Tranfer after freshman year?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi
I'm a high school graduate this year and I'm currently enrolled in a top 50 university down South (actually it's in Florida... very obvious, right?).</p>

<p>However, my parents are paying full price for me to attend there because I have poor SAT scores and I'm not qualified for scholarship (Maybe I got in there simply because of sheer luck?) and I'm not qualified for financial aid because my family has a pretty high EFC.
The college's website stated clearly that all scholarship decisions are finalized at the freshman year, and even if I get on the Dean's List during the college years, I won't be able to get a cent from the school. Since my brother is also going to college next year, I don't know how my parents are going to pay for 2 kids in college without any scholarship or fin aid. (I have never expected my brother getting in a top college because his GPA is like... blah, 2.8x? sigh) </p>

<p>Besides that, the Southern atmosphere is not really my type. I prefer reading or hanging out with my friends rather than going to the beaches or hit the bars. From what I have heard from my friend's brother (he studied there before), many students just go to downtown and party the whole weekends while some stayed in the library for the weekends and study. I personally prefer to study in a college town where students develop some sort of close-knitted relationship with each other. I'm okay with house parties occasionally, but just not every weekend (or even weekdays).</p>

<p>Is it possible for me to transfer out after the freshman year? I know high school records matter a lot for sophomore transfers, and my record was pretty mediocre, but as long as I can transfer to schools with similar rankings, I'm all okay with that.</p>

<p>Intend major: Undecided.... but my parents want me to major in business (or else they're not gonna pay for my college tuition, huh)
I personally want to major in International Relations and minor in Spanish</p>

<p>I know most people transfer as a juniors, but I'm worried that if I transfer as a junior, chances for me to get interns/jobs in my third year in a new college will be slimmed. </p>

<p>I plan to take SAT, ACT and TOEFL again in college, and I hope for better results after 1/2 year of college studies.</p>

<p>So far, I've been checking out these schools-
UIUC
UT Austin
Penn State UP (I got in as a freshman...)</p>

<p>If I can get a decent GPA, then maybe I'll try for these schools-
U of Rochester
William and Mary (my dream school when I was applying for schools as a HS senior)
NYU Gallatin
UNC-Chapel Hill (my dream college town)
Tufts
UVa (my best friend in HS is studying there!)</p>

<p>If I can get a really really good GPA, like on the Dean's List, I'll look into these schools-
Wesleyan Univeristy
Georgetown
Emory (my another friend is studying there)
Vanderbilt
Rice
Cornell
Brown (just a dream...)
Northwestern
U of Chicago (my cousin studied there -_-)
Duke (I wish)</p>

<p>I'd appreciate anyone with any insight on this
Thank you (and sorry for my crappy English)</p>

2

<p>Well, research the schools you wish to transfer to after freshman year and read up on their transfer policies. For example, some schools disregard your high school grades completely once you accumulate 30 college units.
Yes, it is possible to transfer after freshman year and that is what I intend to do myself. Just keep your grades up, participate in school activities, and get involved in extracurricular activities related to your intended field of study to make yourself more competitive.</p>

3

<p>Your high school grades are pretty much ignored even after you have had one very successful semester. Just get in there and bust your butt and you will be fine transferring.</p>

4

<p>Oh, I forgot to include my high school record on the original post
GPA: 3.42 (Thanks to the couple of Bs and Cs in Math and Sciences, but I generally got As or A-s in Language and Arts subjects)
SAT… I’d better not tell, but it’s really horrible, I’ve only taken it twice and I basically have given up on it :S
TOEFL: 91/120, not so good, but I only took it once</p>

5

<p>Lots of people transfer after their freshman year, but since you aren’t happy with this university, you are better off not enrolling there this fall. You need to take a Gap Year. Call the university where you are expecting to enroll for the fall, and ask for deferred enrollment for a year. Then, get a job, do some volunteer work, retake your SAT, ACT, and TOEFL, and come up with a new college list. There are lots of colleges and universities out there that are less expensive than the place you have been planning to attend, that will be perfectly happy to admit you. You need a new, better list of colleges to apply to. </p>

<p>The best financial aid money goes to incoming freshman students. If you have a chance at all for any kind of merit-based money, it will be as a freshman applicant. Taking a Gap Year will mean you are a freshman applicant.</p>

<p>You also need to sit down with your family and sort out the whole money issue. Can your parents pay full freight simultaneously for both you and your brother? With his high school record, should he be looking at your local community college for the first two years?</p>

6

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<p>No, as a soph transfer, your HS record and test scores will be weighted more than your 1 sem/qt in college. For jr transfers, college counts more, but whether or not it will be “pretty much ignored” depends on the school.</p>

7

<p>Thank you for your insights</p>

<p>@happymomof1
I’ve already discussed about that with my parents, and they do not allow me to take a gap year or go to a college which ranks lower than 50 (they probably think the usnews ranking is the college bible) because I’m a first generation college student in my family (except for my super genius cousin) and we are recent immigrants in US, they want me to receive the best education I can have. This school, and Penn State-UP are the only two schools that accepted me and rank above 50, and we chose this school in the South because of my health problem.
I didn’t visit this school on my college tour before I applied, but I visited there after I was accepted, and I realized that it’s not like the school in my mind… I regretted not visiting it earlier, but that can’t be changed now. :frowning:
I don’t really have an idea on what I should do at this moment, except for thinking of transferring :/</p>

8

<p>Your parents are just trying to do right by you. They think that a “Top 50” will offer you the best future. I may disagree with that, but these are your parents, and you know whether or not it is worth the effort to fight them about this.</p>

<p>While I do hope that you learn to love this university, it is perfectly fine to start working on your exit plan in case you are unhappy there. Do find out though whether or not re-taking the exams is worth it. Some institutions will not accept scores earned after you have begun college. </p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>