Anyone transferred from a US community college to a 4-year fancy undergraduate school?

aerosol

aerosol

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If so, please read and possibly offer some help.

I go to a community college right now and I have been there for one year. One year from now I will be done and have an Associate's (AA) in Social work.

I want to transfer to a good school and I want all my credits to be accepted. I used to think that as long as I have an actual degree then they have to accept all of it. But I called University of Chicago (a private, fancy pants school) and they said that they break the degree down and then decide which classes to accept. She said that subjects that match up with what they offer will be likely to be accepted, so I guess I need to try to take only very general classes and no obscure ones. The lady also informed me that other schools in the Chicago area will likely take my future Associate's degree and accept all credits. I suppose this is because such schools are more public (and they're also not as good).

BUT. I want to go to an amazing school. University of Chicago is like the third best in the nation? Or something like that. I also really want the hard work I've put into my classes to count. I hate the idea of credits not transferring just because I didn't do a good enough job researching which classes I need to take. I'm paying a lottt for community college because I'm an International student. I pay like four times as much as Americans. That's another aspect of it; I don't want to see money going down the drain like that.

I wonder if your grades matter when it comes to accepting classes. Like, I feel like an A in Biology sounds way nicer than a C, and that maybe the school is more likely to accept classes where the student recieved a good grade.

I also have an idea of moving from IL to New York, which probably will complicate matters further. Has anyone dealt with transferring in between states?

Basically, it all sounds tiresome and scary. Is it as bad as it sounds or is the process easier once you actually do it? Has anyone else dealt with this kinda crap?
 
aerosol said:
If so, please read and possibly offer some help.

I go to a community college right now and I have been there for one year. One year from now I will be done and have an Associate's (AA) in Social work.

I want to transfer to a good school and I want all my credits to be accepted. I used to think that as long as I have an actual degree then they have to accept all of it. But I called University of Chicago (a private, fancy pants school) and they said that they break the degree down and then decide which classes to accept. She said that subjects that match up with what they offer will be likely to be accepted, so I guess I need to try to take only very general classes and no obscure ones. The lady also informed me that other schools in the Chicago area will likely take my future Associate's degree and accept all credits. I suppose this is because such schools are more public (and they're also not as good).

BUT. I want to go to an amazing school. University of Chicago is like the third best in the nation? Or something like that. I also really want the hard work I've put into my classes to count. I hate the idea of credits not transferring just because I didn't do a good enough job researching which classes I need to take. I'm paying a lottt for community college because I'm an International student. I pay like four times as much as Americans. That's another aspect of it; I don't want to see money going down the drain like that.

I wonder if your grades matter when it comes to accepting classes. Like, I feel like an A in Biology sounds way nicer than a C, and that maybe the school is more likely to accept classes where the student recieved a good grade.

I also have an idea of moving from IL to New York, which probably will complicate matters further. Has anyone dealt with transferring in between states?

Basically, it all sounds tiresome and scary. Is it as bad as it sounds or is the process easier once you actually do it? Has anyone else dealt with this kinda crap?
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The best thing you can do is get in contact with your advisors and potential college advisors to get all the credits sorted out. The CC I attend has a 'deal' with the state universities, so I can transfer in without any issues or losing any credits. Your CC might have the same program set up with other universities, so it'd be worth while asking I think.

Also, and I'm saying this without knowing your education plan, if you can, I'd avoid the hassle of transferring to an out of state school if you qualify for instate tuition at a school you'd like to attend. Either that, or take a break and wait for residency to kick in. Of course, if you're strictly look at private schools, this point is probably moot.
 
Wait, you're applying to a 4-year graduate program as in masters/PhD, or are you looking to transfer into a university undergrad program?
 
Black Sheep said:
Wait, you're applying to a 4-year graduate program as in masters/PhD, or are you looking to transfer into a university undergrad program?
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OH CRAP. i always get those wrong. thanks for clearing that up.

[MENTION=947]aeon[/MENTION], change the title from grad to undergrad, please. (or any other mod, just that aeon has done this for me in the past)
 
Detective Conan said:
Also, and I'm saying this without knowing your education plan, if you can, I'd avoid the hassle of transferring to an out of state school if you qualify for instate tuition at a school you'd like to attend. Either that, or take a break and wait for residency to kick in. Of course, if you're strictly look at private schools, this point is probably moot.
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I'm not an American citizen so I only qualify for International tuition. From what I've been told residency will only happen if I get a green card, and for that you need to have lived here for 10 yrs. =/
 
Is that the change you wanted, [MENTION=3615]aerosol[/MENTION]?
 
There is always a danger of losing credits when you transfer. I work at a university.

The usual policy is that the one you are transfering into has to be able to identify a comparable class that they offer and accepts the credits accordinally. Not taking something obscure is a good idea.

Yes while your AA degree will be valid, the lady was right in the sense that your AA degree requirements might not fit the general education requirements at their institute.

You should explore specific university degree programs to determine what classes you should be taking so you can have the most transfer. Also look at each university you might want to transfer to and determine how many transfer credits they allow--most will only accept so many.

Most of the time students will make poor elective choices. If your AA only requires say up to College Algebra but the program you want into requires Calculus--take Calc as an elective instead of photography or some such.

Another hurdle that some students face (perhaps not international) is the language requirement. Some degrees will require 2 years of a foreign language while the AA degree program usually won't.

Good grades are always best. Bad grades won't matter if you transfer inasmuch as only C's and above will transfer. However a high gpa will make you eligible for scholarships and a better chance at a more prestigious university and a good graduate program.

You should expect that some of your credits may not transfer. I would follow the advice about working closely with an advisor and picking not only the university you wish to transfer to but the specific program to get an idea of where you will be when you transfer. Prestigious is good but I wouldn't set my heart on that being the absolute best. I would strive for a program that offers what you want and need as a student. Going from a community college to a really large university will be a big change. State run colleges are typically just as good. You can always shoot for the prestigious university for your Master's.
 
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aerosol said:
I wonder if your grades matter when it comes to accepting classes. Like, I feel like an A in Biology sounds way nicer than a C, and that maybe the school is more likely to accept classes where the student recieved a good grade.
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The credit will transfer or it won't. Your actual course grades won't matter at all if the credits are not compatible the prerequisite requirements of the university. Talk to the admissions/registrar dept from the university. It may also help to have an unofficial/informal transcript of the classes you've taken and a list of the ones that you will be taking to complete your AA. Transfer students are of course nothing new to universities, so they should be able to bring up your current school's course catalog to see what will/won't transfer and what you need to take.

As I'm sure you know, they want to be sure that you are transferring in with a basic foundation of knowledge that is consistent with that of an incoming junior who has spent the first two years at their own school. If they decide that some of the classes you've taken are inconsistent with their standards, that's unfortunately just the way it is.

Though the quality of the education received is a valid concern, keep in mind that even if you end up attending a second-best university, if you continue to maintain your GPA, do well in your upper-division courses, and develop good rapport with the professors in your department (recommendations) you will still be a very strong competitor for just about any graduate school that you want to attend.
 
Black Sheep said:
The credit will transfer or it won't. Your actual course grades won't matter at all if the credits are not compatible the prerequisite requirements of the university. Talk to the admissions/registrar dept from the university. It may also help to have an unofficial/informal transcript of the classes you've taken and a list of the ones that you will be taking to complete your AA. Transfer students are of course nothing new to universities, so they should be able to bring up your current school's course catalog to see what will/won't transfer and what you need to take.

As I'm sure you know, they want to be sure that you are transferring in with a basic foundation of knowledge that is consistent with that of an incoming junior who has spent the first two years at their own school. If they decide that some of the classes you've taken are inconsistent with their standards, that's unfortunately just the way it is.
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Thanks for clearing up the grade thing.

The stuff in bold.... gah. You're totally right, but that stuff just gets to me. Schools think we actually learn from going there? Maybe I'm the only one but I really don't learn much at all. I guess what I've learned is how to develop my social skills and grow that way. I learn very little that has do with the actual subjects, or at least not the first couple of years when I have to take classes I have no interest in. I want to be a psych major, so why the heck do I need to take a physical science course during my first year? I took Intro to Meteorology two semesters ago. I remember nothing (except for how to spell Meteorology) but I got an A and that seems to be all that matters.

This is not a jab at your advice, it just reminded me of all this stuff.
 
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College isn't job training. The first two years are considered "general education" or are somtimes called "gen ed" requirements. You take a wide variety of diverse classes to give you a solid educational foundation. The idea is to expose the student to these diverse fields so you are a well rounded student and to allow you to narrow your field of interest for your upper division course work.

A 4.0 is a good gpa. However, really prestigious programs will also take a look at your resume and activities. I would suggest joining clubs and doing activities that you enjoy to get a good college experience.
 
I went to a non competitive two year college and was accepted to a fancy private college afterwards. One of my roommates at the two year school got into Smith. Most but not all of my credits were accepted and I saved about 30k attending the cheaper school for two years.

The fact that I hadn't taken two semesters of a foreign language in junior college prevented me from getting into what I thought was a backup choice.
 
Transfer requirements vary from school to school. Some will take it all, some will go on a class by class basis, and that depends on where you go. Better schools are more likely to go on a class-by-class basis, which can force you to do a large amount of running around possibly.

I can't imagine paying 4x as much for a community college- or are you getting the out of state price? The main point of going to a community college for two years and then transferring is to be cost effective.

Having an associates degree and having good grades in the classes probably wont make a difference as to whether they transfer or not.

I don't think that University of Chicago is 3rd best in the nation, but then I'm not sure how you are defining 'best'.

And moving to New York might definitely complicate things, but that depends on where you go.
 
The general classes you take are likely to transfer, especially if you're in the same state as your desired school. However, the psych-specific courses might be a different level and not be accepted. The more obscure and specific the course, the lower the chance of it transferring. I transferred from a 2 year school to a 4 year public school across state lines. I've found that 2 year school credits transfer to public universities better. You can compare them for yourself by looking at the program check sheets at the colleges you'd like to attend and compare it with the classes you're taking. If they don't accept it and you feel that they should, you can always appeal it. Its a huge pain to petition, but if you covered the same material, they'll generally give you credit. Just remember to keep your syllabi in case you ever need to petition!

Just keep in mind that it doesn't matter about how amazing the school is, it matters how amazing the program at the school is. From what I'm seeing, Stanford and U of California Berkeley are tied for first in psych. UC Berkeley is public, but their program is obviously fantastic. Sometimes private just means more expensive and isn't worth it. U of Chicago overall as a university is ranked 4th in the U.S., but their psych program is ranked about 23rd in the nation. A lot of public programs outrank U of Chicago's. So there might be many better and more affordable options for you.

Also, many grad schools will compensate their students just for attending or let them teach intro classes to make a dent in the tuition (both of my sisters did this for their masters). It all depends on the program, though.
 
Oh and PS - The moving can be complicated and sometimes expensive, if you prepare enough its not so bad. Just pay some guys to pack all your boxes into the moving truck, make sure you can rent (or know someone who can) a U-haul, and that you have enough money for the deposit and rental costs of your new place. If you're organized, its not bad. Just hectic.
 
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