Hello all, I am a CC student and got accepted to UCONN Stamford. However, I have no idea if I should transfer or not and Spring semester starts next week…
I have been attending Norwalk Community College as a Computer Science major for the past 2 years part-time. I have 31 credits now, 2.74 GPA, and if I stay at NCC I would graduate with my associates at the end of this year. I ultimately want to get a bachelor’s so finishing with the associates or not doesn’t matter in the long run. Being 21 years old, I am extremely eager to transfer to a school with a dorm and move out of my parents house. I really don’t feel like spending another year with my parents and commuting.
I currently have a paid internship in a public school IT department which I have been doing for the past year. I want to keep doing this internship which pretty much narrows my possible transfer schools down to UCONN Stamford, Fairfield university, and Sacred Heart University. All of these Schools are within 30 min of my internship.
This past December I applied to UCONN Stamford and found out I got in yesterday with exploratory major. They transferred 24/31 credits. It was the only school I applied to and I wish I applied to more schools to get a better assessment of my options for the Spring semester, but it’s too late now - Spring semester starts next week.
Should I transfer to UCONN Stamford now, or stay at NCC? They have brand new apartment style dorms that I can move into and I would be closer to my internship. One of the things I am considering is that they just started offering the computer science I would be enrolling in this past fall so I feel like it might not be that great, being brand new.
Sorry this was pretty disorganized but I have a lot going through my mind and am really stressed out as I have to make a decision asap. Absolutely any input would be much appreciated!
It’s a tough call. The grades probably won’t get you into UConn. My recommendation would be to get into a university and finish a bachelors degree even if it’s somewhere else. Your degree will be very employable out of college, especially with a year of programming experience. Being in the tech world myself, a bachelor’s degree is worth 4 years of experience, and is usually the standard for a tech job. An associates degree is usually worth 0. I would do my research and find some less competitive universities in the area that are affordable. I do know that the University of Wyoming has a 100% acceptance rate and the out of state tuition is more affordable than most in state schools In the end, it won’t matter where you graduate.
I’m a high school sophomore so my thoughts are pretty irrelevant, but here they are nonetheless:
I wouldn’t transfer to UConn Stanford at all … it’s a waste of money considering that you wouldn’t be pursing Computer Science until you get aware from the Exploratory path and start actual engineering (?) courses. You’re not really going to get anything out of UConn Stamford except a more personal dorm/apartment experience and a couple thousand in debt. The best thing to do right now would probably be to prepare yourself for a 4-year university (rigor, etc.) and continue the internship. And make sure that, if you choose stay in community college, the majority courses you’re taking will transfer to either of those three colleges.
I obviously have limited knowledge on all of this, but isn’t Comp. Sci. considered an engineering major? In that case, isn’t the School of Engineering located on the main campus, Storrs? And in that case, what’s the point of going the Exploratory route via a regional campus? Limiting yourself to these three schools is pretty unsustainable: if you want to pursue Computer Science at UConn, you’re going to eventually have to move the entire 1 hour and 45 minutes away to the main campus. You’ll have to leave the internship eventually (or you can always just take the Fairfield or Sacred Heart route).
On a side note, how’s NCC? I (think) I live in the same area as you, so I would probably go there myself for a while before I transfer to (hopefully) UConn.
Hi, I believe you are right about the fact that I cannot start Computer Science classes until I get approved for the engineering program. And just to clarify UCONN Stamford just started offering a Computer Science program this past fall so I wouldn’t have to transfer to Storrs if I didn’t want to.
During the time since I posted this thread I have learned some things… I just found out that if I wanted to take 12 credits and live in their new dorms, (after my current financial aid package of $2000) I would be having to take out about $10,000 in student loans - just for this semester. $6000 for credits, $6000 for housing, minus the aid, whereas this semester for NCC I only had to pay $600 with me living with my parents. I honestly had no idea it was going to cost this much for UCONN and at this point it seems to me that it’s a no brainer that I should just keep living at home and attending NCC until I get 60 credits & Associates, then transfer… However, there is a chance I might get more aid since the 2k was just a temp package while they verify my FASFA but even if I do get more, I believe the max pell grant I can get is 6k (correct me if i’m wrong) putting me 6k in debt still. So, even if I get the maximum amount of aid I still wouldn’t be able to go because I am trying to minimize the amount of debt I graduate with. At this point I am pretty much decided I am going to stick with NCC because it appears to me it is financially the smarter thing to do in the long run…
NCC is actually a really great school, the only reason why I want to transfer so badly is because I have been here for 2.5 years already and want to switch things up. NCC is a very small campus and well maintained. One of my favorite things about it is how convenient it is. Everything is pretty much within a 5 minute walk. Another thing I really like is the Library. Its got brand new computers and a second floor with a lot of privacy and silence, its a really great place for studying. With the professors it can really vary. I have found that a lot are pretty dull but there are a few outliers that are enthusiastic with what they are teaching. The food on campus is very good. They have a huge variety of food.
I am from Weston, you? Also, I would highly recommend going to NCC to save money. Depending on your parents financial situation, you may be able to attend for free. Some semesters I attended for free with money leftover, even after paying for books. I would say get 60 credits in core classes then transfer. You will save thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars and end up with the same education.
By the way, something I wish an advisor told me when I started attending NCC is that a lot of universities in CT have “articulation agreements” with NCC for various majors so that your credits are guaranteed to transfer. Here is a list of them - https://norwalk.edu/counseling/transferagreements/
But yeah, NCC sounds like a good starting point for me – especially since I really don’t want to spend that much money (and likely wouldn’t be able to). I don’t know if you went to WHS or one of the private schools, but NCC is always looked down on. Someone’s always saying “NCC is my safety school … NCC is my dream school,” saying it in a way as if it’s a crime to want to go to a community college. And UConn, imo, isn’t even that great of a school for what everyone hypes it up to be. It’s obviously easier to get into than Harvard, but their financial aid and student support system seems to be pretty subpar (but it’s a state school, so I guess we can’t complain too much). I’d apply to some of those private schools since they have the most money to hand out in aid … and they’re great schools just by themselves (but I’m not sure how great they are for cs … should probably make sure their programs are all accredited). I’d also rather be on a beautiful campus than in Stamford, but that’s just my opinion.
But good luck with everything – you seem to be playing it smart.
Wow… I went to WHS, I was class of 2015. That’s crazy I never met someone from Weston on any forum. Small world.
And yeah, you’re right about a lot of people in this town looking down on NCC. I remember when I was in that hs everyone said the same stuff you just mentioned. It will all change when they graduate with a mortgage and you are/nearly are debt free. They will be wishing they did the same thing. It’s really stupid to go to an expensive uni while you’re taking core classes when you could just take them at a CC for free then transfer them, then take your major classes at the uni.
Also, I agree with you about the private schools. SHU and Fairfield both have very nice campuses. They also both have transfer agreements for cs majors at ncc. However, i’m not sure what my chances of getting into those colleges are. With my current GPA, the highest GPA I can graduate with is a 3.1 - 3.3… so it’d be tough.
Np, and I’m sure the internship will at least slightly compensate for the less competitive GPA. But yeah, I’ve never seen anyone else from Weston either – it’s a pretty reserved town that gets kinda ignored once you start talking about places like Stanford, New Haven, or Greenwich. Anyway, I’m class of 2020 for hs, so go Trojans (jk we suck). Cya and good luck again.
Wow… I went to WHS, I was class of 2015. That’s crazy I never met someone from Weston on any forum. Small world.
And yeah, you’re right about a lot of people in this town looking down on NCC. I remember when I was in that hs everyone said the same ■■■■ you just mentioned. It will all change when they graduate with a mortgage and you are/nearly are debt free. They will be wishing they did the same thing. It’s really stupid to go to an expensive uni while you’re taking core classes when you could just take them at a CC for free then transfer them, then take your major classes at the uni.
Also, I agree with you about the private schools. SHU and Fairfield both have very nice campuses. They also both have transfer agreements for cs majors at ncc. However, i’m not sure what my chances of getting into those colleges are. With my current GPA, the highest GPA I can graduate with is a 3.1 - 3.3… so it’d be tough.
Wow… I went to WHS, I was class of 2015. That’s crazy I never met someone from Weston on any forum. Small world.
And yeah, you’re right about a lot of people in this town looking down on NCC. I remember when I was in that hs everyone said the same ■■■■ you just mentioned. It will all change when they graduate with a mortgage and you are/nearly are debt free. They will be wishing they did the same thing. It’s really stupid to go to an expensive uni while you’re taking core classes when you could just take them at a CC for free then transfer them, then take your major classes at the uni.
Also, I agree with you about the private schools. SHU and Fairfield both have very nice campuses. They also both have transfer agreements for cs majors at ncc. However, i’m not sure what my chances of getting into those colleges are. With my current GPA, the highest GPA I can graduate with is a 3.1 - 3.3… so it’d be tough.
In the end, it won’t matter where you graduate.