Transfer advice?

<p>Hey Guys,</p>

<p>So I decided to go to a cheap in state school my freshmen year to save ALOT of money and ALOT of debt. Its financially the smart decision but its not without some regrets. Here are some concerns of mine now as I plan to transfer for my sophomore year of school, I hope you guys can help.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I have heard from some people that freshmen year is the best year of college in terms of having fun and dorming. You meet the most people this year. Is this true and is it that big of deal to miss the year? How can I "catch up" on the college experience when I transfer for things such as meeting people, possibly joining a frat, learning my way around?</p></li>
<li><p>I have a list of a few schools that I want to transfer too: Indiana University, USC, Penn State. Now each of those schools has a different perk to it, but if I learned anything this past year is that the finances trumps all when selecting a school. I want to try get as much aid as possible but I fear even if I do very well my freshmen year that transfer students don't get as much aid as freshmen. </p></li>
<li><p>How can I transfer without losing a lot if any credits. I hear that is a big issue with transfer students. Losing credits would be contradictory to staying local for a year in the first place to save money. How can I prevent this. If it helps I'm going to Rutgers not some crappy school for this year so I can't imagine schools being to unsatisfied with their credits. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thats all I can think of off the top of my head but ill post any other questions if they come up.</p>