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Should I go to a safety school for now (financial safety/school safety), and then transfer after 2 or 4 years?

I want to complete my general education/major requirements, so is going to a safety and relatively cheap school advisable? Thanks!

#college-transfer #college #college-admissions

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Jenny’s Answer

There are quite a few factors to consider when making the choice about your first year in college.


1) What environment would you like to be in during your freshman year in college? For example, would you like to live in a dorm? Commute to school? What size school would you like to attend? How many students do you want in your classes? What distance do you want to be from your current home? What size city or town do you want to live in this first year of college? What type of diversity is important to you in your college choice? Do you want to go to a college with a specialization like a co-op college (both classroom and paid work opportunities as part of the curriculum), arts college, same-sex college, or block plan college (take only one class at a time for about three and a half weeks)?

2) Have you applied for different types of financial aid yet? Make sure to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), state aid, and lots of scholarships

3) How many opportunities do you want in your freshman year (both inside the classroom and outside of the classroom)? Consider things like class size, your ability to work directly with professors, internships, research opportunities, extracurricular activities, volunteer opportunities.

4) Do you have an idea of what you want to study/major in or are you still exploring those areas?


Your answer to these questions will help determine what will schools will be the best fit for you for your first year in college. The good news is that you can keep all of your options open until at least the May 1st Decision Deadline as long as you take the SAT or ACT at least once and stick to all of the college and financial aid application deadlines.


I recommend that you research, visit, and apply to any community colleges that you're excited about attending. You can apply to community colleges for free. You should also research, visit, and apply to any four-year colleges/universities that you think would be a good match for you. If you happen to receive free or reduced lunch at school and/or are part of any AVID or TRIO programs, you can apply for many four-year colleges for free. Here's an additional list of colleges that your can apply to for free, apply free with a fee waiver, or apply to for free within your state (http://bit.ly/Apply2CollegeFree). Many colleges will also allow you to apply for free if you've visited their campus or have met with an admissions counselor at a high school information session or college fair. If you have a College and Career Center at you high school, I recommend following up with the counselors in there and/or your academic counselor to help you narrow down the schools that might be the best fit for you. It will be easier to make a final decision (closer to May 1st), when you have the financial aid offers from all of the schools that you've applied to and can compare those offers side-by-side.

Jenny recommends the following next steps:

Answer the four questions listed in the post to help determine what type of schools to start researching, visiting, and applying to for your first year of college.
Make sure that you're applying for all of the free money that you're eligible for including scholarships (like theThe Excelsior Scholarship: https://www.ny.gov/programs/tuition-free-degree-program-excelsior-scholarship) on great sites like (one my favorite) JLV College Counseling (bit.ly/jlvmoney), the FAFSA (https://fafsa.ed.gov), and for state financial aid (for New York: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/apply-for-aid-start-here.html and for all states: https://www.nasfaa.org/State_Financial_Aid_Programs).
Research colleges and universities on sites like College Navigator (https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/) or Chegg (https://www.chegg.com/schools).
Visit all of the community colleges and four-year colleges and universities that interest you and take advantage of fly-in programs to visit colleges that are further distances from your home (https://getmetocollege.org/what-colleges-look-for/2018-fall-diversity-visit-programs).
Visit your school's College and Career Center and/or your academic counselor to help you narrow down the schools you've been researching and to see if they have local scholarships available for you to apply for (usually less applicants than the regional or national scholarships). Remember, to keep all of your options open, take the SAT or ACT at least once, apply to all of the schools that you feel will be a good fit by their application deadlines, and apply for all of the financial aid possible to give yourself until (at least) the May 1st College Decision Day deadline to make a final, well-informed decision.
Thank you comment icon When considering ANY college, please consider the TOTAL cost of the program. Attending a community college for 2 years to complete general education courses WILL LOWER TUITION tremendously. When attending a University, the cost is MUCH higher. If staying in a dorm, you will pay dorm fees as well. Speak with a financial aid advisor at your local community college to see what grants and scholarships you may qualify for. L. C. Terry
Thank you comment icon Good advice Jenny! I agree. I also think community college will likely be the most affordable option and an economical way to explore skill based education that could lead to industry certifications sooner than a traditional college bachelor’s degree. Keep in mind, skills pay bills so continue to explore where would the education lead you and what career options will be available once your educational goals have been met. Ann Bergen
Thank you comment icon I'd also advise if you have access to earn college credit in HS or attend an IB program, that can help with the transition. AP classes are difficult in terms of workload but not the best example of a college course. Jeffrey Peterson
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Dr. Sara’s Answer

Obviously, your and/or your family's financial state will play a Big part in making your college choice.

If your family can afford it, without it being a hardship, then it greatly opens up your choices.

If this is the case, you can select your college based on all of the fun and specific things: School Rating, Location, Program Offerings - Especially if you already know what you want to major in, Employment Rate of graduates, Extracurriculars and so on.

If you/your family is like the majority college is a huge financial "burden," though one that all parents want to take on if possible.

And while the Employment Rate/Annual Income of college graduates IS higher than their non-college grad counterparts - the gap has been shrinking for years! Also, depending on whose study you read, the difference in these numbers is staggering.

As well, students (and their families, sometimes to a lesser degree) who have taken out student loans are having A Lot of trouble paying them back because the post-grad job climate is radically different than in previous decades.

I am very much against large student loans unless your major is both specialized and in a high demand field. Even then, often the cost is too high for the reward: The "potential" of a living wage and saddled with crippling debt.

Unfortunately, the cost of higher education no longer automatically translates into finding a job in your field of choice (what you went to school "for.") and/or with a high enough salary to make a living wage.

That said, unless you are one of the few where money is not a factor, choosing the lowest cost/debt path is my recommendation. This includes looking for grants, scholarships and, of course, applying for FAFSA. And, yes, getting your pre-requisites at a two year school.

I went back to college in my 30's for a new degree and was able to cover all of my expenses with Federal Student Aid at a two year college. And, I had professors from USC, UCLA and other top schools. It's really unfortunate that two year schools have a "lesser than" stigma. There are great professors at Community/Jr. Colleges, like I experienced. And there are terrible ones at expensive private schools, which I also experienced!

I truly hope this information helps in your decision process! And where ever you end up, higher education is awesome, in and of itself, especially if it doesn't break you financially for years after graduation.

Dr. Sara recommends the following next steps:

Look into getting grants - there are so many out there.
Find and apply for any scholarships you qualify for. Again, so so many available that people have no idea even exist! You do have to put your time in finding/applying for them.
Apply for Federal Student Aid.
Depending on your parents' income, you may want to have them stop claiming you as a dependent, as this can effect the amount of Aid and other money available to you.
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LaTasha’s Answer

Hello Aaron. Let me just start by saying congratulations on all your educational achievements/accomplishments you have achieved thus far. I think going to a community college prior to transfer to a 2-4 year university is a great idea. This is the route I took. Attending community college, or safety school, helped to nurture and develop my critical thinking and analysis skills , helped prepare me to do college level work, while also helping me to save money by staying and working part-time so I can pay for tuition and not be overly dependent on student loans. So yes I think there are many benefits to attending a safety school before transferring to a 2-4 year university. I wish you continued success in your educational achievements and career.
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Renata’s Answer

Participating in a transfer program at your local community college is a great way to keep costs down. Make sure you work with a transfer counselor at the community college to help keep you on track. The quality of the education is usually on par with the university you want to transfer to or it would be difficult to segue in as a junior. If you hit some rough patches in your grades in high school or didn’t test well on the SAT, community college can give you the chance to improve your grades and they don’t go back to look at your high school transcript if you earn your associates degree. Hope this has been somewhat helpful.
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L. C.’s Answer

When considering ANY college, please consider the TOTAL cost of the program. Attending a community college for 2 years to complete general education courses WILL LOWER TUITION tremendously. When attending a University, the cost is MUCH higher. If staying in a dorm, you will pay dorm fees as well. Speak with a financial aid advisor at your local community college to see what grants and scholarships you may qualify for.

L. C. recommends the following next steps:

Research what community colleges you would like to attend.
Speak with a Financial Aid advisor to see what grants and scholarships you may qualify for.
Stay encouraged! You will do exceptionally well!!
Thank you comment icon Part 2: Really participate in class: ask questions (pertinent ones); when asked, offer answers - even if you are unsure; always participate in discussions. Finally, make it a point to get to know your professors during the semester and then ask them, well before the last days, if they would please write you a letter of recommendation. You can also help them and yourself by explaining what your plans are and, in some cases,, what you would like them to highlight. This way, they can tailor the letter to best suit your needs. Dr. Sara Davis-Nies
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Chantell’s Answer

Due to everything that is currently happening it would make sense to save money and go to a safety school and knock out your general education requirements and transfer in two years. Most universities classes are online so you might as well go with the cheapest option.
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Daniel’s Answer

Great question.

College gets more expensive every year, so attending a safety school is a smart choice when you do not have scholarship money or if you've received a lot of admission offers without a financial aid package. So, yes, going to a safety school can typically help save you money, but it depends on a lot of details (for example, is the school close to home so you don't have to spend money on rent? Do the more "expensive/higher rank" school have better resources for you and your major than the safety school? Could you be wasting your time at a school where you don't belong?)

If you do plan to transfer, you will have to plan carefully. In general, your options are (1) enroll in a community college (they often have many staff and resources to help facilitate a smooth transfer), or (2) attend a larger 4-year university (usually a lower-ranked safety school) and then try to transfer at the end of your first college year (hard to do) or second year (a little easier).

College courses and other obligations will minimize your time, so you will need good time management and a good plan. But luckily, you already know that you want to transfer.

Daniel recommends the following next steps:

Make a list of schools you want to transfer to and make a calendar of deadlines.
Familiarize yourself with how the degree/majors are similar/different between your safety school and your next target school.
Stay active in clubs and activities in your community college or safety school.
Create strong relationships with your professors because you will need to ask them for letters of recommendation to support your transfer application.
When the time comes, apply! And don't forget to also apply for financial aid or scholarships!
Thank you comment icon Great advice! Here's my follow-up: Part 1: Definitely getting those letters of recommendation is huge. The way you earn them is being a memorable student -- Studies (and my own experience getting a 4.0+ every year) show that sitting in the front row can lead to better grades AND it will automatically make you more visible to your professors. Dr. Sara Davis-Nies
Thank you comment icon Part 2: Really participate in class: ask questions (pertinent ones); when asked, offer answers - even if you are unsure; always participate in discussions. Finally, make it a point to get to know your professors during the semester and then ask them, well before the last days, if they would please write you a letter of recommendation. You can also help them and yourself by explaining what your plans are and, in some cases,, what you would like them to highlight. This way, they can tailor the letter to best suit your needs. Dr. Sara Davis-Nies
Thank you comment icon Make sure if you plan to transfer, that you look at the requirements first. In Georgia for example, credits don't always transfer from school to school. Traditionally, a school has to have a comparable course in order for the credit to transfer. Japanese doesn't always earn a credit at a school that only has Spanish and French, for example. Jeffrey Peterson
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Telegre M.’s Answer

Hi! Thank you for your question. As a first time college student core courses can be completed at a Community College or a University. Since your focus is mainly on expenses you should weigh your financial options but make sure that the core educational courses that you complete are accepted by the next institution that you plan on transferring to. I hope this helps.
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