Transer Scholarships - Giving up a full-ride for a school that has my major.

Paying for College
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<p>Hello, I have a very interesting situation here. </p>

<p>I am currently a college freshmen.
I did very, very well in high school.
I got a 4.5 weighted (4.0 unweighted gpa); I was valedictorian; I’m a National Merit Scholar Finalist; I have won many, many awards; I have been to Kentucky’s Governor Scholars Program (the Governor’s School program for KY); I have been a member of All-State band; I have been president/held office in many clubs and organizations; I was a member of NHS and Tri-M; I was very, very, very involved in extracurricular activities and such. </p>

<p>I was offered a complete full ride–room and board, tuition, and a stipend–for a KY state university. </p>

<p>I have done well here already; I have a 4.0; I’m very involved in organizations and the music program and such. </p>

<p>I was planning on triple-majoring in physics, music, and mathematics.
I came in as a freshman with 49 college credits (I took a lot of AP classes, and I got 4’s and 5’s on every exam).
I’m currently taking 23 hours; I have ten classes–3 science, 2 math, 4 music, and 1 history (yeah, it was a really bad idea; I can handle it, but it’s really intense.).</p>

<p>However, recently, I have come to the conclusion that I am very unhappy.
I want to switch majors, and study my true, true passion:
Film. </p>

<p>I want to double-major in film and music composition. </p>

<p>My current school offers neither of these degrees. </p>

<p>So… The predicament arises… </p>

<p>I have been considering transferring to a university that has a film school and a music composition program.
However, I feel that I may be making a huge mistake, if I’m not offered a full-ride, or at least close to it, at whatever school I transfer to.</p>

<p>I have been looking into study abroad programs; I’m considering maybe spending the next two years (sophomore and junior years) studying film in various countries (I’ve looked into programs in India, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, and England).
However, my school does not offer a film degree… So, I don’t even know if this would work out.
Because of my current full-ride, I could study abroad for two years (maximum) for free… However, I would have to stay here my senior year. </p>

<p>So, I guess another possibility would be to study abroad for two years–and explore the world!–and then transfer my senior year to a school that offers film…</p>

<p>I don’t know…
It’s such a complex situation…</p>

<p>Does anyone have any advice? </p>

<p>Could I find a merit-based / academic full-ride scholarship as a transfer student?
I’ve been looking into it, but it seems very rare. </p>

<p>Should I wait it out here, and try to go to film school for graduate school? </p>

<p>Should I study abroad, or transfer next year?</p>

<p>I’m sorry, it’s just a mess.</p>

<p>All I know is that I’m not happy the way things are currently; they need to change. </p>

<p>If you could help, I would be infinitely grateful!</p>

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<p>whoa, pretty intense schedule and looks like it’s been that way for couple years. Since current school is free, maybe you should back off the workload for a year and “decompress” before making an expensive decision like changing majors completely and losing the scholarship by going to a different school. Maybe you’re just at the mental/emotional breaking point after pushing so hard.</p>

3

<p>"
Could I find a merit-based / academic full-ride scholarship as a transfer student?
I’ve been looking into it, but it seems very rare.
"</p>

<p>Highly unlikely.</p>

<p>In addition, it is extremely hard to get into the top film schools. For instance, FSU – which is a top 10 film school – gets hundreds of applications, but selects about 40 students each year. </p>

<p>“So, I guess another possibility would be to study abroad for two years–and explore the world!–and then transfer my senior year to a school that offers film…”</p>

<p>Colleges don’t take seniors as transfers.</p>

<p>Can you study film as an independent study at the college where you are?</p>

<p>You could remain where you are, but change majors to something more interesting to you. Take classes in film/ music there. Then, you could go to graduate school for film or music composition.</p>

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<p>*
Could I find a merit-based / academic full-ride scholarship as a transfer student? *</p>

<p>NO. Transfer scholarships are **very small **if available and sometimes only available to cc transfers. And, need-based aid (if you qualify) is also hard to get as a transfer student.</p>

<p>You should try to get your 4 year degree at your present school in a major that would complement a film degree…such as business. </p>

<p>Would your current scholarship pay for ALL COSTS for 2 years of study abroad or only for tuition??? If not, and your parents won’t pay for it, then that option is not affordable.</p>

<p>*You could remain where you are, but change majors to something more interesting to you. Take classes in film/ music there. Then, you could go to graduate school for film or music composition. *</p>

<p>I agree. Also, look at what a local CC offers and take some film classes there around your Kentucky State schedule.</p>

<p>How much will your parents contribute each year for your college costs if you transfer. If they won’t pay much (especially if they don’t agree with you giving up your full-ride), then your options are limited.</p>

<p>You’re only a first semester freshmen. Don’t even consider transferring yet. AT least get 2 free years out of your present college. But, if you need scholarship money to afford college, then transferring is really out of the question.</p>

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<p>@OP, … FooMonChew is absolutely right. You need to take a deep breath and think things over calmly. First you need to drop some classes. Why Physics? Why the Math? Most people don’t launch specialized careers with an undergraduate degree. You are here to get a strong liberal education, to lay a solid foundation. You could always focus on your true passion in grad school. You could always graduate early. If you weren’t taking so many credits you would have time to hang out at your music/art dept/school and get to know the staff/faculty. Find out about THEIR passions. There just might be some overlap. You could tell them of your passions and maybe they would work with you.
Best of luck …</p>

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<p>*If you weren’t taking so many credits you would have time to hang out at your music/art dept/school and get to know the staff/faculty. Find out about THEIR passions. There just might be some overlap. You could tell them of your passions and maybe they would work with you. *</p>

<p>Very good advice!!!</p>

<p>I’m currently taking 23 hours; I have ten classes–3 science, 2 math, 4 music, and 1 history (yeah, it was a really bad idea; I can handle it, but it’s really intense.).</p>

<p>Somehow I overlooked this. 23 credits?? as an incoming freshmen? This is a recipe for hating school! </p>

<p>If you can drop any without penalties, then do so. If not, finish them and take like 15 credits next semester (at most)!!!</p>

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<p>"Somehow I overlooked this. 23 credits?? as an incoming freshmen? This is a recipe for hating school!</p>

<p>If you can drop any without penalties, then do so. If not, finish them and take like 15 credits next semester (at most)!!! "</p>

<p>I agree. Of course, you hate college!</p>

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<p>"'Somehow I overlooked this. 23 credits?? as an incoming freshmen? This is a recipe for hating school!</p>

<p>If you can drop any without penalties, then do so. If not, finish them and take like 15 credits next semester (at most)!!! '</p>

<p>I agree. Of course, you hate college!"</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it’s too late to drop classes (without them appearing on one’s transcript).
I’ll make it through the classes; I can manage. </p>

<p>It’s not the classes really that I hate, honestly.
It’s the college; it’s the people here; it’s the environment; it’s the horrible selection of activities, clubs and organizations (I’ve tried many; most of them are poorly run/organized and just don’t have dedicated, skilled/talented, knowledgeable members).
Unfortunately, I dislike it pretty much all. </p>

<p>My classes aren’t <em>horrible</em>.
Why mathematics and physics?
I thought that these were what I wanted to do; I was interested.
However, that interest was not a passion; it was solely an interest.
I began talking to professors, and, in particular, upperclassmen and grad students studying physics (I joined the Society of Physics Students), and I realized that this is definitely something I don’t want to do for the rest of my life.
Yes, I am curious and interested in the subject, but I’m just not passionate about it. </p>

<p>I’m passionate about film and music. I live for these things. </p>

<p>Again, the problem is, not only do I dislike this school–if that were it, I could probably handle it for four years–but that film (or film studies) is not offered.
Furthermore, the music program is not very good (it’s not <em>bad</em>, per se; it’s just very, very mediocre). And on top of that, they don’t even offer a degree in music composition, as many other schools do. </p>

<p>It’s a mixture of all of this.
Yes, next semester I will lighten my course load, but I don’t dislike, even hate, it here because of my workload–I just <em>don’t</em> belong here. At all.</p>

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<p>Here are some merit scholarships for transfers, but nothing close to a full ride:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/983014-merit-scholarships-transfer-students.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/983014-merit-scholarships-transfer-students.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>It’s just really sad to see a student who would have had other big scholarship choices as an incoming freshman to other schools being so unhappy at their school which sounds like isn’t a big flagship type that offers a broad variety of majors and activities.</p>

<p>Why did you choose THAT school??? You had so many other choices!</p>

<p>How much will your parents pay at a school that you’d transfer to?</p>

<p>The only school that I know that “might” let you transfer at semester and give you a good scholarship is Miss state. I know of one student who was able to do that. She started at a school in Ohio, hated it, then Miss St gave her a big scholarship to transfer at spring. Don’t know if they would still do that…</p>

<p>But, if your parents will pay for you to go elsewhere, then do that.</p>

<p>But, if you’re stuck for money, do your 2 years abroad and then transfer. Can you go abroad in the spring?</p>

<p>You might try contacting</p>

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<p>I remember my 23-credit semester … can’t remember if it was sophomore or junior year, but one semester in my program was 23 (most were 19-21). Killer, as I recall! It can be done, but it’s rough … and I had plenty of company as we all had the same program (small, specialized school). I think 23 as a first-time student is too much. Please back off a bit next semester & enjoy life a bit. That is important, you know.</p>

<p>You have a chance to take a variety of courses & try things out. You have lots of credits already & you have the financial part covered. Explore various disciplines. Yesterday you wanted one thing … today you want another … what might tomorrow bring? Why the hurry? It’s okay to wait until grad school to focus on film, too, you know. If you keep top grades & get a varied, interesting background in undergrad, you might score a great fellowship or assistanceship … or at least be a very desirable candidate for a top grad program.</p>

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<p>“Why did you choose THAT school??? You had so many other choices!”</p>

<p>Unfortunately, pretty much just money.</p>

<p>“How much will your parents pay at a school that you’d transfer to?”</p>

<p>Nothing. Hence the first answer. </p>

<p>“But, if you’re stuck for money, do your 2 years abroad and then transfer. Can you go abroad in the spring?”</p>

<p>I think that’s what I’m going to do. However, as someone mentioned earlier, I don’t think I could transfer to another school my senior year.
And, no, unfortunately, freshman here cannot study abroad. One must complete a full year before studying abroad.</p>

<p>“You might try contacting”
Whom?</p>

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<p>If you drop out before completing first semester, you could apply to colleges and be considered the same way that high school seniors are considered, which means you’d qualify for merit aid at schools offering this. If you are very sure that you are at the wrong school, consider this, and before withdrawing from college, confirm with colleges that you may apply to that they’d consider you in the pool with h.s. seniors, and you’d be eligible for merit aid.</p>

<p>Why didn’t you explore other college options while you were in high school particularly since you were a NM scholar? More colleges than Kentucky would have offered you full rides.</p>

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<p>*“Why did you choose THAT school??? You had so many other choices!”</p>

<p>Unfortunately, pretty much just money.*</p>

<p>Actually some better schools would have given you free rides as well for being NMF - too bad you didn’t explore some of those schools last year. I have a NMF son and he has a free ride at Bama. Other schools also offer free rides for NMFs.</p>

<p>Contact the scholarship office at MissSt.</p>

<p>Since your parents won’t contribute anything, you really won’t have many other choices for transferring unless a school like MSU agrees to give you something big for a spring transfer. Very few schools will do this…so call and find out.</p>

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<p>If you drop out before completing first semester, you could apply to colleges and be considered the same way that high school seniors are considered, which means you’d qualify for merit aid at schools offering this. If you are very sure that you are at the wrong school, consider this, and before withdrawing from college, confirm with colleges that you may apply to that they’d consider you in the pool with h.s. seniors, and you’d be eligible for merit aid.</p>

<p>Yes…find out if another school will consider you a “first time freshman” and give you big merit if you immediately withdraw from your current school. That may be what that girl did when she went to MSU from the Ohio school.</p>

<p>Also contact Bama’s scholarship office and find out if they would do the same if you withdraw from your current school immediately.</p>

<p>for Bama…contact these two people…</p>

<p>Director of Scholarships carolyn rogers - <a href=“mailto:carolyn.rogers@ua.edu”>carolyn.rogers@ua.edu</a>
Carolyn Rogers 205-348-6756</p>

<p>Director of Admissions Mary Spiegel at <a href=“mailto:mary.spiegel@ua.edu”>mary.spiegel@ua.edu</a> </p>

<p>Give them all your stats, NMF status, GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and your intent to withdraw from your current school if they will admit you with a big scholarship (obviously word it in a more polite way. </p>

<p>LOL I can help you word this is you want. PM me)</p>