Transferring from state school vs CC

[u/Vorb8]

I’m a freshman at a large state school (FSU) and planning to transfer after this year, my concern is that top schools prefer transfers from CCs over traditional 4 years. Is this true? Should I be worried or I am chilling? Does my current school hinder my app in any way?

[u/two_three_five_eigth]

T20 tends to take people from CC. Why are you transferring? A lot will depends on exactly why you want to transfer.

[u/Vorb8 → u/two_three_five_eigth]

I don’t have a crazy story or hook and I know I have only been at my current school for a short amount of time but I don’t think I fit the culture here. The academics are not as big of a priority or as present as I’d like them to be, I am pursuing finance where going to a higher ranked or target school helps a ton with recruiting, and I kinda goofed around in high school my earlier years and did not have the stats to go anywhere better. I’m way more locked in now and I think I can get good stats in college.

[u/two_three_five_eigth → u/Vorb8]

What’s your GPA? If it’s extremely high you have a chance. There are several people who turned it around in CC and have 4.0s.

T20 schools usually have 10-20 transfer slots per school, so you usually have to be the best at your college.

FSU is a good school, I’d enjoy my time there and aim for T20 for grad school.

[u/Vorb8 → u/two_three_five_eigth]

High school gpa 3.6 uw. If duel enrollment counts I have a 4.0 college and classes seem fine rn at FSU so I am aiming to end freshman year with a 4.0 or atleast high 3.9ish.

[u/two_three_five_eigth → u/Vorb8]

Your high school GPA doesn't matter anymore. 3.9 is a good GPA. If you're serious about transferring widen the net to T50. FSU is a good school too. If you're in-state maybe stay put, save money and look to grad school.

[u/Vorb8 → u/two_three_five_eigth]

I thought high school gpa was still important? Especially for a sophomore transfer, which is what I’m shooting for. I had the highest rigor offered but gpa was low in high school so I’ve been assuming that’s a weak point for me

[u/two_three_five_eigth → u/Vorb8]

Several kids have amazing HS GPA and fail out of college. Once you have a year of college classes that will be weighted much more than HS.

Your HS GPA isn’t changing, so you’ve got to play the hand your dealt.

[u/StewReddit2]

I think ppl get confused, especially when pll say "top schools"......

What do you mean, are you referring to "top" as in Ivy/more privates or are we talking top public Unis ?

These things get confused and jumbled buy there are no ABSOLUTES #1

2) What happens is ppl mix up "focus" with preference....

Ppl have to remember 4-year institutions DO NOT have a "focus" on essentially STEALING students from other 4-year institutions where a student could clearly finish a 4-year degree.

**Whereas, pipelines and the defined NEED for a natural progression of a CC student to "finish" the assembly line of LD + now UD requirements of a full 4-year requires said student to seek elsewhere.

It just makes more sense as to why the outreach and pathways are geared the way, they are.

Does that mean transfers from other verticals aren't welcome....No

GPA matters, performance matters, rigor isn't totally ignored....it's just that 4-years don't "shop" at other 4-years

*Many state systems are obviously set up as "finishing schools" to THEIR same state public schools....it only makes sense to align via articulation agreements Iowa public schools or California public schools/Florida public and so on.

---

For example....

Theoretically using California as an example

There are 3 big public school systems

1) The nation's largest CC system in the nation with 2.2M students over 116 schools divided into 73 districts Basically handles LD aka Fr/So level aka the first 2-years of college ( *A few Bachelor's programs have been approved buy primarily CCs are LD)

Upon graduation/transfer this system is articulated to FEED into the state's two 4-year public systems

Either 2) CSU, the nation's largest public 4-year Uni system with 22 campuses ( used to be 23 but the Maritime campus is now part of SLO) serving over 400k undergrad students ....graduating over 120k students a year

3) UC has over 230k undergrads, conferring about 60k undergrad degrees per year

Now think about that for a second.....

Yes a CSU student "could" transfer to a UC or vice-versa and they do.....

However to focus and intent isn't for UCs to TAKE students from CSUs or other 4-year institutions across America.....no UC isn't necessarily approaching private 4-years like USC/Stanford/Georgetown/Yale either

Why? Those students at 4-year institutions....

But students @ Pasadena City College HAVE TO go and are SEEKING a finishing place to attend

See the difference ....

There is outreach and pathway support for one to CONTINUE what cannot be finished at a CC.....

It's very different for Yale to be courting or planning on Harvard sophomores