<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>I'm a Junior and I live in Naperville, IL. Location to me is important but I'm not only considering midwest schools, just nothing across the country. I've got a 3.75 weighted gpa, 3.3 unweighted. 32 ACT. Honors math, science, english. I want to major in civil engineering. I would like to go to a school for my first two years that still has a good engineering program, but it doesn't have to be top-notch. My parents want me to go to a community college for my first years, but I'd like to avoid that.</p>
<p>The reason I'm considering doing my first two years somewhere and then transferring for my last two is financial reasons. My dad just started a new job and we won't be able to afford a large tuition for the next couple years, but we're expecting to be able to pay for a pretty good school for the last two. So, I'd like to go somewhere where I could go for preferrably less than $10,000 a year for the first two years, bolster my grades, and transfer to a mega-engineering school. </p>
<p>I've just recently thought of doing 2 years and then transferring so I don't really know where to start looking.</p>
<p>Any ideas and suggestions are helpful.</p>
<p>A community college will save you the most. What does your family want to pay the first 2 years? Will you qualify for any need based aid? Do you have a class rank?</p>
<p>If you are intent on transferring (as opposed to going to and graduating from some place like Alabama on a big merit scholarship), then you should consider the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Public universities tend to be most friendly to transfers, but they tend to favor those from same-state community colleges. While they may be as generous with need-based aid as they are to freshmen (assuming one is in-state – out-of-state students tend to get much less need-based aid from public universities), they may offer fewer merit scholarships for transfers. In addition, community colleges often model their courses and curricula on that of state universities, so there is a better chance of finding that they have a pre-existing articulation agreement like this [U</a> of I Admissions: Transfer Admission Requirements](<a href=“http://admissions.illinois.edu/apply/SelectProgram.aspx]U”>Page Not Found, Illinois Undergraduate Admissions) so that you know what courses will transfer.</p></li>
<li><p>Many private universities take very few transfers. They may be significantly less generous with both need-based aid and merit scholarships for transfers than they are for freshmen.</p></li>
</ul>