<p>I'm an applicant for the class of 2018 who was waitlisted following a disappointing few weeks of college decisions. Given that my choices were extremely limited come May 1, I did place a deposit somewhere and have since continued to express interest in being accepted off the waitlist at Vandy. Nonetheless, given that a large number of spots (if not all of them) have already been offered to students on the waitlist, I'm beginning to question if my hope is rather misplaced. Therefore, my family has been trying to get me to think about what I'm doing next year. I have a spot guaranteed at another school but my family does not think that college is worth the cost in spite of scholarships and financial aid. They want me to possibly attend a community college and look into transferring somewhere in Texas (where I grew up). However, I would much rather attempt to take another stab at Vandy if I were to go that route. At the same time, I am also considering taking a gap year. If I were to do that, there is a possibility that I would reapply to Vandy ED (though my parents might push for an Ivy instead).</p>
<p>Given that there are plenty of risks involved with either of the two choices I'm considering besides going to the alternate school (gap year or cc and then transferring), I'm hoping to get some input from more knowledgeable folks. If anyone who has transferred to Vandy (or an equivalent school) from a cc or who has been accepted following a gap year could weigh in, I would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>You should talk to your Vanderbilt admissions officer (admissions.vanderbilt.edu/your-counselor/) and get some honest advice from her.</p>
<p>It might be difficult to transfer from a community college to Vanderbilt. It would be much easier to transfer from the cc to a good public university in the same state as the cc. In my state, admission to the flagship campus is guaranteed for anyone who completes an Associates degree at a cc in the state, so you get your Bachelors after 4 years from the flagship school and save a lot of money in the process. I don’t know if Texas is similar, but if you want to attend a Texas university, a Texas cc is your best bet.</p>
<p>I don’t know what Vanderbilt’s admissions officer will tell you, but I don’t think you should waste a year of your life for another chance at your dream school. Next year’s competition will be as stiff as this year’s. If your family could afford the college you got into, that sounds like your best bet. But if they can’t afford it, they can’t afford it, so you might as well get started at cc or another affordable college with rolling admissions. Go ahead and send Vanderbilt a transfer application next year, if you still want to, but be doing something that’s valuable in itself and not just marking time.</p>
<p>@Checkbook Thank you for taking the time to provide me with such a thorough and thoughtful response. I really appreciate it.
I will be getting in contact with my admissions officer as soon as possible but given that the nature of our past correspondence has been less than stellar, I’m unsure of what she will have to say to me. Is there another person/other people I could contact who might be able to provide me with more answers?</p>
<p>In terms of transferring from a cc, I was hoping to be able to transfer into a highly ranked university (top 20 or 30) but I’m well aware that doing so would be pretty near impossible. If I were to attend a cc in Texas, I would most likely end up at University of Texas (in Austin) but that’s just not where I see myself ending up. Would it be worth it to move somewhere else to attend a cc in hopes of transferring to a good school in that area (I’m looking at the New England states though I am open to any type of change really)? Does anyone have experience with transferring from a cc to a school other than the good state school?</p>
<p>Also, I’m wondering whether Vanderbilt has ever accepted students for incoming classes. I know that some people do choose to defer their acceptances for whatever reasons so I’m wondering what would happen if I were to speak to the Vanderbilt Admissions Office about possibly competing for a spot in the Class of 2019. Would that be something I could bring up with my admissions counselor or would it be too much of a gamble for the school to even consider?</p>
<p>I’ve gotten a lot of great input so far but if anyone else has advice or an opinion to share, I’d be really grateful to hear it.</p>