<p>Hi guys, sorry if this question (or some variation) has been asked too often, but I'd really like some feedback on my situation.</p>
<p>I'm 19 years old and I'm a CC student in Arizona. I had very average grades in high school (3.4 gpa) but a pretty decent ACT score (29). Really, I shot myself in the foot by slacking off in high-school, as I definitely don't have the resources to go to a four-year school and foot the entire bill, hence why I decided to save money and transfer from Community College.</p>
<p>I'm blitzing through the community college courses and I'll have 60 by the end of this summer, which is enough to obtain an associate for transfer from my particular Community College. I have a 4.0 GPA and I'm in a pretty good position to finish with one.</p>
<p>That's where the uncertainty comes in. Ideally, I would like to transfer out-of-state (to either UNC, UT, or a UC school), but I would never be able to afford out-of-state tuition. Going to an in-state school (either University of Arizona or Arizona State) is a good (and easy) option as well, but I may even have trouble affording tuition from there.</p>
<p>My first concern is, am I better off staying in-state? Will I be able to be accepted in out-of-state schools like the UCs or UNC with my community college GPA to back me up? Will I have any opportunities from these schools for my performance? Arizona's public Universities aren't poor by any means, but I just want to pursue the best academic opportunities I can. Does anyone from Arizona know if I'll have any financial opportunities from our universities for my performance?</p>
<p>Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>You are unlikely to get more than minimal need based FA at either UT or a UC, and as you stated, OOS tuition makes cost extremely high. UNC is one of two schools that treats OOS students the same as IS as far as FA. However, you still have higher OOS tuition, and you have to qualify for FA based on your family financial situation.</p>
<p>I doubt that strictly your CC grades will give you any special opportunities at the OOS schools, I don’t know about your IS colleges.</p>
<p>If you’re PTK, there are scholarships at some schools. Take a look at the Resources sticky thread on this forum, there’s a link to merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your reply, coincidentally I just got an invitation from PTK and I plan on joining post-haste.</p>
<p>As a follow-up question, and because I’ve heard that UNC has good prospects for transfer students, would it be feasible to possibly establish residency in North Carolina and attend as an in-state student? I wouldn’t have any intention of scamming the system per-se, as I’d be more than willing to stay in North Carolina for the foreseeable future. Does anyone have any experience with this? I would assume the residency requirements are somewhere on the UNC website.</p>
<p>Each state has it’s own residency requirements. But for the vast majority of states, if you go with the intention of attending college, you cannot become a resident. Which makes sense if you think about it, otherwise everyone would become residents after 1 yr.</p>
<p>Most states also have financial independence as a requirement, often for a couple of years before attending. </p>
<p>Either do a search on their website or Google and you should be able to easily find NCs requirements.</p>
<p>If money is tight around your house (like it is at mine), you may want to see if you qualify for the [Carolina</a> Covenant Program](<a href=“http://www.unc.edu/carolinacovenant/about.php]Carolina”>http://www.unc.edu/carolinacovenant/about.php). Even if you don’t qualify, UNC is extremely generous with their financial aid packages - i.e, they’ll meet 100% financial need for any student. </p>
<p>Also, just going off your GPA alone, I think you’d be a competitive applicant at Vanderbilt. You may want to check them out sometime as they’re not only a top school but they also have a financial aid system similar to UNC - need blind and they’ll meet 100% financial need. The acceptance rate at Vanderbilt is also surprisingly high - around 50%.</p>
<p>Have you met with the Transfer Advisor at your CC? Many of them are very good at helping their top students get into good colleges and universities. Pop by that office, and ask for help with your transfer list.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your help so far everyone, I’ve decided I’m going to shoot for the top to the extent that I can, and try to apply for some top schools. I’ll pay a visit to a transfer adviser to get things started.</p>
<p>Here’s a follow-up question: Should I take the SAT? Or possibly retake the ACT? I know I could improve significantly on the ACT, but I’m just wondering if these tests will still be considered after my time at CC.</p>