Hello! I’ve got a question regarding how difficult it is to transfer from a four year institution, as compared to transferring from a community college.
I’m an HS senior, and up until 3 days ago I was 100% certain I was going to community college next year. The schools that accepted me didn’t offer enough aid for my family’s financial situation, and though I was waitlisted at Bucknell, I wasn’t expecting to hear back from them/get the kind of aid I needed. However, Bucknell has offered me a place in their incoming freshman class, as well as a nearly full ride to boot.
Here’s the issue: I’m not entirely sure that Bucknell is the best fit for me, for a few reasons. I was first concerned with the reputation of its social scene (party school, big on greek life, very preppy – things that don’t fit my personality whatsoever), but even more so with its lack of the program of study I was interested in. While I plan on majoring in English, I was looking for a school that offered a minor in journalism, or some sort of program that assisted students in developing their skills and pursuing a career/graduate study in journalism (see Yale’s journalism initiative program). Besides your typical student newspaper and career services, Bucknell has nothing of this sort (to my knowledge).
I was actually pretty content with the idea of spending two years at county. I really liked the English and journalism profs. when I met them on a visit, the transfer rate is good, and its students have moved on to ivies and other top tier schools. I figured that if I worked hard, like some of the other CC students in this forum, I’d have a pretty good chance of transferring to a top tier school with a journalism minor, like Georgetown, or a school with other opportunities for students wishing to pursue journalism, like Yale.
My dilemma is this: I could go to county and transfer as I had planned (before hearing from Bucknell)… Or I could go to Bucknell for a year and take advantage of the financial aid package they gave me (which includes the meal plan and board – I’d have to pay for my own food and rent if I went to county college), as well as their academics/other opportunities. After a year I’d plan on transferring to a school with the opportunities in journalism I desire.
Would it be more difficult for me to transfer from Bucknell than from community college, and specifically to a top tier or maybe (with lots and lots of luck) even an ivy league school? Would my chances be better if I transferred from CC? Or Bucknell? No matter where I go, I’m going to work towards a GPA as close to a 4.0 as I can possibly manage. My HS credentials are decent, though there’s a dip in my senior year grades due to an extended absence for bereavement. I plan on retaking the SATs in the fall after splurging on some tutoring for the math section (could not afford it when I took it the first two times) – I scored a 2080 out of 2400 (superscored: 790 reading, 720 writing, 570 math).
If you made it all the way through my long-winded spiel, you have my sincere and undying gratitude 
Thanks in advance for any/all advice!