<p>My son paid the deposit for a school he could afford this morning (yay!) but still not sure how it made his list and fear transfer may be likely after next year. The school he is going to gave him almost a free ride with lots of merit scholarships and need based aid. If he puts in a year and transfers, will he qualify for merit scholarships? Is it harder to get aid as a transfer? How is it different if he takes a gap year and reapplies next fall? His SAT scores were pretty crappy. Are there scholarships for SAT prep classes available? Thanks for any input!</p>
<p>Need more information: why would he send in a deposit to a school where he was not be sure why it made the list. Is he (are you) afraid merit shcolarships won’t be renewed? Why would he turn down nearly free to see if next year would bring better results? (and it nearly never does unless kid didn’t apply to right schools for big merit aid).
Do you think it’s not a good fit?<br>
Aid is much much worse for transfers.<br>
Really confused how you think his SATs were “crappy” yet he got merit scholarships for nearly a free ride.</p>
<p>Just went back and read old threads. Good grief, I know what it’s like to second guess things but your kid has a great option that is respected in his field. Nearly free. Go with it.</p>
<p>There is no “perfect” in life despite what you have been told.
FWIW, two of mine applied to Lewis and Clark, we didn’t like the fin aid - my sister taught many who went there over her years at top HS in Oregon. Graduating from CofA with no loans vs L&C withloans is a no-brainier.</p>
<p>huggcary, I think he will do fine. Most kids learn to love their school, especially when the financial alternatives for him are state schools. I would make it clear to him that he needs to go in with the attitude that this will be his home for the next 4 years. Of course, taking a gap year is an option, but his results could be worse if he doesn’t greatly improve his SAT scores.
Good luck next year with COA.</p>
<p>His SAT were pretty poor from previous posts. No, he will likely NOT get merit aid if he transfers after freshman year. Merit aid is a sweetner so the college can brag about their freshman class, and there isn’t much (usually any) to be had for transfer students.</p>
<p>Given how low his SATS are, you are not likely to find a better financial deal next year. Even if he studies and takes them again, they were really, really low – he has a long way to come up to get better merit aid at other colleges. I think he is VERY lucky to have college paid for at COA, and ought to count his blessings and go make the absolute most of the experience. Or let him stay home and go to community college… give him that choice, and COA might start to look a little shinier to him.</p>
<p>Merit scholarships for transfers are fewer and for less money. Go to the Resources sticky thread on the Transfer Students forum for some examples.</p>
<p>Need based FA for transfers is limited at many schools, while at some of the more generous schools, they are treated the same as fr admits.</p>
<p>Just looked at his gpa & tests, he is unlikely to be accepted by generous FA schools as a soph transfer.</p>
<p>Also, be aware that transferring ‘up’ is difficult as a soph transfer because when decisions are made, he will have completed only 1 sem of college, so his HS record and testing will be given more weight.</p>
<p>Hugg- there is a whole branch of social science called Behavioral Economics which describes (among other things) the emotional and mental process you are going through right now. How and why people make decisions; why many people prefer things that are more expensive even when the cheaper item is better and meets their needs more completely; why some people become paralyzed when they need to make a choice among several options, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t know you and I don’t know your son. But from what I’ve read on your other posts, I offer you this respectful advice:</p>
<p>Sit down with your son. His options now are to go to college (i.e. the college where he has a merit scholarship and where he has put down a deposit) or not to go to college. If he decides not to go to college then you will try and be as supportive as you can as he sorts out what to do next- the military, vo-tech training, a job, etc. But his college option right now is the one where he has deposited. You are piling on to his agony by even entertaining a discussion around transferring if he is unhappy.</p>
<p>Why assume he’ll be unhappy? Why prolong the pain of making a decision and adjusting to his big new adventure by subconsciously suggesting that he’s made a bad decision?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be critical. But your job right now is to bake him a cake and frost it in his new college’s colors; get excited about the next big step he’s taking; be cheerful when he starts to express doubts about his ability to do the work or keep up. That’s your job. Allowing him to wallow in the reality that you cannot afford to send him where (in his mind) he really wants to go isn’t helpful. Allowing him to plan for an early escape via transferring to a place that you STILL won’t be able to afford isn’t helpful. Allowing him to second guess himself, or have magical adolescent thoughts that if he takes an SAT prep course next year he’ll score high enough to get himself out of his college isn’t helpful.</p>
<p>Here’s reality- he can choose to either attend this college or no college. The likelihood that he’ll have time for meaningful SAT prep next year is zero. I hate to be blunt. But he either studies for the SAT in a meaningful way, which will mean not keeping up with his college course work-- and then he’s got better SAT’s but terrible first semester grades-- so kiss merit aid good-bye; or he studies half-heartedly but still takes time away from making friends and integrating into college.</p>
<p>Time for a reality check for both of you. You need to stop enabling him with an escape route, and he needs to stop magically thinking that there’s a better, more affordable, more special option.</p>
<p>He’s got a fantastic opportunity- a college you can afford, with a terrific reputation, which is making it easy for him to attend via a generous package. My suspicion is that had they not been so generous, he’d be feeling a lot better about it- especially if it involved you all having to figure out if you could afford to send him there.</p>
<p>So pretend you’re paying full freight… and then be ecstatic that you’re not!!!</p>