Fairtest)</p>

<p>Some schools may require 2 to 3 letter of recommendations. </p>

<p>If you are 24 then you are considered an independent student for financial aid purposes. See here: [Independent</a> Students](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc03k.htm]Independent”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc03k.htm)</p>

<p>Are you female? If so, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley have special programs for non traditionally aged students. Wikipedia also has a list of programs for non traditionally aged students male and female: [List</a> of programs and colleges for non-traditional students - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_and_colleges_for_non-traditional_students]List”>List of programs and colleges for non-traditional students - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>Look into Phi Theta Kappa scholarships. </p>

<p>This: [Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php) is a good place to start for schools who are known for generous financial aid policies. However, the financial aid pledges may not exist be the same for transfer students as for freshmen.</p>

5

<p>The last link is very encouraging. I just sent them an email about the applicability for transfer and older students.</p>

<p>I can get another rec letter though 3 might be tricky. </p>

<p>Still curious when you find out about aid and school scholarships. A friend told me today you find out the possible financial aid before you commit but wasn’t sure about scholarships. I make under $20000 dollars a year, so I guess in a way this will finally be a good thing ha.</p>

6

<p>Generally, you will receive your financial aid award with your acceptance letter if all of your financial aid materials were submitted on time. It is hard to predict what you are getting before you are admitted because every school calculates the cost of attendance and defines “full need” differently. </p>

<p>You will probably have to contact/research each school mentioned on project on student debt. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were schools that were need blind and met full need to transfers last year that aren’t this year due to a decline in the endowment. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, schools that are need blind and/or meet full need don’t necessarily do that for transfers. </p>

<p>I think you should investigate the programs for non traditionally aged students further, because presumably the programs know that these students usually don’t have a lot of money. </p>

<p>The 3 recs is needed for the program at Wellesley for students >24. Private colleges will generally ask for 1 or 2.</p>