Transferring with 140 credits --- Need Advice.

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hey.</p>

<p>So I've asked this same question over the course of the past six months or so and I always receive two completely different answers, so I'm still quite confused about this and how to approach it. I've called several schools to ask about their opinion about this but never really get a specific answer, though I'm not sure if I should even expect one.</p>

<p>I'll just make this as clear and simple as possible:</p>

<ul>
<li>Graduated from High School May 2010</li>
<li>Took 20 college credits Fall 2009</li>
<li>Took 20 college credits Spring 2010</li>
<li>Taking 30 credits Summer 2010</li>
<li>Expecting an Associates this Summer</li>
<li>Maintaining 4.0 GPA (Thank God)</li>
</ul>

<p>Now, I'm going to a small LAC that's relatively unranked but is considered Tier One according to US News (Doubt this means anything), and I plan on staying here for at least one year.</p>

<p>I'll be taking at least 18 credits each semester. So my question is, if I stay for two years, I'll have 140 credits. I know that only 60 will transfer, and I plan on being admitted as a Junior. Also, I'll definitely be double majoring and having a couple of majors.</p>

<p>A few people on here have told me that the AdComs are going to laugh and throw my app in the dumpster. A few others said it doesn't really matter and they'll judge my app based on the rigor of my courses. Several others have said that my app will not even be looked at because there is apparently some kind of unsaid rule where students over a certain amount of credits are automatically rejected.</p>

<p>So... which is it? Feel free to be as blunt/honest/harsh as possible. I need to change my college outlook if I'm seriously on the wrong track.</p>

<p>I'm planning on applying for transfer at all of the following:</p>

<ul>
<li>UVa</li>
<li>UChicago</li>
<li>Georgetown</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>Brown</li>
<li>NYU</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Vanderbilt</li>
<li>GWU</li>
<li>AU</li>
<li>Emory</li>
<li>UPenn</li>
<li>UT</li>
<li>UMich</li>
<li>Villanova</li>
<li>Bowdoin</li>
<li>Haverford</li>
<li>Vassar</li>
</ul>

<p>Lay it on me.</p>

2

<p>i’m pretty sure they’re going to just not bother. there are schools that explicitly state not to bother applying if you have over 60 credits. they’ll also probably wonder how you can have so many credits and have not yet graduated, which would be a red flag.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply.</p>

<p>Yep, I’m trying to make a list of schools that I want to go to that have that rule. Hopefully not that many though. I’m going to explain my transfer essays what happened and stuff. But I can’t graduate in two years at my LAC because I have to take these lame Freshmen Studies classes so it totally derails finishing a Bachelors quickly.</p>

<p>Also, I want to do a Study Abroad and rack up some EC’s and such.</p>

<p>Would the red flag really be that bad, though? I just ended up in a high school program where I did a lot of dual credit, decided to finish up my Associates this summer, and am starting in an Honors program at my LAC.</p>

<p>Since I’m double-triple majoring, won’t explaining the red flag be easier?</p>

4

<p>Wait. When you said, “i’m pretty sure they’re going to just not bother.” — did you mean they aren’t going to look at my app?</p>

5

<p>There are schools like USC that will not accept dual credit college work (college units accumulated while in high school) towards unit requirements. You should check out whether any of the other schools you listed fit the same bill.</p>

<p>If so, then only your 30 units will count in your application, plus the ones you will be taking this year.</p>

6

<p>Yeah, I know NYU and possibly Columbia do not accept dual-credit. Also, Georgetown only accepts a very small amount of credits, usually only 12.</p>

<p>I called all three schools and they said though the credits will not transfer, they’ll definitely be a huge part of my application.</p>

7

<p>In that case, schools who do not accept dual credit shouldn’t throw out your application due to excess units. 4.0 is definitely something to be proud of, especially with that workload. Did you take all those credits at your LAC or at a JC? </p>

<p>If you haven’t taken anything at your LAC yet, you may consider not going to your LAC this year and instead do some extra-curriculars or take more classes at JC. That way no school will have an issue due to excess credits.</p>

<p>Remember, if you want to gain admission to these schools for transfer, you need to demonstrate how you would be an integral part of their class. For these selective schools, the people they pick for transfer are those who they believe will fill in any gaps and add more variety and ability to their current class. Getting good grades is important; but it’s not everything. In today’s competitive times, you need to show that you have much more to offer than just a superb intellectual capacity.</p>

8

<p>I just checked Cornell, based on their dual-credit rule, they won’t be accepting 40 of my credits. Also, they do not have a 60 credit limit so it’s fine, anyway.</p>

<p>Thanks. I took all of the credits at a nationally recognized community college, the classes were quite rigorous and the CC has sent kids to all the Ivy’s and each of the schools I mentioned.</p>

<p>I haven’t taken any classes at the LAC, though I plan on staying there for two years to put distance between my high school record and my college record. (My non-dual credit classes aren’t that great, though my average GPA was fine).</p>

<p>Should I just apply for transfer my first year at the LAC? I mean, it wouldn’t hurt right? I’m worried the school would shun me if it didn’t work out, since it’s a really small school.</p>

<p>I’d stay at my JC, but the rule is that once you’re awarded an Associates, you HAVE to move on. Not sure why that is, but if I wanted to stay, I’d have to petition for acceptance into another Associates program and I think that would complicate things further.</p>

<p>I was planning on doing an internship, study abroad, work-study, and research project while at my LAC.</p>

<p>I just really, really want to get my Bachelors from an Ivy, Top LAC, or Top-20 Nat school. It’s always been a dream of mine.</p>

9

<p>Killer story and motivation. Just something to think about: give your LAC a real chance. Sounds like you’re set on transferring right now, but transferring isn’t always the best option! </p>

<p>It’s also 30,000 other applicants’ dream to get a degree from an Ivy or the like. Be definitive on why the Ivy is best, not just because you want to trade up for the name or this childhood dream.</p>

10

<p>Why don’t you just finish your bachelors at the LAC and then do masters work at one of the schools on your list?</p>

11

<p>@OP GodricGryffindor----I wonder what do you mean by “I called all three schools and they said though the credits will not transfer, they’ll definitely be a huge part of my application.” Do you mean, they do not accept credits you earned while in high school, but they still can refuse to accept you based on too many credits including credits while in high school? </p>

<p>And again, what do you mean by “My non-dual credit classes aren’t that great, though my average GPA was fine”? Good luck!</p>

12

<p>i would just be careful. when i was applying to cornell, though the website didn’t say anything about it, i spoke to advisors because i was going to be applying for spring (making me a second semester soph) with 75 credits. i was told that if i didn’t get in for spring, then i shouldn’t bother applying because i would have 90 if i applied for junior standing and they didn’t see any point. so just because websites don’t say anything about a credit limit, they do exist.</p>

13

<p>I had about 50 dual credits from high school with a 4.0 as well. Cornell accepted me as a transfer student, but only 1 class (4 credits) out of the 50 transferred. From all my research, pretty much none of the top 20 colleges accept dual credits unless those credits meet every single one of their requirements. I don’t think colleges will rule you out for having too many credits, since most of them wouldn’t count anyways.</p>

<p>and I know for a fact that UT accepts dual credits…so you have to ask them if they would consider your application.</p>

<p>Also I would advice you to take less than 18 hours because 30 from summer + 18 x2 would put you at 66 credits. It probably isn’t very ideal to have over 60 credits when the limit is 60 for most college</p>

14

<p>Once you have completed your Associates degree, you have completed it. Almost everywhere that you would apply would consider you a junior transfer. For the life of me, I can’t understand why you feel you have to go to college anywhere else before you apply to the college/university that you really want to go to.</p>

<p>If you don’t want to take the “lame Freshmen Studies classes” why on earth are you headed to that LAC this fall? If you can’t transfer out, you will still have to take them in order to graduate from that place.</p>

<p>Here is my advice: Write to the LAC and let them know that you would like to defer enrollment for one year. Collect your A.A. at the end of this summer. Get a job. Make a little money. Do a little travelling. Or some volunteering. Think about your life and your goals. Think about the best way to achieve your long-range goals. Ask yourself if a degree from a “top” institution is necessary in order to achieve your goals, or if it is just an academic scalp to hang on your wall. Then, when you are ready, sit down and apply as a transfer student to the places that you have determined are most likely to help you achieve your goals.</p>

<p>Give yourself a gap year now. You won’t regret it.</p>

15

<p>^</p>

<p>Advice that you should seriously consider; especially considering the fact you haven’t started at that LAC yet.</p>

16

<p>I’m really grateful for all of the replies I’ve gotten on this thread. Sorry about the lateness of my reply though, I was battling the Chemistry beast the past few days.</p>

<p>I’m going to reply to everyone in this post. Then, I’ll post another reply with what I think might be a good idea. I hope to get some feedback on that, though.</p>

<p>In order:</p>

<p>@KevAquarius</p>

<p>Thanks, really means a lot. I’ve thought about my LAC all summer, and I know I don’t want to graduate from there. I want to do law school, and acceptance rates into law schools from my LAC are abysmal. I’ve been told that I could change that trend, though I really don’t want to take that risk. There hasn’t been a single T14 acceptance from the school since it began. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad school, it’s just a school that I don’t want to go to and find out that I have to go to an unknown law school and more or less take out a loan for another school I don’t want to go to.</p>

<p>I understand I’m against some really competitive applicants, that is one reason I wanted to wait two years opposed to transferring right after my Freshmen year so that I could put some distance between my high school and college record. I’ll have more details about this below.</p>

<p>@thumper1</p>

<p>I don’t really feel like getting a Masters, especially since I don’t need it for Law school, which is more or less my ultimate goal. Also, an alternative theory could be to graduate from my LAC and then go to one of the law schools located at the schools I want to go to, but please look at the @ reply above this one.</p>

<p>@PVmusicmom</p>

<p>Sorry for the ambiguous statement, I tried to keep my original post as concise as possible. I’ve written in detail in other threads about the conversations that I’ve had on the phone with transfer counselors. Basically, I called a couple of the schools on the list and talked to their transfer advisers. They admitted that a large chunk of my dual-credits (about 40 credits) would not transfer because there is a guideline that they can only accept credits that do not count towards high school graduation requirements.</p>

<p>This next statement will answer your second question: Basically, I transferred to a private high school my Junior year, and this high school offered no Pre-AP/AP/Honors/Advanced/IB courses. Because of this, I decided to challenge myself by taking dual-credit courses. Because of this, I did NOT take ANY AP tests. Moreover, my SAT scores were decent, not anything too special — around a 1900.</p>

<p>And, my total high school GPA came out to be a 3.6. I sort of slacked off my Freshmen and Sophomore year. Don’t ask about a weighted GPA, never really had one. I will expand on this in the following @ responses.</p>

<p>To sum up your initial question — the colleges that I apply for transfer for will SEE that I took all of these credits, they will note that I received A’s in all of them (Thank God), and they will attribute it positively to my academic record. And, should they decide to accept me, they will do so under the premise that I Have succeeded in those courses, though they will NOT transfer those credits.</p>

<p>@ironicallyunsure</p>

<p>Thanks, Cornell is definitely one of the key schools I hope to get into. I’m going to check that out and see how it applies in my situation. I already know that Cornell won’t accept 40 of my credits right off the bat because it conflicts directly with their transfer of credit policies. So when I apply to Cornell, I’ll have around 60 credits that will actually transfer.</p>

<p>Thanks for letting me know they exist outside of the realm of the website though, that’s something to definitely keep track of.</p>

<p>@madirocks</p>

<p>Thanks for the awesome advice. I definitely understand where you’re coming from when only one class transferred. As I wrote in the other replies above, 40 or so of my credits will definitely not be transferring. The rest of my credits aren’t considered ‘dual-credit’ under definition so they are applicable for transfer.</p>

<p>I’ll keep in mind what you said about the top 20 colleges not accepting dual-credits under certain criteria, I’ve read that on a few other university websites as well. I’m going to be calling a ton of colleges to see what their unstated policies are as far as maximum credits for application go.</p>

<p>Yeah, I know UT accepts dual credits, and I’ll contact them about eligibility.</p>

<p>I understand, however about 6 credits will be coming from Freshmen Studies courses that won’t transfer anyway. Thanks for the heads up though, I’ll keep a close eye on my credit limit.</p>

<p>@happymomof1</p>

<p>I have thought about your post the most as it is something that I have never considered before. I don’t think my parents would accept the idea of me taking a year off, and we have already paid the Fall housing for my LAC. They offered me a full ride as far as tuition was concerned, so that took care of that.</p>

<p>I feel that I have to go to another university in order to go to my dream school because I am completely deficient in a foreign language as well as Calculus. I figured I would spend a year or two doing a study abroad, becoming proficient in a foreign language, proving competence in a university environment, retaking my SAT’s, taking my ACT, doing an internship, conducting a research project, and participating in volunteer events.</p>

<p>I know that I want to be a lawyer, and that I want to go to law schools. I have had several lawyers in my family and I know that if I want to get into a T14 law schools, I need to go to a good undergrad school or at least a school that is ranked well. People in the city that the LAC resides in have rarely heard of the school, either.</p>

<p>I know that the schools that I have listed will IMMENSELY help me get to the long-term career goal that I have laid out.</p>

<p>I will keep thinking about your advice as I do believe there is a great amount of merit in it, and I think you for giving it to me. I have laid out my alternative plan in the next post.</p>

<p>Also, I was accepted into the Honor’s Program at my LAC.</p>

<p>—Thank you all for replying, I really appreciate it.</p>

17

<p>So this is my transfer plan.</p>

<p>I’m thinking about going to my LAC in the Fall and doing the following:</p>

<ul>
<li>Retaking my SAT to try and push it above a 2000, and possibly take the ACT as well.</li>
<li>Racking up volunteer hours.</li>
<li>Gaining some leadership positions.</li>
<li>Picking up an internship.</li>
<li>Working on getting Letters of Recommendation.</li>
<li>Starting an organization.</li>
<li>Working on a research project.</li>
<li>Exploring other schools and seeing which is the best fit for me.</li>
<li>Taking rigorous courses and, most importantly, doing well in them.</li>
</ul>

<p>And, after tallying up my credits, assessing all of the advice given to me on this forum, I will be applying for transfer for the Fall of 2011, rather than the Fall of 2012 — as I feel that 140 credits will simply be too much. Instead, if I were to apply for transfer for the Fall of 2011, I will have approximately 60 transferable credits.</p>

<p>I am still seriously considering the advice that happymomof1 gave me, though I need to consult with my family first and also see if my LAC will allow me to defer enrollment this late, and if they will refund the housing payments we’ve already paid out to them.</p>

<p>Again, thank you for the replies, and by all means, please keep them coming.</p>

<ul>
<li>Godric Gryffindor</li>
</ul>

18

<p>Good luck in making your decision! And good luck in the future as well!</p>

19

<p>@ ironicallyunsure------ You said that “……there are schools that explicitly state not to bother applying if you have over 60 credits.”. If OP wants transfer such colleges, will OP be qualified to transfer (based on total of 60 credit for post-high school), or disqualified (based on total 100 credits including 40 high school dual credits)? I mean, when college do not let you transfer your high school dual college credits , can they still use such dual credits to disqualify you for transfer because you have over-limit credits including dual credits? Thanks.</p>

20

<p>@PVmusicmom</p>

<p>That is a fantastic question, I was wondering that as well. Could you shed some light on that, ironicallyunsure?</p>