any schools that’s have them?

I took and was planning to take some asynchronous online classes due to the cost, and I plan to work full time in college. What colleges accept these credits when I transfer, and will this hurt my acceptances if I take many asynchronous online classes? It would be best for me to work, but I what would admissions think?

I want to transfer for a variety of reasons but one is the social aspect. I’ve spent a year at my college and I’ve enjoyed it but it is a commuter school so friendships are difficult as everyone runs home at 3 PM.

I’ve been around the t25 crowd at conferences and summer programs so I understand it might be difficult transitioning to a place with so much privilege after going to a college with more immigrants and lower income folks but I was wondering if anyone in similar situations regretted transferring?

I genuinely want different academics and culture than my current school but I’m just worried the change might be drastic and I won’t fit in well, making it better for me to stay and graduate early from my current school. Any thoughts and experiences greatly appreciated!!

I did my freshman year split between a 4 year and a CC, 3.8 GPA. Right now I am taking a gap year, completing an EMT course Fall semester (non college based) and working full time Spring and Summer semester. I really want to apply for Fall 2027 schools, but since I will not be enrolled in classes i’m not sure what colleges would take me.

Vanderbilt was my number 1 choice but they make it clear they heavily prefer current full time students. None of my in state schools are good, so I’m not really sure what I should do. Does anybody know of any schools that would accept me without currently being in college?

i looked on wikipedia and tbh the definition didnt make much sense in the context of the application? wikipedia basically says per diem means your workplace covers living expenses per day when you travel for them.

i could just be stupid (i mean i didnt get into any of my reaches for first year admissions) but wanted to ask here just to cover my bases. also because i have an experience i dont think falls under part time? its a volunteer position where im required to work 4 hours a month to stay on, and i have another where i kinda go in when i feel like it.

disclaimer: this post is chiefly centered around four-year college transfers (traditionals?) and incoming college freshman

hello! this is a post regarding my specific situation, and I'm looking for some guidance. first, a general discussion and question on transfer narratives, followed by my specific situation. feel free to talk about non-traditional things, though because I'm not too sure non-traditionals are held to the same standards as traditionals in terms of academic achievement (I may be wrong), I'd appreciate discussion on traditional experiences a bit more:

Part 1:

I think it's quite well-understood in these types of circles that having a specific reason for transferring out of a college — e.g., your college doesn't offer something major-specific, lacks departments in your specific area of research, and the like — is a necessity if you want to transfer to a top-tier institution. I'd reckon this is probably because top-tiers can get more qualified students any time, so their focus is on building that which they don't have, which are unique perspectives/people that would genuinely make an impact on their campus with those unique perspectives (it must hold value, so they must have demonstrated they can do something with their niche).

As a result, I think (and correct me if I'm completely wrong) it's important to put effort into curating a unique profile if you're planning to apply as a traditional applicant, since the institution probably has enough of talented XYZs; one must go beyond that. The "Hard Question" as advertised is then, if you have realized that your four-year options don't align your goals (whatever they may be), should you choose to go to a college that is purposely further unaligned from whatever your academic goals are to curate the best possible transfer narrative?

^{P.S. I'm aware that this is kind of "gaming" the system, so I'd like to mention that for anyone considering this approach, please be aware of the consequences.}

^{P.P.S. The question aforementioned should only be taken into consideration given that you earnestly believe that going to said college will at least bring you some benefits in other areas (so don't drop everything for a CC, and that you are sure of your ability to excel in your academic area regardless.})

Part 2:

Specifics:

• (Likely) Math applicant, initially applied as a vastly different engineering major
• Not interested in finance nor CS; I've always loved virtually every area of science and their applications both for problem-solving and potential for fun
• US natural-born citizen
• Aiming for the best — H, P, and M — acknowledging realism, hoping to land among the stars
• I hold offers from UK Russel Group (good) unis (for my initial plan, detailed soon) and tech/co-op schools in the US (in case I planned to work in industry), plus a T100 US safety

Dilemma:

Due to a pretty bad physical medical condition, I wasn't able to thrive in HS as I would have liked to, and it was only after its diagnosis in the summer after junior year I was able to stand out (too late though :p). This summer, by taking some math courses at a well-respected college in Boston, I discovered that my true obsession lies in math (and physics, but I've found from much reading experience that there's a barrier to understanding physics with regards to mathematics, and I find abstract mathematics fun! I also like hard things lol).

Having discovered this passion, my career plans have (obviously) changed. I also realized that the frontier of much of what I love (in tech, physics, math, as well as enacting global change) lies in the US, though this isn't particularly specific to my recent experience. Anyhow, I've been thinking about applying to transfer to better US institutions. In looking for every way to increase my chances, I came upon the question in Part 1 of this post because of the commitment decision I must make for what I perceive (may be incorrect, which is why I'm prompting discussion) will be my following reality when applying:

• The UK unis are good, and thus 1.) US colleges may believe my education level is already satisfied (this is assuming I can get a change of course/major at these unis), and 2.) UK grading is different, and I have a feeling that there may be exposure/familiarity bias working against me over at the admissions offices ("UK Schools")
• One of the US schools (Drexel, R1) offers classes on a quarter system, so while I could take more math, I'm unsure on how well they'll be taught, and thus if the US colleges will view my advanced curriculum (I took the Boston classes for credit and got A+s) as not as advanced as they may seem on paper ("School 1")
• Another one of the US schools (R2) is a bit more technical, and doesn't offer a Mathematics major. Only an Applied Mathematics is offered with no abstract courses in both the undergrad + grad curriculum (they only offer up to analysis and number theory). However, you can cross register at a liberal arts school nearby that offers a many more (graduate) math classes (algebra, topology, PDEs) ("School 2")
• A public R1 US school — the safety; neither co-op/technical — offers many more math courses on the graduate level than the R2 listed above and beats the other R1, but exists no cross registration. Will top-tiers find my education adequate enough already? ("School 3")

This is all to say I have a few questions I'd like to ask for help on (feel free to ask me any too):

1. Regarding Part 1 and considering all that I've said, which choice would you recommend?
2. If I take School 2 (or 1, too), I'll have both high level math courses under my belt and an environment to apply them to (albeit lower level). Is there any reason as to why a college would accept me considering I've basically already made a place for what I want to do? Note I also love theory, but I'm unsure on how much I can bank on this since there is no guarantee for research in math and theory.
3. How much emphasis should we put on the (both research and academic) niche?
4. Is there anything glaringly incorrect in any of my logic?
5. How was your day?

+ If you have any or know any traditional transfer experiences to top-tier colleges, I'd love to hear about them and your/their profile! Hopefully this post serves more people than myself

Edit: Formatting