Is it better for an adult (23 yo.) to: 1) transfer from a top 30 university to a small college/university (not in top 100); or 2) to take classes as a non-degree seeking student at a local university or community college, and then apply to an adult entry program at a higher ranked school; or 3) to take classes non-degree seeking, and reapply for January or Fall 2026?
Background:
Class of 2021 High school stats: UW GPA 3.95, SAT 1410
Undergrad GPA 2.66 (Fall of 2021 Semester 1: 3.7, Spring of 2023 3.4, Fall of 2023: 1.0)
Student is on 2nd leave of absence, is certified/trained to work with disabled individuals, working and living independently, but has decided they want to resume their studies asap (before getting any older)
They want to move back closer to family and return to school in January, however they applied rolling for this fall and now have a few options. The student will not consider returning to the original school. Wants a much smaller school. No history of disciplinary or substance abuse issues. LOAs were due to health.
The student should pursue the option that fits them best.
Rank doesn’t bring happiness.
So I vote the four year school unless they’d rather have more options due to the late app. The choose the community college. But why delay - if they like the new 4-year.
Going to the top 30 shows fit is beyond rank. You live day to day for four years. A rank adds nothing to that.
Best of luck to your student. I hope they find the right fit.
Agree 100%. Current school was completely the wrong fit and a decision made without really knowing the schools, pressures felt to please others, not being able to visit during COVID-19, and COVID-19 protocols in 2021. The question now is how to find the right fit, especially socially, for a 23-24 year old who wants a small school.
Obviously, there are concerns that the new 4 year college might not be a good fit socially, although it does have few graduate level programs (so older population). If they attend, do well academically, could they then transfer again, if they determine that it’s still not the right social fit?
Can they, yes, but hopefully it is going to be good
But given the age, that might be a struggle at a small school vs say a local, regional that might have a higher percentage of older kids vs. a small school of 18-22 year olds. Of course at the public school , those older kids might work too and have less time socially.
A lot will depend on how your student adapts. It’s not easy but hopefully they do well.
One choice is a LAC. The other is a regional college with more age diversity. There is also a local state school with an excellent program in the field they want to pursue, but the overall campus population is simply too large. Thank you so much for the feedback.
Is the student looking primarily for an “on campus, rich social life” type experience, or just to get an education regardless of the other stuff? And is the “overall campus population” even relevant for a student who will be very focused on studying, classes, etc?
One priority is the classroom experience, a large part of which being able to relate and form relationships with classmates, study groups, extended social experiences therefrom. I don’t believe the traditional sports/school spirit/fan experience is a factor, nor is Greek life. But certainly club sports and recreational offerings would be, as is the energy of „campus life.“
What’s the expected major? A lot of large universities have small departments where forming relationships with classmates, professors, administrators, etc. is really easy. The overall size of the U is not a good proxy for how easy it is to develop and maintain close relationships!
Agreed. And there is an excellent program at a local state school, but because of the prior experience, the student is not considering anything over 8000 and strongly prefers under 4000. The larger U experience is being deferred until grad school
Is the school in option (1) a good fit (realistic for admission, academic programs, cost, size, etc.)? Are the schools that may be applied to in (2) or (3) better fits than the school in option (1)?
In the case of (2) or (3), community colleges may be better set up to assist students with transfer preparation.
Note that age 24 affects whether the student is considered independent versus dependent for FAFSA purposes and colleges that follow the FAFSA rules on that for financial aid purposes.
Yes. Student is admitted and size and field of study are right fit. Neither cost nor FAFSA is an a concern.
There are schools that have more breadth of academic and experiential offerings in the desired field, extracurricular amenities and potential lead-in for graduate study, but whether the student could gain admission after successfully completing some cc classes is unknown.
Thanks for the questions. After answering, it seems that it’s not worth giving up 1) on the 50/50 chance of 2), and losing another 6 months in the process.