<p>For all past and present spring admits out there, did any of you consider applying to other colleges (for a spot in their freshman class the following fall) before starting at USC in January?</p>
<p>This certainly isn't ethical, but several loopholes do exist:
-Most colleges have a policy mandating that "students who have completed two or more semesters of college coursework may only apply as transfers, not freshmen." As a spring admit, you would only complete ONE semester.
-College applications are due around January 1 or 2, but USC classes do not begin until a week or so after that, so at the time you applied, you technically wouldn't be a USC student.</p>
<p>I would really like to give the college admissions process another go, but I won't have the credits to transfer as a spring admit, so my only other option is re-applying. Ideally, I'd like to be able to attend USC for a semester after submitting all my new applications, so I won't be at home waiting for the decisions, doing nothing after taking classes and re-taking the SAT in the fall.</p>
<p>Obviously USC wouldn't be too happy about this, but could they rescind my offer of admission? Could other schools reject me on the basis of applying and then enrolling elsewhere for a semester? Has anybody else done this, or considered doing it?</p>
<p>If you have been accepted and pay for the semester, you can attend for Spring. If you transfer out after one semester that would not be a problem from USC’s perspective.</p>
<p>You should double-check your information about whether you would be considered a freshman applicant at other universities, however. Just as an example, none of the UCs would consider you a freshman if you enrolled for Spring at USC (or any other college, including community colleges).
[University</a> of California - Admissions](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/freshman.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/freshman.html)</p>
<p>Thank you for the prompt reply!</p>
<p>I realize that colleges and universities throughout the nation have very different policies regarding freshman eligibility and transfer apps, but my idea of “giving the college admissions process another go” doesn’t exactly extend to the UCs (or community colleges).</p>
<p>The schools that I am considering all share a similar policy, and make it very clear that
“candidates to the transfer program should be aware that transfer admission is considerably more competitive than freshman admission.” In which case, it would be a better idea to apply for freshman admission.</p>
<p>Also taken directly from this school’s transfer FAQ page: “If you have a high school diploma or GED and you have LESS THAN ONE YEAR of transferable post-secondary-school college credit, then you should apply as a freshman candidate.”</p>
<p>If I am not mistaken, spring semester = less than one year of college credit.</p>
<p>Yes, a spring semester would be less than a full year of college. I was not suggesting that you apply to a UC, I was giving specific examples of schools that would not consider you a freshman. As long as you have checked the individual policies of the schools to which you would like to apply, you should be fine - but “most” colleges would actually consider a student with a semester of college to be a transfer.</p>
<p>If you do not plan to continue to attend USC, why would you spend $28,000 to attend for a semester? It would seem a much better idea to either take a gap year and reapply (making you a freshman at all potential schools) or attend a community college for a semster at a fraction of the cost while getting units that are more likely to transfer?</p>
<p>Again, USC would not see anything “unethical” about a student transferring out after a semester, so you don’t need to worry about that.</p>