Son's friend did just one year at NOVA then accepted as transfer at C of W&M. He has another friend who did one and done at NOVA going out-of-state on a decent scholarship, can't remember which school, but it's a brand name up north.

Anonymous wrote:Meeting the requirements of the selective Va. 4yr colleges is not so easy ~ not like the commercials make it sound. Grade distribution is monitored at the CC level so there won't be an overrun of guaranteed-admission-transferees. The students I've known, have not been able to transfer to a better university than what they would have gotten into Sr. year of HS. It is a money-saver, but kids can be quite resentful. That can sabotage the best laid plans, and many students never make the jump. I would advise against it ~ if there is a choice.

I agree with the first part. Unless there is some transformation going to CC is not going to turn a poor student into UVA material. It's a great option for good students who can't take on 4 years of tuition.

Anonymous wrote:So a gap year could actually be spent taking classes at a cc to save money? Would it be weird for a kid coming from a top 3 private? The student body would be so different. It might be demoralizing....

One thing to keep in mind is that if you apply for college and then defer, you generally have to promise not to take classes at another institution during the year off. On the other hand, if you don't apply until after your gap year you'll be a transfer student, which generally means a lower admission rate, and less merit and financial aid.

On the other hand, the type of child who is so sheltered that they'd be "demoralized" by a more student body, is probably the one who would benefit most from getting out of their comfort zone.

My BIL did this. Spent two years at NOVACC and then transferred to JMU for final two years. He's done very well, financially.

He would not have gotten into JMU or any competitive college, he says, right after high school. He was not a serious student in high school and needed to mature and get his priorities in line.

My sister did it to save money and is a 2007 Virginia Tech graduate.

So a gap year could actually be spent taking classes at a cc to save money? Would it be weird for a kid coming from a top 3 private? The student body would be so different. It might be demoralizing....

Let's talk about the here-and-now, concerning Virginia colleges. That is what the OP is asking about.

My husband did, years ago. Transferred into a very decent college in NY. Had a job right out of college and now holds a senior position at a large, well-regarded company.

Meeting the requirements of the selective Va. 4yr colleges is not so easy ~ not like the commercials make it sound. Grade distribution is monitored at the CC level so there won't be an overrun of guaranteed-admission-transferees. The students I've known, have not been able to transfer to a better university than what they would have gotten into Sr. year of HS. It is a money-saver, but kids can be quite resentful. That can sabotage the best laid plans, and many students never make the jump. I would advise against it ~ if there is a choice.

I have a friend whose son actually got a special scholarship program to Montgomery College in Rockville. He did two years there (one semester was abroad at Cambridge Univ.) fully paid. He then transferred his credits to the University of Maryland at College Park. He saved a lot of money and loved the experience.

For another friend of mine, her son wanted to go UMD but did not get in for fall admittance but was admitted for the spring. So he took one semester at Montgomery College then transferred to College Park.

The great thing about community colleges besides the cheaper bill is the smaller class sizes compared to the average freshman class at a major university. You also are taught by a professor instead of a teaching assistant.

Students like this option at UW Madison also. Saves them money and they graduate with a great degree.

Anonymous wrote:Much better option than mediocre 4 year school and being in debt, if VA has this option, sounds great, hopefully a motivator for your kid, because have to do very well generally to successfully transfer.

In California, a student of mine went to community college for 2 years (was indigent from an immigrant family), then transferred to UCLA, where he continued to do fabulously, and is now in a top 10 medical school, after a year of research at NIH.

A friend of mine did this too. Two years at a CC in California, two years at San Luis Obispo, and then grad degrees from Stanford and Yale. Not a bad trajectory at all.

My DCs SLAC has relationships with couple of community colleges (including MC and HCCC) and we met a student who did the transfer last year after two years at HCCC. I think most of her credits transferred. The downside was that she isn't able to do a semester abroad as she needs to spend 2 years on campus to get requirements done. But the upside is certainly the cost savings.

Much better option than mediocre 4 year school and being in debt, if VA has this option, sounds great, hopefully a motivator for your kid, because have to do very well generally to successfully transfer.

In California, a student of mine went to community college for 2 years (was indigent from an immigrant family), then transferred to UCLA, where he continued to do fabulously, and is now in a top 10 medical school, after a year of research at NIH.

after two years to an in-state public? As I understand it, Virginia has this program. DS probably won't get in to a decent college right out of high school, so we are wondering if this program has any better success to it than just going with a crappy school all four years.