With a lot of universities going fully remote for the new semester, some people are saying for incoming first years to go to a community college. And that is good advice, it will save you a lot of money, BUT there are things to keep in mind at this point before you do that! (1/)

At this point a lot of first years have already accepted and enrolled in the schools that they were planning to go to. If you've done that and you want to switch to a community college, please make sure you read the fine print on what that will mean for your enrollment (2/)

at your initial school. For some schools there are fees that you have to pay regardless of whether the semester has started at this point if you have enrolled and you give up your spot. It can also impact if you will be able to transfer back to that school down the line. (3/)

Transferring to a community college will also impact your financial aid if you have gotten that. You will have to report any school changes. If you have gotten any loans, grants, scholarships, or any combination of those things, they may be revoked or have amounts changed (4/)

depending on where you end up going. DO NOT OVERLOOK THAT! For me personally when I was in school, I had quite a few grants, loans and a small amount of scholarships. The grants were need based, which meant that the amount was determined given my personal circumstances and (5/)

how much my expected tuition, fees and expenses were going to be for the school year. My scholarships were dependent on the major I was enrolled in. If I had gone to a community college all of these things would have changed. My grants would have been lower because my (6/)

expenses would have been expected to be lower, and I wouldn't have qualified for those scholarships. So while I may have saved money in the long wrong and not had as much debt now, I would have had to pay more out of pocket at the time. I don't know if I would have been able (7/)

to do that at that time. If I added on any fees I may have had to pay for unenrolling so close to a new semester, plus any money spent on preparation to move to a dorm, I would have been in a lot of trouble. (8/)

So please, if you want to go to a community college to knock out your general classes since everything is going remote, make sure you cover all your bases about what happens with your current enrollment and what it will mean for your financial aid! (9/9)