We need advice/help--transfer to another U or do a semester at Comm Coll?

[distancia]

Down to the wire in terms of deadlines and DD is vomiting due to the pressure--there seems to be no "better" answer.

 

DD, a freshman at a small, highly selective LAC, has hit a roadblock in terms of courses in her major. The school doesn't offer the courses DD needs and she doesn't want to change her major just to stay at the school (despite the prestige) so she is resigned to leaving at the end of this semester, before she falls farther behind the course track in other schools. Dilemma: what does DD do now?

 

1) Return home and then begin a new semester Jan 2012 at the local Comm Coll (which she had attended as a h/s junior and senior) where she will fill in all the gaps she has lost since being at the LAC. Then, after that semester and a class during summer, in the fall she can go to one of the 3 Uni's that have her intended major.

 

2) Immediately transfer into a small state uni that she thinks is "okay", and take her pre-reqs there for a year, then transfer into one of the 3 Unis that have her intended major. She would live on campus.

 

3) Immediately transfer into one of the 3 Unis (far away, she would live on campus) that have her intended major.

 

The problem with 2 & 3 ^^ is that a midyear transfer is kind of rough, to say the least. Also, with #3, DD is not really excited about any of the Unis that offer her major, and she wants to stall on the inevitable of having to attend.

 

I thought it would be better for her to attend the Comm Coll to buy some time until she gets a better feel for the 3 Unis, visit each one again, maybe overnight, until one of them stands out from the others in some way, good or bad. But I'm wondering, will it look bad on DD's transcript that she has a 8-month gap from the status school, returned to home & comm coll (albeit for a good reason, to get the pre-reqs she needs in her intended field!) and should she just immediately transfer into any Uni and cross her fingers it is the right one?

 

Thanks!

Edited November 12, 2011 by distancia

[Bootsie]

Is there a particular reason why a mid-year transfer would be more difficult? So much at a university is semester by semester, I don't know that it would be more difficult to transfer to the local college now than it would be at the beginning of an academic year.

[TranquilMind]

Down to the wire in terms of deadlines and DD is vomiting due to the pressure--there seems to be no "better" answer.

 

DD, a freshman at a small, highly selective LAC, has hit a roadblock in terms of courses in her major. The school doesn't offer the courses DD needs and she doesn't want to change her major just to stay at the school (despite the prestige) so she is resigned to leaving at the end of this semester, before she falls farther behind the course track in other schools. Dilemma: what does DD do now?

 

1) Return home and then begin a new semester Jan 2012 at the local Comm Coll (which she had attended as a h/s junior and senior) where she will fill in all the gaps she has lost since being at the LAC. Then, after that semester and a class during summer, in the fall she can go to one of the 3 Uni's that have her intended major.

 

2) Immediately transfer into a small local state uni that she thinks is "okay", and take her pre-reqs there for a year, then transfer into one of the 3 Unis that have her intended major.

 

2) Immediately transfer into one of the 3 Unis that have her intended major.

 

The problem with 2 & 3 ^^ is that a midyear transfer is kind of rough, to say the least. Also, with #3, DD is not really excited about any of the Unis that offer her major, and she wants to stall on the inevitable of having to attend.

 

I thought it would be better for her to attend the Comm Coll to buy some time until she gets a better feel for the 3 Unis, visit each one again, maybe overnight, until one of them stands out from the others in some way, good or bad. But I'm wondering, will it look bad on DD's transcript that she has a 8-month gap from the status school, returned to home & comm coll (albeit for a good reason, to get the pre-reqs she needs in her intended field!) and should she just immediately transfer into any Uni and cross her fingers it is the right one?

 

Thanks!

First of all, she needs to STOP vomiting. This isn't that serious. Changes are hard, but she will barely give it a thought ten years from now, when she has a degree and is fully entrenched in her life. It's OK!

 

I think she -and you - should go with your gut reaction. It sounds like number 3, until she is sure. She can still take classes locally the rest of the year, right? No gap.

[scholarly]

If it were me, I would encourage her to transfer to one of the unis with her major in the spring. That way, if she doesn't like that university, she can still transfer to another one with her major in the fall. It gives her a chance to test it out without losing more time by going to a CC in the spring, then a university in the fall and THEN finding out she wants to transfer yet again.

 

That being said, if she does decide to transfer to a CC, she needs to be sure to check with the three schools with her major to verify they will accept the classes she takes at the CC. And, of course, to take classes that will transfer equally well to all three, in order to keep her options open!

 

I wish her the best of luck... it really will be okay!

[distancia]

I don't think it is a tremendous difficulty to transfer mid-year, it's just kind of rough starting all over again...trying to find new roommates (she has to live off-campus, as there is a shortage of on-campus housing), set up a new dorm, get to know where everything is in the area. It's kind of unsettling for an 18 year-old who likes consistency and predictability. But as she tells me, "I'm an adult now!"

 

My bigger concern is: does it look bad to go from uni to uni at the under-classmen level? I would think not too much (after all, it's not a job), especially if the GPA remains high.

Edited November 12, 2011 by distancia

The school doesn't offer the courses DD needs and she doesn't want to change her major just to stay at the school

 

I'm curious about this sentence. What are the classes she needs but they don't offer? Presumably they offer the major she wants, and all the classes she would need for that major?

[distancia]

She wants an Interdisciplinary Studies degree, which they offer, but they don't offer the sciences (enviro, geology, marine, etc) part of it.

Edited November 12, 2011 by distancia

[creekland]

 

My bigger concern is: does it look bad to go from uni to uni at the under-classmen level? I would think not too much (after all, it's not a job), especially if the GPA remains high.

 

No. And with the school you are talking about, having read reports on other sites, it's pretty common. I'm not quite sure why the school is still considered to have prestige. If I hear it mentioned elsewhere there seem to be more negative comments than positive, but maybe I'm just on the wrong sites or only negative people post (both possibilities). That school is not one I would remotely consider nor recommend except for a small demographic of students where the fit would be right.

 

I can't imagine any employer having issues with a freshman transferring out of pretty much any school (in general) as fit is often not what one expected. It's common. It's the school one graduates from that counts (if anything) when looking for a job. The graduates from the school with the better reputation within the major will have an edge.

[Brenda in MA]

I would pick the CC for a semester route. It sounds to me like she really needs to be at home and attending a place she is familiar with so that she has time to heal from all the emotional/physical issues she's had to deal with at the LAC. Throwing her mid year into a completely different place with new roommates, etc. sounds like it would be very tough on her (and on you). Even if she ends up loosing a semester in the process and it takes her 9 semesters to graduate, I don't think that will really matter in the end. Having a healthy dd is much more important, IMO.

 

Being at home would give her time, like you said, to really think about which of the other 3 schools would be the best option.

 

Best wishes with a tough decision,

Brenda

[Barbara H]

I would pick the CC for a semester route. It sounds to me like she really needs to be at home and attending a place she is familiar with so that she has time to heal from all the emotional/physical issues she's had to deal with at the LAC. Throwing her mid year into a completely different place with new roommates, etc. sounds like it would be very tough on her (and on you). Even if she ends up loosing a semester in the process and it takes her 9 semesters to graduate, I don't think that will really matter in the end. Having a healthy dd is much more important, IMO.

 

 

Yes, I agree with this. The Spring at home would give her time to heal and to make plans. It sounds from your posts like the college was a total mismatch, but also that your daughter could maybe use some support in developing healthy ways to cope with academic and social stresses and pressure too.

 

College recognize that sometimes a students choose a college that isn't a good fit. Spring at a cc and starting some new college in the fall is a known and understood approach. On other hand transferring to another university in the spring and another again in the fall - that could be a real red flag. Also, I think it is just way too much change to cope with, especially for a student who has had a rough fall. The choices in housing may be really limited midyear and you are at a greater risk that the open housing may be something another student has rejected for a good reason. You've got a great idea to give her more time to really shop for colleges and to expect that she go on an overnight visit to see if the environment will be a good fit for her needs.

[K-FL]

My bigger concern is: does it look bad to go from uni to uni at the under-classmen level? I would think not too much (after all, it's not a job), especially if the GPA remains high.

 

A future employer is only going to see "Bachelor's degree from XX University" They won't know if you took classes from 4 different colleges to get there, only who the final degree-granting school was.

 

In fact, my sister made her son stay home for the 1st yr even though he was not happy about it since all his friends were going off to the 2 big U in the state. He was very surprised when many of them were joining him at the cc for the spring semester due to mis-match, bad grades, etc. that made them decide the big U was not what they were expecting.

[Barbara H]

A future employer is only going to see "Bachelor's degree from XX University" They won't know if you took classes from 4 different colleges to get there, only who the final degree-granting school was.

 

 

 

That's true.

 

One thing to consider is if the schools she might apply to for fall are selective and if scholarships are important. One transfer is no big deal, two can raise concerns. Community college won't count as a transfer because that's a common spring move after a college doesn't work out, but planning to start a third four year college in the fall may be more problematic.

[Paz]

My ds was in a similar situation his freshman year. He chose to leave, though, not because of his major but because the school was just not a good fit for him. He came back to our local cc and took classes before transfering to a state school the following fall. It was a very good decision for him. My ds is low key and typically a non-worrier but his unhappiness at that school really through him for loop. It was helpful for him to come home and have some down time, take some needed courses, before going out again. He adjusted really well at his 2nd school and was able to find roommates that he could live easily with, etc.

[ereks mom]

I would pick the CC for a semester route. It sounds to me like she really needs to be at home and attending a place she is familiar with so that she has time to heal from all the emotional/physical issues she's had to deal with at the LAC. Throwing her mid year into a completely different place with new roommates, etc. sounds like it would be very tough on her (and on you). Even if she ends up loosing a semester in the process and it takes her 9 semesters to graduate, I don't think that will really matter in the end. Having a healthy dd is much more important, IMO.

 

Being at home would give her time, like you said, to really think about which of the other 3 schools would be the best option.

 

Best wishes with a tough decision,

Brenda

 

:iagree:

[Teachin'Mine]

I would pick the CC for a semester route. It sounds to me like she really needs to be at home and attending a place she is familiar with so that she has time to heal from all the emotional/physical issues she's had to deal with at the LAC. Throwing her mid year into a completely different place with new roommates, etc. sounds like it would be very tough on her (and on you). Even if she ends up loosing a semester in the process and it takes her 9 semesters to graduate, I don't think that will really matter in the end. Having a healthy dd is much more important, IMO.

 

Being at home would give her time, like you said, to really think about which of the other 3 schools would be the best option.

 

Best wishes with a tough decision,

Brenda

 

My thoughts too. It sounds like her health should be the priority. A semester at cc should give her time to heal and explore her options.

[oldskool]

Another important thing to keep in mine is graduate school. They will look to see a consistent record. I would not transfer more than once if you think that she may be looking at competitive grad school programs in the future.

 

 

Lesley

[Candid]

I don't think transferring to a larger school, far away, where she has to live on campus is a great idea. Based on your previous thread, your dd has not enjoyed campus rooming. I doubt she will walk into something she'll like at a big uni, but with the increased distance, she'll have no out, unless you can pay for an apartment as well as on campus housing.

 

Given that, I think doing some time locally, then transferring in as a higher level student, who, hopefully, won't be required to live on campus, but if she is she'll have more status as a higher level (say junior) than she would now.

 

I think in light of the throwing up and other possible living issues to come (again based on previous threads), I would also find someone to work with her to be able to adapt to stress better. If she goes right to uni, now, I'd make sure she got some sessions in and I'd find someone on the new campus to work with her.

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

I would just double check that the community college credits will transfer- not all uni's take them...I am finding that out right now as we apply to college with a load of CC. Best of luck! This is sure to be a difficult for you-keep your chin up!

[tex-mex]

I would pick the CC for a semester route. It sounds to me like she really needs to be at home and attending a place she is familiar with so that she has time to heal from all the emotional/physical issues she's had to deal with at the LAC. Throwing her mid year into a completely different place with new roommates, etc. sounds like it would be very tough on her (and on you). Even if she ends up loosing a semester in the process and it takes her 9 semesters to graduate, I don't think that will really matter in the end. Having a healthy dd is much more important, IMO.

 

Being at home would give her time, like you said, to really think about which of the other 3 schools would be the best option.

 

Best wishes with a tough decision,

Brenda

:iagree:

I agree with staying at home and attending the local cc.

 

I have been tracking the OP's posts and it seems like her dd does need less stress or such? Anxiety sounds like it is an issue?

 

There is no shame in taking time off either. No one says she has to get college done in 4 years. I suggest getting dd in a good place mentally and stress-free. Has she indicated she is open to coming back home?

[tex-mex]

Another important thing to keep in mine is graduate school. They will look to see a consistent record. I would not transfer more than once if you think that she may be looking at competitive grad school programs in the future.

 

 

Lesley

I'm not sure I agree with this advice.

 

Many graduate schools request all transcripts from all of the undergrad's schools they have attended. I'm sure they are used to many students taking an occassional class here and there -handling numerous transcripts per application packet- especially nowadays with the popularity of online courses. Grad schools are looking for good GRE scores and good gpa, basically.

[Denise in Florida]

No. And with the school you are talking about, having read reports on other sites, it's pretty common. I'm not quite sure why the school is still considered to have prestige. If I hear it mentioned elsewhere there seem to be more negative comments than positive, but maybe I'm just on the wrong sites or only negative people post (both possibilities). That school is not one I would remotely consider nor recommend except for a small demographic of students where the fit would be right.

 

I can't imagine any employer having issues with a freshman transferring out of pretty much any school (in general) as fit is often not what one expected. It's common. It's the school one graduates from that counts (if anything) when looking for a job. The graduates from the school with the better reputation within the major will have an edge.

 

:iagree::iagree: The in-state colleges and universities are already familiar with this particular college. They will tell you that it is an awesome program but not for everybody. I don't think they will have a second thought about a student transferring to another school.

 

I was talking to a recruiter at a college fair (for my younger daughter), I mentioned this particular school and they danced around a bit. I told them my older dd goes there (when not studying abroad) but that it would not suit my younger dd. They agreed readily that it required a 'certain type of student'. :lol::lol:

 

I really don't think transferring out will cause her any grief.

[Starr]

Transferring mid year leaves you with a roommate that happens to not have one anymore, someone left school or moved in with another friend. There isn't any "matching". I would have her come home, finish what she can and seriously decide where she wants to complete her degree. It is also easier to get connected with other students in the beginning of the year.

[Medstudent]

I'm not sure I agree with this advice.

 

Many graduate schools request all transcripts from all of the undergrad's schools they have attended. I'm sure they are used to many students taking an occassional class here and there -handling numerous transcripts per application packet- especially nowadays with the popularity of online courses. Grad schools are looking for good GRE scores and good gpa, basically.

 

I will say this. If I remember correctly, the OP's daughter was considering med school (or I might be completely wrong and hallucinating...). If so, med school does tend to be a little pickier. Not that they won't accept someone with a more unusual background- numerous transfers included- but they tend to prefer people who stuck with one place or two at most. Med schools are really big on stability- they want to know that no matter how far they push you, you'll stay in school and won't quit. They are also wary of people who take classes in a bunch of different colleges because it makes their gpa harder to evaluate- did you take harder classes at easier colleges and easier classes at harder colleges? All of a sudden your average gpa doesn't mean much because there are so many factors that go into it.

 

Anyway, this may not apply to the OP at all, and I'm not sure how grad school works, but just as an fyi, med schools are definitely on the touchier side.

[distancia]

MedStudent, I think you may have been hallucinating.

 

DD wants to purse a career related to the sciences, but not pre-med. And I am starting to believe that what really matters is Bachelor's Degree and making contacts in the right field.

 

DD is very personable, very sharp, and has never had a hard time making herself known. I think she will do okay wherever she goes. And I'm taking this grad thing too seriously...so many people I know have entered grad school DECADES after graduating college, and they are all doing fine.

[LuvingLife]

I would pick the CC for a semester route. It sounds to me like she really needs to be at home and attending a place she is familiar with so that she has time to heal from all the emotional/physical issues she's had to deal with at the LAC. Throwing her mid year into a completely different place with new roommates, etc. sounds like it would be very tough on her (and on you). Even if she ends up loosing a semester in the process and it takes her 9 semesters to graduate, I don't think that will really matter in the end. Having a healthy dd is much more important, IMO.

 

Being at home would give her time, like you said, to really think about which of the other 3 schools would be the best option.

 

Best wishes with a tough decision,

Brenda

 

:iagree: your daughter really needs time to stop and regroup herself as she seems to be too stressed out right now to even try and transfer to a new uni. She needs to relax and some time at home might be the answer while still getting the classes she needs done at the CC.