Is it easier to transfer if you were accepted RD?

After reading this I looked at the Vassar $500 deposit form and it says nothing about collecting $500 from deferred admission candidates taking a gap year so that assumption is incorrect. I also looked at Vassar's track record for COVID. Their infection rate is between .050% and .057% for the entire school year this year based on over 32,000 tests. This is about 8 times less than the 4.1% infection rate for NY Dutchess county, so it was approx. 8 times safer to be at Vassar on campus studying than living in the Dutchess County NY at home in one's bedroom doing Zoom Calls for the 2020-2021 calendar year, and I have to believe that it will much safer this year. And recall that the US infection rate is close to 10% since 31.3 Million out of 330 million Americans contracted COVID in the same time horizon.

Vassar's had on-campus classes and boarding this year so what makes you think that Vassar will be part of the"if things still suck next year". Did things "suck" for Vassar students who were on campus this year? 70% of New Yorkers should be vaccinated by 6/23/21 and 85% are on track to be vaccinated by 7/18/21, or full herd immunity 6 weeks ahead of when school starts according to the current COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state

It is your prerogative not to attend college for your personal fears but let's get the facts straight about Vassar's COVID response. It's commendable.

Here is a link to the .pdf Vassar sent to the Class of 2025, the $500 is only if you plan on attending this Fall 2021. They are not collecting $500 if you defer.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwirwoKgs_zvAhWpHjQIHQBWB34QFjABegQIBBAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vassar.edu%2Fadmissions%2Fdocs%2F2021-RD-Reply-Card.pdf&usg=AOvVaw06nlMq0-PzPiQ1L0rJ-bVL

It seems that you might have made some incorrect assumptions about your deferred admissions options and that will put your idea of transferring back into Vassar in jeopardy, to say the least. You owe it to yourself to have a serious transparent conversation with someone in the Vassar Admissions office. They will clarify and give you options that they are permitting under their deferred admissions option.

Hi, thank you for asking your question! Firstly, congratulations on your admissions! This is awesome to hear. Secondly, I'd like to say that I can understand where you are coming from, especially in making the decision to postpone attending your dream school because of COVID-related circumstances.

One thing that I would check before you make any of your decisions is if the community college that you want to attend will have credits that can transfer to Vassar college. This will require you calling/emailing/browsing the website of the offices of admissions at both schools. If not, deferring admissions for a year may be your best option. Also it never hurts to check with the university if you can take course-credits during the deferment period -- as this seems to be the crux of your dilemma.

Alternatively, if you choose to decline the acceptance offer from Vassar and/or the deferment offer from Vassar, you will be treated as if you were a new applicant to the college next time you apply. Applying as a transfer to highly selective schools is always more challenging than applying RD because 1) there are less number of spots for transfer students and 2) most transfer students will have likely higher credentials when applying so you will be in a more competitive pool. I would consider this when making your final decision. If finances are the issue in choosing to attend Vassar, then I would suggest calling the university's financial assistance office and explaining your situation. They may be able to assist you in negotiating a lowered tuition or offering aid, especially if you have competition offers from other top-tier universities (see this stream here: https://www.collegevine.com/livestreams/8/how-to-negotiate-financial-aid-and-scholarships-with-colleges). Applying ED or EA at Vassar instead of RD can always increase competitive chances, though, so I would consider this!

Hope this helps!

RD as opposed to... ?? I don't see how being accepted RD is a plus in terms of your transfer application, so I'd say no. Maybe if you were ED, because ED shows how serious you are about attending. But yeah, no, RD is the average applicant, so it wouldn't really boost your application. I'm just a little confused what you mean when you say "easier if I was accepted RD" because I'm not sure what you're comparing to?

I'd seriously consider just deferring and taking a gap year because there's no guarantee you'll be able to get in next year. However, if you do really well in community college and stay involved, it could work out. Vassar admittance rates aren't too low at about 25%, but transfer acceptance rates are about half of that. If you're feeling brave, you could reach out to Vassar themselves and ask about this, too. I don't think it's worth the risk of losing your spot at Vassar because we don't know if transfer admissions even looks at your previous application.