I missed a year of high school because I had leukemia so when I recovered I did a high school diploma program where you get dual credits at portland community college. Now I’ll have enough credits to transfer next year. I’ll have a 4.0 and I’ve never taken the ACT’s and SAT’s. All the schools I want to go to like Stanford, Caltech, and MIT take so few transfers that I’m freaking out. Where can I go to thats great for engineering and counts as a really impressive school? I prefer schools with great teacher to student ratios. HELP!
Did you take college courses after graduation from high school, or only before graduation from high school?
If only before graduation from high school, then you may be able to apply as a frosh, as long as you do not take college courses after graduation from high school. If you are eligible to apply as a frosh, this can be advantageous if you want to apply to highly selective schools, or seek large merit scholarships.
The most transfer-friendly schools are likely your in-state public schools where your community college course work is most likely to be recognized and accepted for subject credit (look up “transfer credit” on their web sites). Some highly selective private schools do admit significant numbers of transfer students (check section D of their common data sets). Out-of-state public schools may also admit many transfer students (though probably mostly from in-state community colleges), but many may be too expensive (though South Dakota Mines and New Mexico Tech are relatively low priced).
All my classes are dual credit. I do not have my high school diploma yet I will at the end of Summer 2016. I take Community college courses and the portland public school system gives me high school credit as well. I will be counted as a transfer because of how many credits I will have.
I’m looking at the most prestigious schools possible and money isn’t the biggest issue.
99.9009% of people don’t go to Stanford/Caltech/MIT, and they have a life. Relax.
Most colleges will not force you to be a transfer (as opposed to frosh) due to college courses taken before high school graduation. Check the colleges’ admission web sites. For example, Stanford says that “Students who are dual-enrolled in both high school and college programs should apply for freshman admission” at http://admission.stanford.edu/application/transfer/credit.html . MIT says that “If you are still in high school, you are considered a freshman applicant regardless of how many classes you may have taken at the university level” at http://mitadmissions.org/apply/transfer/faqs . Caltech has similar criteria as described at https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/content/transfer-applicants .
Stanford, Caltech, and MIT are reach-for-everyone schools, so do not get too fixated on them. Start your college list with a safety that you can easily afford as well as which you will certainly be admitted to.
That’s a good point that I will follow up with those schools to clarify the grey area. I am considering many other schools and I understand that its a reach but a life dream is what it is.
Is it possible that you are going by Oregon State’s definition at http://oregonstate.edu/admissions/main/apply-choose-application ?
But even this definition says that students “Currently attending high school” should apply as first-year undergraduate rather than transfer undergraduate students. If you are not sure what OSU really means, ask the admission office directly. But each school may have its own definition, so do not assume that one school’s definition of transfer student applies to other schools.
Tbh I’m going by what my guidance counselor and director of my program tells me
It may be because most of us have more than 36 credits
Suggesting you go back to your GC with the quotes from MIT/Stanford etc. Whether it is mis-information on the GCs part or a misunderstanding between you two, it is important for the GC to be giving students accurate info.
Will do!
It seems as if the OP is trying to avoid taking the SAT/ACT and use his/her Dual Enrollment (DE) credits as a means of bypassing these standardized tests. @elena3142, why not take the SAT/ACT exam? There is also the issue of quarter credits versus semester credits and how many of those DE credits will be accepted by the “receiving” institution. Does MIT or Caltech accept DE credits (I know Stanford does)?
I do agree though, that most colleges will view you as a freshman…certainly that is how it is done in the State of Florida, with a very mature DE system.
“Where can I go to thats great for engineering and counts as a really impressive school? I prefer schools with great teacher to student ratios. HELP! '”
USC accepts a lot of transfer students [ as well as 20% of freshman applicants] AND has a great Engineering program.
But I STRONGLY suggest you take the SAT/ ACT. It cant hurt to do so and NOT taking it will diminish your chances of acceptance to private colleges/ U’s.
The programs built for students for whatever reason did not do well in high school. It’s built for colleges will see us as a transfer. Personally I did well in high school, I just missed a year a half. I’m terrified to take the SAT’s and ACT’s I’m a terrible standardized tester and did not do well on the pre-SAT even after taking a preparation class through kaplan.
then study study study for both tests.
Use Khan academy for preparation- MUCH better than Kaplan, and its free.
USC is on my list because they have a female engineering sorority and it would be awesome to have that support. I have to figure all this out before committing to SAT’s an ACT’s but apparently previous students have transferred to Harvard and Stanford. They were transfer students not high school applicants
Concurring with the idea that - in many circumstances, though not all - you are considered a freshman applicant as long as your DE credits happened before high school graduation.
Your GC may be inaccurate; I have heard advisers say that too and they simply are not always aware of admissions policies at various universities.
Also, I agree with the suggestion to prep hard for the ACT or SAT and take one or both. Some schools (not all, not even most) require you to submit all your scores so be strategic if possible. It helps to look at admission guidelines for every school where you think you might apply.
First, at most top schools, dual enrollment doesn’t mean transfer. In your case, you’re not a transfer, you’re a freshman. Apply as a freshman.
Do bring the printed copies of the Stanford, MIT, Caltech… statements to your guidance counselor. It could be misunderstanding (ie., VERY VERY FEW transfers from a community college in OR would have a shot at Harvard, whereas high school students who took dual enrollment classes before high school graduation and apply as freshmen would have a shot…) - if your GC made them apply as transfers, Harvard may have reclassified them as freshmen.
Many universities (such as RPI, HarveyMudd, Olin…) have WISE groups (women in science and engineering). 
If you are a strong candidate for engineering you should be able to do well on the math portion of SAT/ACT.
And you can prep for the reading part.
Just give it a try with Khan and some practice tests.
If you have good grades and with good test scores you might even qualify for merit at some schools.
ABET accreditation of the engineering program is what you need, not prestige.
"but apparently previous students have transferred to Harvard and Stanford. "
how many? one? two?
OP -You are putting the cart WAY before the horse.
STOP obsessing about the ridiculously small chances of being able to TRANSFER to a U like Stanford, Harvard or any other U that admits FAR FEWER transfer students than freshman.
Most FRESHMAN applicants with 2350 SAT’s or 35 ACT scores and 4.0 GPA’s are REJECTED by those same U’s.The chances of acceptance as a transfer student are far lower.
The reason there are so few transfer acceptances is because most enrolled students stay and graduate. The only openings are a result of a few students leaving, which does not happen much with an overall 98% retention rate.
.
Focus first on getting accepted to a college that has the program you want.
READ what the colleges actually require and “recommend” for admission consideration, and take the SAT or ACT so your application wont be put in the “circular file”.
BTW- Stanford, Harvard and ALL elite REQUIRE the same test scores for transfer consideration as they do for Freshman consideration. which means you HAVE to take the SAT or ACT.