Community College Advice

[SuperBowlNachos]

Most of the time credits won't transfer so it's a huge waste of time and money.

[Nathan_OS]

Most of the time credits won't transfer so it's a huge waste of time and money.

So Community College is a waste of time?

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[Suntan Superman]

Most of the time credits won't transfer so it's a huge waste of time and money.

Varies by state and school. In Wisconsin, all technical college credits transfer to any Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Illinois 4 year state university.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Community College Advice

So Community College is a waste of time?

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Sorry, I meant the for-profit schools. At least here in Texas with some of these schools the credits won't transfer to a 4 year University.

Read my above post about where I said I went to CC and saved $12,000+.

Oh and I am still in school and managed to get an internship that pays $44,000 a year(I'm still in school). So ya, CC was not a negative at all for me.

[TracerBullet]

Re: Community College Advice

So Community College is a waste of time?

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Not at all, I just graduated from a Community College up here this past June and now, as you can see by my avatar, I'm at UW Seattle which is not just all that easy to get into. Just make sure you work your *** off, find out where your credits transfer to, and you'll be fine.

[Suntan Superman]

Oh yeah if he's talking for profit schools, even general eds don't transfer a lot of places. For profit schools are a money grab from the desperate. They can help you, but more often than not for profit schools are a waste of time and money.

[VDusen04]

Re: Community College Advice

I fully support and recommend community colleges. The single biggest drawback to my community college experience: swallowing my pride. For a while, I felt I always had to assure friends and family that I did get accepted for four year colleges, but just chose the CC for financial reasons. Even then, I quickly learned that what folks thought (or what I thought they thought) didn't mean as much as what I was trying to accomplish (to earn my teaching degree).

As far as advice goes, I'd recommend talking to a college counselor when you're ready. One of the biggest things I had to learn when I first enrolled in college was admitting to myself that there's a lot of times where I just don't know what the hell I'm doing, and I must seek assistance in those situations. I actually didn't get to start college until the winter semester after high school, because I tried to do everything on my own, without consulting with a counselor or anything. As such, I didn't know what classes to take and I registered too late. I also recommend checking in with a counselor every semester, just to verify your classes will still transfer to the four year school you desire.

As other posters have said, I also very much recommend permanently having your school game face on. I've known a fair amount of folks who planned to go to CC for two years then transfer out, but they approached community college as if it'd be a cake walk. Subsequently, they fail a few classes, things begin falling apart, and that four year degree never happens.

Community college is a great opportunity. I'd have to look at statistics, but I'd have to believe CC enrollment throughout the United States has to be jumping up big time, if only as a response to the insane cost of universities that continues to rise year by year.

Also, fun fact about for-profit colleges like Everest: I run an adult education program at nights right now and I think I had a woman call, looking to pursue her high school diploma or GED, even though she's already completed her courses at Everest. I'll have to verify this on Monday, but it seems her experience at Everest isn't counting for a whole lot as she attempts to move on to an actual university.

[Jr.]

Re: Community College Advice

Also, fun fact about for-profit colleges like Everest: I run an adult education program at nights right now and I think I had a woman call, looking to pursue her high school diploma or GED, even though she's already completed her courses at Everest. I'll have to verify this on Monday, but it seems her experience at Everest isn't counting for a whole lot as she attempts to move on to an actual university.

Everest offers some "college prep" classes that you can take without a HS diploma or GED. The thing is, they don't tell you that those classes won't actually count for anything. I heard some very interesting stories when I worked for Ashford

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Community College Advice

The only thing I miss about choosing to go the CC route was developing relationships and meeting new people. I made friends at CC, but once I got to the uni I was back where I had started and never really got "in" with any groups. Working also made that more difficult.

If I could have afforded it I would have enjoyed college more as strictly a student than a transfer/full-time worker. But hey what's it really matter 2-4 years after graduation?

[superjames1992]

Re: Community College Advice

The only thing I miss about choosing to go the CC route was developing relationships and meeting new people. I made friends at CC, but once I got to the uni I was back where I had started and never really got "in" with any groups. Working also made that more difficult.

Same type of issue I've had since transferring. Living at home doesn't help, either...

But you can't argue with the money saved and the fact that my grades are a lot better now.

EDIT: To be clear, I didn't go to CC. I went to NC State for two years before transferring to UNCG. Still, I know what it's like to transfer after two years.

[khaled]

Re: Community College Advice

Yeah, that's one thing about CC, not much of a social life. But it's all worth it.

[Caveman24]

Re: Community College Advice

Im looking to going to going to CC coming next semester did anyone who went to CC can give me a range of there tuition money they have gotten to attend a university or were you offered a full scholarship just so I can kind of get a idea of what or who these university's are looking at coming out of CC?I know its a differentiation between different schools and stuff but I just want to get a ball park range

[Suntan Superman]

The worst offender of the for profit school craze is far and away the Minnesota School of Business, also known as Globe University. Not only do most of their programs cost TWICE as much as most CC programs of the same. Their degrees are essentially worthless pieces of paper. It might land you a job, but their "graduates working" numbers are heavily skewed.

As to not be totally off-topic, I would recommend attending a community college/technical college to anyone who doesn't get financial aid. I crunched the numbers for my wifes brother and the savings were in the 10-15k ballpark for taking your gen eds at CC

[VDusen04]

Re: Community College Advice

The only thing I miss about choosing to go the CC route was developing relationships and meeting new people. I made friends at CC, but once I got to the uni I was back where I had started and never really got "in" with any groups. Working also made that more difficult.

If I could have afforded it I would have enjoyed college more as strictly a student than a transfer/full-time worker. But hey what's it really matter 2-4 years after graduation?

Yep, that can definitely happen. It's a different experience than a four year university student. In terms of my own personal community college experience, I agree with you guys, I met a few folks here or there but that was about it. Then, when I transferred to my university, I didn't really find an "in" either, but I never really had an issue with that. It actually kept me more focused on what I was doing there in the first place.

What I tended to do to compensate for a lack of a dorm life my first few years in college was just to become a college nomad of sorts. On weekends I'd often visit friends I knew from other state universities or colleges and I'd have a lot of fun in that regard. It was actually kind of nice to have that freedom. I liked being able to jump from Ann Arbor to Lansing to Holland to Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo to Toledo as I saw fit. Basically, I don't think folks should let the social differences convince them not to save a ton of money that'd come with attending community college. I still had a hell of a time in my own experience.

[mgoblue]

Re: Community College Advice

Yep, that can definitely happen. It's a different experience than a four year university student. In terms of my own personal community college experience, I agree with you guys, I met a few folks here or there but that was about it. Then, when I transferred to my university, I didn't really find an "in" either, but I never really had an issue with that. It actually kept me more focused on what I was doing there in the first place.

What I tended to do to compensate for a lack of a dorm life my first few years in college was just to become a college nomad of sorts. On weekends I'd often visit friends I knew from other state universities or colleges and I'd have a lot of fun in that regard. It was actually kind of nice to have that freedom. I liked being able to jump from Ann Arbor to Lansing to Holland to Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo to Toledo as I saw fit. Basically, I don't think folks should let the social differences convince them not to save a ton of money that'd come with attending community college. I still had a hell of a time in my own experience.

Good points! You can still have fun, but you do miss the traditional "college" experience a bit.

I've also heard bad things about ITT, Devry, and those places but that's just hearsay...