<p>I am not planning on applying for transfer this spring to be clear--and possibly not even for next fall depending on what you people recommend. In high school, I did well my first two years and very, very bad my last two years. I'm not proud of it and I regret it, but I came out with a GPA of approx. 3.3W (UW isn't available but I figure it to be about 2.9ish) and an ACT of 31. I applied to some reach schools (GW, American...) got rejected but did get accepted to some schools I would have been perfectly okay with attending. However, my family is not well off and after committing to a college I discovered that I would have to take out 15k in PRIVATE loans (most likely Sallie Mae, blah) in addition to 5k in federal loans. I had issues with this so I decided to go another route: take credit classes full time at my flagship state university as a non degree student (which I had been rejected from after being on the WL for several months). I'll make this part of the story short by summarizing that I managed to scrap together the 6k for first semester to attend and did apply to be a degree student at this university, but it is unlikely I'll be able to gather another 6k+books... So my main question is, should I continue as a non degree student if I'm not admitted or finally give in to my parent's wishes and go to my local CC so I can use my FAFSA $? (To be clear, I am in support of CCs, but my sister attended this particular one and dropped out which scares me).
I'm not doing poor in my classes right now, I think that I will end the semester with about a 3.7 (I'm taking Calculus and math is not my thing). But I am uneasy at the thought that I will be rejected due to my high school grades.
If I go to the CC or if I stay at my current school (non degree or not) I intend to transfer, hopefully for next fall but I would like some input on this.
I have about 18 AP credits (that haven't been transferred since I'm a non degree), and 12 college credits (27 by the end of this semester).
So by the end of this school year, I intend to have 42 college credits as well as <em>hopefully</em> my AP credits so a total of approx. 60. I hope to finish this year with at least a 3.8 (which could be affected by a college class I took in high school that I got a C in...).
I plan on applying to these schools:
Smith
American
Barnard
Cornell
Bryn Mawr
Grinnel
Mount Holyoke
Wellesley
Wesleyan
& some state schools that I'm pretty confident I'll be accepted to with my current stats.
What are your guys' opinions on this? Should I apply for next fall or take a lighter credit load (so I don't surpass max. credits) and wait until Fall 2016? I'm aware these are reaches, but I'm unhappy where I am and I'm prepared to forget the past & work my hardest. Thanks for reading & your responses.</p>
<p>You need to find out from your current university how long they will let you attend in non-degree status. You also need to find out how many of the credits earned in non-degree status can be applied toward a degree there if you do enroll.</p>
<p>If you are admitted to degree status at your current university, you will be eligible for federally determined financial aid using your 2014-2015 FAFSA, so you might find it affordable. Pay a visit to the financial aid office and ask.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr is transfer friendly for CC graduates. Wander around the website, and read up on the current articulation agreements with CCs in the Philly area to get an idea how that might work. Cornell also is transfer friendly, especially for graduates of CCs in NY.</p>
<p>Your situation is a bit unusual because you aren’t currently a degree-seeking student. Even with all of your college credits, you may fall into freshman applicant status. Contact the admissions offices at each place on your list and ASK them which application you should file. Do not be surprised if you are classified as a freshman at some places and a transfer at others.</p>
<p>Some of the colleges you are looking at, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Wellesley – although your ACT of 31 is good - you would need to show one or two years of college classes with top grades. You need to show that you can handle the work load.</p>