<p>I agree with DianeR’s explanation for applicants wanting to keep their college credit total down. For applicants who are trying to get into a prestigious a school as possible, it can be very important to apply as a freshman. </p>
<p>lealdragon, you mentioned one school being too expensive, and I want to encourage you not to rule out any school for financial reasons until you’ve researched it’s financial aid policies and reputation. You might be surprised by the aid available at some schools.</p>
<p>However, that brings up another reason a student might want to apply with a reduce number of credits. Sometimes financial aid for transfers is very poor. Often transfers are the last to be admitted, and the bulk of available financial aid has already been distributed by that time.</p>
<p>So, if your son fell in love with a more selective private school, and could only attend with substantial aid, he might well decide to count his college credits only for highschool, if possible, when applying to that particular school.</p>