What do you do if you don't like the colleges in your state?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi all - first post. </p>

<p>I have a simple question: what are you supposed to do if you can't find any universities that you'd like to attend in your state, but can't afford out of state tuition and fees? I live in Georgia and would like to eventually attend a small liberal arts college (or something similar) with personalized attention but there's only 1 public one in the state and its location and course offerings don't appeal to me, and the other big universities (GA State, Tech, UGA) are too big for my liking. The private liberal arts colleges on the other hand have the same issue and seem to be more expensive.</p>

<p>I realize I might be being picky, but states like PA, VT, even WI have several schools that I could see myself enjoying, so I'm not sure why GA seems to get shortchanged. </p>

<p>I've looked into the community college route, but most of them either transfer to big state universities (Auburn, Syracuse being 2 of the more memorable examples), or to the aforementioned large state universities we have here. </p>

<p>So what does someone do if they can't find a place they like in their home state?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance :)</p>

2

<p>There are a few lower cost LACs like University of Minnesota - Morris, Truman State, UNC - Asheville, and SUNY - Geneseo.</p>

<p>The CC -> UGA option is worth considering, as the upper division courses at UGA that you would take after transfer are smaller than the lower division courses at UGA, which you would take instead in smaller classes at CC.</p>

3

<p>I presume you are referring to GCSU as the public liberal arts option in GA. These will not be as affordable as GCSU but there are public liberal arts colleges in neighboring states that might appeal to you:</p>

<p>NC - UNC-Asheville
SC - College of Charleston
FL- New College of Florida
AL - Montevallo</p>

4

<p>What about one of the teaching colleges in Georgia, such as UNG or another regional school? If you require a lot of financial aid, I’d highly recommend looking into Oxford of Emory if you’d desire to stay home. Depending on your need, it may end up being cheaper than UGA.</p>

<p>Also don’t automatically rule out UGA because of the size. At a school that large, plenty of subgroups form where you can easily get to know people and make close connections with them.</p>

5

<p>Other private options in the Atlanta area are Agnes Scott (if you’re female) or Oglethorpe. Lots in neighboring states - Sewanee, Rhodes, Elon, Guilford, Furman…</p>

6

<p>There are quite a few small publics in Georgia that have small classes and personal attention, in addition to GCSU. Have you looked at some of those? </p>

<p>If you will give more information, you will be able to get more specific recommendations. Your grades and test scores will tell which schools are an academic match, and your FAFSA EFC and actual expected family contribution will tell which schools you may be able to afford.</p>

<p>If you are HOPE or Zell Miller eligible, it will be tough for OOS publics to compete on affordability.</p>

7

<p>How much can you afford and what are your stats?</p>

8

<p>Wow - a lot of really helpful answers. Thank you so much!</p>

<p>@ubcalumnus - Thanks. I’d actually looked at UNM-Morris (I really like it) and SUNY - Geneseo. I’ll definitely be looking into the others. </p>

<p>@quakerstake (1) - Yes. Thanks for the list - I’m going to look at the others. </p>

<p>@whenhen - I assume you attended Emory at Oxford - thanks for the tip. I assume it’s a “community college” type of thing but attached to Emory? Does that mean it guarantees admission to Emory after the 2 years there? Did you like it? </p>

<p>As far as ruling out UGA due to size my hesitance comes from here. I went to uni some years ago and hated it - the system was set up to have big lectures (100+ people) and small group tutorials (20 or so people). I hated it, and as a result of that and other issues dropped out, so now that I’ve realized I want to complete a degree (both for improved job prospects and so I know I’m capable of it) I’m a lot more cautious about what I want and don’t want the same thing to happen again. That’s a big reason for the focus on LAC’s or similar unis. I’d like closer interaction with the teachers and other students, and while I can understand having large intro classes then smaller tutorial classes I’d prefer if they were small to begin with if possible. </p>

<p>@quakerstake (2) - I’ve seen Agnes Scott but I’m male, so I can’t go there, and sadly Oglethorpe is kind of far meaning I’d need to get housing there or have a long commute. Again, thanks for the leads…</p>

<p>@BobWallace - Do you have any names or leads I could follow? </p>

<p>Grades, I don’t know. I wasn’t educated here (legal immigrant) and so we didn’t have GPA’s or class ranks. I do have accredited transcripts and can prove I’m high-school educated so that shouldn’t be an issue. </p>

<p>As for the Hope scholarship, it seems that it’s helpful in the beginning but quickly renders itself moot - what you save in tuition (even instate) you lose in housing and other ancillaries and so it ends up being an issue. I think I’d be HOPE eligible though. As for the FAFSA, I need to fill it out. We don’t make much, though (both parents are near minimum wage) so that’s where a lot of the issues come in.</p>

<p>Oh, and more information - I’m looking for a small college (hopefully not more than 7k people but preferably smaller, hopefully with snow, and a “traditional” campus with nice beautiful trees and nice old looking brick buildings. Something like Bates College looks like, for example, or the first image of Quinnipiac University on Google Images (search for Quinnipiac University Campus Pictures). I like William & Mary (seems to check most of the boxes) but probably wouldn’t get in. Oh! And the other big thing: little Greek Life (as far as it pertains to drinking and parties). I tend to when not out prefer to be in my room, so having to be forced to be in a dorm with a party going on at odd hours of the morning (that’s what happened at my last uni) is something I’d prefer to avoid as much as possible.</p>

<p>I don’t know my SAT scores (haven’t taken it), but plan to when I feel comfortable (which should be in some months). Does this help answer things or can I add more info?</p>

<p>Again thank you all for the answers…</p>

9

<p>If you didn’t graduate from high school in Georgia you will have to determine if you are HOPE eligible: <a href=“https://www.gacollege411.org/Financial_Aid_Planning/HOPE_Program/Georgia_s_HOPE_Scholarship_Program_Overview.aspx[/url]”>https://www.gacollege411.org/Financial_Aid_Planning/HOPE_Program/Georgia_s_HOPE_Scholarship_Program_Overview.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

10

<p>Here’s a link for all the USG schools:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usg.edu/inst/[/url]”>http://www.usg.edu/inst/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>UNG, Southern Tech, and Kennesaw State are probably the best of the rest after GT, UGA, and GCSU.</p>

11

<p>It’s hard to describe Oxford’s relationship to Emory except by saying that it’s a two year, selective LAC about forty minutes away from Emory’s main campus where students move onto Emory’s main campus upon receiving their associates. I suppose it could be compared with a CC but apart from the two year aspect, shares almost no resemblance with, say Georgia Perimeter. Personally I loved it, and really appreciate how it combines the best of both a major research university and an intimate LAC (transferred because Emory doesn’t offer my major). </p>

<p>However, in your situation, I’m not sure that Oxford would be a good fit, or for that matter, accept you. I don’t believe they take transfers, and even if they did, the emory transfers usually have a high GPA (hs and college). It’s also a totally residential campus (there are only 2 commuters in the entire student body) with primarily 18-21 year olds. </p>

<p>Given that you’re a non traditional student, you may want to seriously consider the regional schools/community college → transfer option.</p>

12

<p>If you are from a low income family, the cost constraints may be a significant limitation on your choices. Run the net price calculator on every school’s web site to check its affordability on need-based aid. Since you have attended college before, you would be considered a transfer student at many schools. Note that many schools are less generous with scholarships for transfers than frosh, and some prefer that you transfer in at the junior level (so if you do not have that many courses or credits complete, you may have to take some courses at a community college before transferring).</p>

<p>If you left UGA in good academic standing, it may be possible to be readmitted there relatively easily. If you have already completed the lower division courses for your major, you may be ready to take the smaller upper division courses.</p>

13

<p>Again, thank you for the answers - much appreciated!</p>

<p>@redhuntinghat - I don’t know what my stats are sadly (almost everything I’ve done has been outside the US and not really applicable to the US system). What I can say is that I have a certifiable high-school equivalent but much else apart from that I can’t say (which makes it hard to answer some of the questions that get asked lol).</p>

<p>@BobWallace - Thank you. I could maybe qualify under section 1.5… Math is my Achilles heel, though, so that’s where things end up going awry… Thanks also for the link.</p>

<p>@whenhen (haha that’s a great name) - That makes sense. It does seem to be a lot more complex than just a “community college” attached to Emory. I’d like to ask - did they take most of your credits when you did transfer? </p>

<p>@ubcalumnus - Yeah, the money does throw a wrench into things. I didn’t attend uni here, though (and it wasn’t at UGA either) so I don’t expect any of my credits to transfer or have any meaning to institutes here sadly.</p>

<p>I guess the most vialble option seems to be CC then transfer, so I’ll ask this: where would I transfer to? Do CC transfers work across state lines (assuming the uni accepts your credits)?</p>

14

<p>Oxford is like a branch of Emory, so their curriculum is totally Emory-compatible. The big difference is not in level but rather in setting (all small classes, discussion-based). I don’t think it’s even considered “transferring”, you automatically spend your Junior and Senior years on the Emory campus.</p>

<p>Another option for you would be to look into Midwestern colleges and check out their stats. If you fall into the top 25% you have good odds of scholarships (need based and merit based). You’ll need to have lots of test scores to prove your learning - if I were you, I’d prepare the SAT Reasoning, the ACT, and SAT subjects. (These tests require you to prepare specifically to the test so you’d need to borrow a preparatory manual/guidebook from your public library).</p>

15

<p>If you qualify for HOPE there is little to recommend CC, since the HOPE scholarship makes better 4-year schools just as cheap. OTOH, if you want to commute it usually comes down to whatever is within range.</p>

<p>Pick a random college that interests you (Bates or whatever) and run the Net Price Calculator to see what kind of Aid you might be eligible for. Sometimes people are surprised (happily and unhappily).</p>

16

<p>Yes, you can transfer from a CC to an out-of-state four year school, but your transfer credit may have to be individually evaluated, unlike the case of many same-state transfers where the four year public universities have pre-made transfer credit listings (articulation agreements) with the community colleges in the same state. Limited listings for cross state transfer credit can be found at <a href=“http://www.transfer.org%5B/url%5D”>http://www.transfer.org</a> .</p>