<p>Let's say I get a 2350 SAT I, excellent AP exam and SAT II scores, 3.9 UW GPA, and good recs, ECs, and all that other little stuff.</p>
<p>If I were to not get a very good scholarship from any schools and just go to a community college to save money, would it be possible to transfer to an excellent school (CalTech, MIT, UChicago, Columbia)? Would my credits from the CC even count for them (considering AP test scores don't generally count there)?</p>
<p>Maybe. Why don't you call the admissions offices of those schools and ask</p>
<p>to tell u the truth, if i were u , scholarship or not, i would nto risk sacraficing such excellent stats to save money. u may have a load of college loans, but i will be worth in it the long run.</p>
<p>I would say you should spend some time investigating the financial aid aspect. Many of the top schools are also extremely generous and will find a way to get you there if you're desirable to them. Maybe go to those schools sites and read their FA info. I agree w/mock. The loans you'll take won't be that much -- plus, you have to see what the CC has to offer -- their cirriculum isn't necessarily the most advanced -- your current AP classes are probably more challenging then 3/4 of what a CC has to offer.</p>
<p>If you're open to it, investigate ROTC and NSA scholarships.</p>
<p>People talk about CC like it is the end of the road; the people on this forum seem to associate someones intelligence, self-worth, and personality with what college they can get into. If you do not get the scholarship that you are looking for, and you do not think you can afford it then going to community college may not be that bad. I certainly know plenty of people with similar stats. like yourself who are going to community college now. I have a friend who had a 3.9 something GPA, was a URM, had plenty of EC, and was just a great person to be around. She got accepted to all the colleges she applied to, but found out last minute that there was no way her parents could afford it. She didn't go into detail, but she said her parent were not supportive of what she want to go into...so I assume they wouldn't cosign any loans either. I never thought I was going to end up going to a CC either, even though my stats are no where are good as your. Once I came here I really enjoyed it; I became a tutor at our tutoring center, got an opportunity to go to Richmond and meet our state legislatures, meet some awesome professors and students, became exposed to a lot more diversity, and a lot of other stuff. Now I have a 4.0 and once I finish my degree I have a good chance of getting into any public state college i want to; this included UVA, W&M, and even colleges in D.C. that will usually have some type of scholarship program for good students. </p>
<p>But CC has its drawbacks. Sometimes you just want to leave home and go get the real college experience. I thought CC would be a good option for me since I graduated high school at such a young age, but even I am getting tired of staying home. and of course the curriculum is not that challenging. I have had some honors courses in high school that were more challenging than the equivalent I took at a community college. In general, it is the same education you would get at most state U. I had a couple of professors who taught at George Mason as well, and most of my friends who go to George Mason say that we are learning the same stuff. I guess it depends on what you are looking for; you could take a geology class with a lab and fill your science credit or you could go for Microbiology with lab (then there is the factor of how the professor grades, which can be a very big factor in how difficult a course is).</p>
<p>Anyway, did you apply to any instate schools? Those can be pretty cheap, and can offer good financial aid. I think UVa gives a free ride to people whose parents make less than 40K, and will give aid up to those who make 80K. There might be something like that at your state.</p>
<p>As for your question about transferring, I think they do accept credits. They might have to review them and see if they are rigorous to meet there standards, but I remember hearing professors say that the credits at the community college I go to transfer just about any where (including Harvard). I know a lot of people who transfered to UVa, I know a couple who transfered to Georgetown, and one who got into Columbia (and he got up to 30,000 dollars in scholarship money from the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship for CC students). </p>
<p>well I hope that helped.</p>
<p>as a cc student hoping to transfer to good universities, i must agree with obaig's post. listen to him, he is pretty much spot on.</p>
<p>cc is definitely not the end of the world, but it's not the best option for everyone. how bad is your financial situation? would it still be possible to go to your first-choice school even though the scholarship is not as much as you'd like? is it worth spending two years getting a very different experience? (rhetorical questions for the op.)</p>
<p>Just to add to Obaig's near perfect response....</p>
<p>I would not go to community college... especially with the stats you have, it's illogical because there are much better options for you. If you feel like you cannot afford the higher tuitions, go to a good in-state school... that's what they are there for. With in-state tuition, the price tag should be low to begin with... after a few scholarships based on merit, financial need and academic excellence you should be able to pay for college with the money you find under your couch pillows and in the dryer. At that point you are still at a good institution and paying little to nothing.</p>
<p>An EXAMPLE OF THIS: A girl I am familiar with was in the same situation as you. Her dream was to go to UPenn's Wharton and also applied to schools of that caliber. She did not get into U Penn but got into many of the other top notch schools (and in many cases their business program). Since she didn't feel like spending so much money on these other schools she decided to go to Rutgers in NJ (where we live). Rutgers is a great school...but it's in state. She was basically paid to go there, got her four year degree and went to U Penn for grad school with no problem. I know of someone that did the same only went from UF to Yale with only an associates degree. It's a great option... and it's your best option if you take this path of saving money. Community can be a horrible experience for many many reasons, a few that Obaig covered. I am friends with many people that go to Morris County Community only 20 minutes from my home... it is ranked one of the best CC's in the state and top 10 in the nation. the majority of them find it very unenjoyable... it's not college.</p>
<p>Wish you the best of luck!
Ry</p>
<p>Oh, I also forgot. Since you would have so many AP credits, I found that CCs will give you a lot of credit for them. I have only taken APUSH and AP Psyc and they had given me twelve credits for them...that is almost an entire semester. If you have 10, then I could only imagine how many you will get. However, you will still need to get a certain number of credits at you CC to get their degree (regardless of how many transfer). From there you can go to any instate you want. Most CC have articulation agreements which guarantees admissions if you have your degree. Then you can always go to your dream school at a grad student, like another poster here had suggested.</p>
<p>As for the community college experience- it’s as dreadful as some people make it. Its inherent flaws are bound to have its drawbacks, but I find that it is as exciting as you want it to be. A lot of people complain that it is a lot harder to make friends and so forth, but you have to make an effort to be active on campus. There are plenty of clubs that are geared towards students who are like minded. The students who I work with at my tutoring center (as in fellow tutors) are awesome- they are intelligent, funny, and interesting people. In general, you will find a lot of interesting people because CC attracts so much diversity in terms of income, age, ethnicity, and nationality (at least mine does)...more so than any ivy league school. </p>
<p>But then again, you have amazing stats. Unless you want to go into a science, then I think you should go to what school you can get accepted. Now if it is a liberal arts, then I suppose you can always catch up once you transfer + you can always study that independently while taking the most challenging classes the CC offers in that discipline if you feel you will truly be at a disadvantage.</p>