College

[the scrill]

Okay if i did shitty in Highshool , is the only way to get to go to a REAL COLLEGE.....is to transfer from a community college?

god i wish i did good in highschool ><

[Streetwolf]

Look honestly it's better than not going to college. I know plenty of people who were stuck going to a CC because they slacked off too much in HS, and now they are getting ready to graduate from a 4 year college.

The thing about CC is that if you put yourself in the proper mindset you will end up doing very well. That's really what they are there for.

And not EVERYONE who does shitty in HS ends up at a CC. There's definitely people out there that find their way into 4 year schools who probably shouldn't be there.

GL.

[mag]

Just go to CC... it's way cheaper. I'm glad that's how I started because, even though my highschool grades were great, I fucked around too much my first two years out and it would have been a complete waste of my money.

[DaRkK]

Just go to CC... it's way cheaper. I'm glad that's how I started because, even though my highschool grades were great, I fucked around too much my first two years out and it would have been a complete waste of my money.


that's true i just fucked around too much this semester, i dropped a class, stopped going to an ethnic studies class and im not passing english cuz of missing 11 days, im most likely going to a CC next semester to straighten myself out.

College is no harder than HS, you just have to be extremely responsible, you won't have teachers bugging you for not doing hw, coming late to class, not showing up for test or making up for it. You have to doo all of that at your own, which i failed at terribly this semester.

[VP-]

I went to a CC for my first two years because I applied to university too late. After switching to a 4 year school after graduating from the 2 year school I am not only more advanced, but I am more well rounded than almost everyone in my department. It's how you apply yourself, not where you go that always matters.


And i'm also 20 grand less in debt because I transfered in with a 3.89 gpa from the cc, so awesome scholarships and also first two years for less then a semester at a 4 year school.

[Hellsy]

I did a lot of drugs in High School. It wasn't a priority. Spending one year after High School in the "real world" was enough to send me to community college. I got a decent job building computers, but having a boss was horrible. 40 hours was horrible. Community college is laid back and the professors are usually super nice. It's great encouragement for the four year school, which can be a little alienating and less caring. It's easy to do well there and transfer to a 4 year.

Plus, I spent those two years working a part time job with hilariously fun people my age, smoking, driving around, hanging out with friends, and enjoying a really stress free two years. With so much free time, you can have a lot of sex.

I can't promise your experience will be the same, but it was like having another two years of High School, minus all the bullshit. Just show up, do the work, and you'll have tons of free time.

Pay less. Get your basic classes out of the way in a less stressful environment. Meet girls actually in your area. I can't tell you how many friends I had that dated girls in college that either married their college girlfriend or lost her forever because graduating equals distance. Being in your area is super nice.

It helped me get into one of the best universities in the western world for my major, so it certainly didn't hurt me. A lot of the people who attend community college are morons, so if you're smart at all you'll do well. The professors will notice.

[q]

There's definitely people out there that find their way into 4 year schools who probably shouldn't be there.

yes

[FireWall]

Okay if i did shitty in Highshool , is the only way to get to go to a REAL COLLEGE.....is to transfer from a community college?

god i wish i did good in highschool ><

What do you mean "real college"? Community colleges are real colleges, and you should attend one for multiple reasons:

(1) They are a lot cheaper. As an economist would say, unless your family is able to fund your education or you are able to get grants, the marginal benefit of attending a university for the first two years of your education is significantly outweighed by the marginal cost of paying for it. Obviously, since you did poorly in high school, you will not be offered scholarships that are based on academic merit.

(2) Community colleges use textbooks that are extremely similar to the same tetxbooks used at universities. Sometimes they are identical. For example, the textbook that I used in General Chemistry is also used by professors at MIT.

(3) Unless the courses at your community college are absurd (or you choose to transfer to a really prestigous university), then almost all of your credit will transfer.

(4) In general, the size of the classes at community colleges is smaller than those at universities (particularly public universities). That means more attention from your professor. Your classes will also not be taught by teaching assistants; in fact, depending on what your curriculum is like, you may not be taught by anyone without a doctorate. Furthermore, many professors at community colleges have also taught at universities at one point or another, and they often graduated from excellent universities themselves.

(5) Being a professor at a community college is attractive for many people because it is much less stressful than being a professor at a university. Faculty at community colleges do not have to worry about writing grants or publishing original research. For the most part, their only responsibility is teaching, which means that they are more likely to enjoy it than faculty at universities.

There are only a couple of considerable opportunity costs for foregoing the attendance of a university:

(1) The research opportunities at community colleges are few and far between, which may be a problem for you if your goal is to pursue a career in research at a good university.

(2) It is harder to get laid, and it is harder to find parties. The reason is because you will often be stuck in classes with people who are a lot older than you. They are coming back to college to improve their careers, and they are not interested in meeting people and fucking. I am not saying that you will not be able to get laid at all--it will just not be quite as easy.

[jennMWdragon]

Like just about everyone here said, community college is the way to go. You have to do the same begining work anyway at a four year so just get your general education done at a CC and then go to a four year to work on your major.

Plus, if you fuck up in the begining, you really didn't waste that much money.

I went to a community college for four years because I kept dropping classes and would just generally stop going. My GPA turned to shit because of it too. I finally got my act together when I started working and dating the person I'm still with today. After that, I went to a CSU and will be graduating this spring with my Bachelors, then I'm off to get my Masters at either Berkeley, UCLA, etc. Whoever accepts me basically. These schools I'll be applying to will be checking out my GPA from mainly the past couple of years (I'm sure they'll glance at my HS and CC records but their main focus is how I'm doing in my major). My GPA from my current college is a 3.85. Cumulative GPA though is still under a 3.0 but hopefully after the grades come in for this past semester it'll hit a 3.0 or will at least hit that after the spring semester, this way I won't have to take an exam or right a paper to get into the Masters program for my major.

There's no shame in going to a community college. I don't know why you would think it wasn't a real college. They don't give fake degrees.

[sparkz]

I can't promise your experience will be the same, but it was like having another two years of High School, minus all the bullshit. Just show up, do the work, and you'll have tons of free time.

Pay less. Get your basic classes out of the way in a less stressful environment. Meet girls actually in your area. I can't tell you how many friends I had that dated girls in college that either married their college girlfriend or lost her forever because graduating equals distance. Being in your area is super nice.


Give this man a hot dog.

Keep in mind that there are many people out there that are paying 10k+ to party and fuck. There's no shame in doing four semesters in Community College and then four or five more at a 4-year school. Plus, your loans will be paid off in 5 years, not 15 or 20 like most people.



(2) It is harder to get laid, and it is harder to find parties. The reason is because you will often be stuck in classes with people who are a lot older than you. They are coming back to college to improve their careers, and they are not interested in meeting people and fucking. I am not saying that you will not be able to get laid at all--it will just not be quite as easy.

This bit of info must be locale-specific. There are mad bitches where I went to CC that are just looking for dick. Granted, they don't live 5-minutes away, but if you can get ass at a real college, you can probably get ass at a Community College.

Plus, if you transfer to a real school at 20 or 21 (or even at 23 like yours truly), you'll be able to bring all of the freshman bitches up to your crib where you'll have a healthy supply of Jeager and Redbull waiting. One of life's great lessons: no matter how old you get, freshman will always stay the same age.

Live by that shit.

[FireWall]

This bit of info must be locale-specific. There are mad bitches where I went to CC that are just looking for dick. Granted, they don't live 5-minutes away, but if you can get ass at a real college, you can probably get ass at a Community College.

Plus, if you transfer to a real school at 20 or 21 (or even at 23 like yours truly), you'll be able to bring all of the freshman bitches up to your crib where you'll have a healthy supply of Jeager and Redbull waiting. One of life's great lessons: no matter how old you get, freshman will always stay the same age.

Live by that shit.

Yeah, it is probably a combination of where you go to school and what kind of classes you take.

[Gr8Shot]

my freshman year of college (i went to a suny) was the greatest ever, partying, sex, drugs and alcohol. i had an amazing time. week before spring term ended i got kicked out because administration found an airsoft gun in my room. now im staying home and going to a cuny. the charges put on me by my old school, gave me alot of experiences in the court room which has led me to changing career paths from pre-med to pre-law (which has been great, i'm so happy by my decision, the classes are so much more interesting and because of this my grades improved). by going to my current school (all though it's not a cc) i was able to save tons of money, in addition to that i take morning classes so i have a full schedule and im able to work after school getting about 30 hours per week so the opportunity cost was high as well.

all though it's not as fun staying home, i feel like i'm setting up my future alot better this way. im not going in debt, im actually saving up alot of money (which i've since been able to begin investing with). also my gpa went from a 2.9 to 4.0 by switching schools (grades dont transfer), and by staying home after the summer and continuing working i've already gotten 2 raises at my job not to mention a free car.

[Suicidal Anomaly]

Like others said save money and go to community college. I wouldn't have gotten into any top universities but I could have gone to a smaller university or a state university straight out of high school but opted for CC instead. You can have your associates in 2 years at a CC as well as an idea of what you possibly want to major in without spending more money to do the same at a state school or university. A part of me wishes I could have gone away to college and done the whole dorm experience but considering I left college debt free I don't regret it. Especially when one of my buddies who's making less than me went to a small CA university and has like 30K in debt.

[Toastie]

a JC/CC isnt even all that bad.. i've learned more there and have had better experiences there than my current 4 year, dont fall into the hype.

If you go throught he Cali-CC system let me know if you need help #teamwar

[hate]

ehh I could have went to the CC that was in my town for free (NJ Stars program). And even though I am going to be in debt up to my head for a very long time, I don't know if I'll be here tomorrow. But what I do know is I made a good choice coming to a four year school (now ranked 29th in the nation I think).

I've learned so much, met so many different people, and had a lot of different expierences I would not have had if I went to 13th grade with people from high schools that just graduated with the skin of their teeth (a stereotype.. but it is a good percent)

I'm just given another view on the subject since the posts I skimmed were saying something different.

[Vanquish]

I took 2 years off and have yet to go to college as I'm not yet sure what I want to get into. My interests are FAR too broad to commit myself to any one thing without at least experiencing it first, so I took as many jobs and tried out as many things as I could in the fields I'm interested in to at least get an idea as to what the job would be like after college. I really enjoy talking to new people and helping people, so I worked in a call center talking people through setting up their radio, helping them with their billing issues, etc. I also volunteered in anti-suicide chat rooms, I still regularly help troubled teens with depression and drug problems who are too scared or stubborn to get help in person over the internet. I was in the military for 2 years as an infantryman (albeit the militia, which is say inbetween the army reserves and regular force), was a part of the Boy Scouts of Canada for 12 years, was a leader with them, was in the Air Cadets here (think Scouts run by the Air Force). I enjoy working with computers so I've been helping everyone possible with their computer issues, from spyware and malware removal to formatting, registry repair, etc. I also enjoy doing things with my hands so I've been making furniture and wood working and such with my father. I'd swear I'm the smartest person around here who ISN'T in college lol.

I've got until the beginning of august to decide what I want to do, and I still have no fucking idea. I'm the kind of person who has a great work ethic, did well in high school, but just has no fucking idea what I want to do in life. There is no question that I *will* get educated, but choosing the field is the difficult part.

[Success@Failure]

I didnt do shitty in HS but I went to City College... save yourself some money man.. in ONE TERM of State University it came out to like 200 less than my A.S. Degree. Not only that but its alot easier and you can come out looking like a super star.

[sc`]

College is no harder than HS, you just have to be extremely responsible, you won't have teachers bugging you for not doing hw, coming late to class, not showing up for test or making up for it. You have to doo all of that at your own, which i failed at terribly this semester.
Don't know what university you're going to or what major you're in, but college is much much much harder than high school.

[FireWall]

ehh I could have went to the CC that was in my town for free (NJ Stars program). And even though I am going to be in debt up to my head for a very long time, I don't know if I'll be here tomorrow. But what I do know is I made a good choice coming to a four year school (now ranked 29th in the nation I think).

It just depends on how important spending time with a more diverse group of people is to you. Yes, you meet people at universities that you do not meet at community colleges--that is one of the few opportunity costs of going to a community college for two years. But I would like to think that the goal of any rational student is to leave college with the least amount of debt possible, and to compromise that goal in the name of meeting interesting people sooner than you would otherwise strikes me as being a failure to reasonably prioritize.

[hate]

It is not just meeting people. Like I said, I have learned a lot in just one semester.

Freshman year away from home at a college is something you just can't duplicate.

[Yesbama]

Yeah i go to the only University in my state, its hard to get in because all the kids from NJ, NY, MD flood our applications and out of state students is where the money is at.

All of my friends who didn't get into UD, or fucked around in HS and are going to a CC really wish that they could've gotten in. If you want an experience you'll never forget that will help shape who you are, go to a University. If not, you'll just be on a fast track into a career (not what most kids are looking for).

I could've went to a CC for nursing, their clinical training is apparently better there, but I'm happy with my University education so far.. I know that I will be better educated when I get out and will be making more money with a BA.

It all depends on your situation. For me it was Uni or suicide.

[Gr8Shot]

I took 2 years off and have yet to go to college as I'm not yet sure what I want to get into. My interests are FAR too broad to commit myself to any one thing without at least experiencing it first, so I took as many jobs and tried out as many things as I could in the fields I'm interested in to at least get an idea as to what the job would be like after college. I really enjoy talking to new people and helping people, so I worked in a call center talking people through setting up their radio, helping them with their billing issues, etc. I also volunteered in anti-suicide chat rooms, I still regularly help troubled teens with depression and drug problems who are too scared or stubborn to get help in person over the internet. I was in the military for 2 years as an infantryman (albeit the militia, which is say inbetween the army reserves and regular force), was a part of the Boy Scouts of Canada for 12 years, was a leader with them, was in the Air Cadets here (think Scouts run by the Air Force). I enjoy working with computers so I've been helping everyone possible with their computer issues, from spyware and malware removal to formatting, registry repair, etc. I also enjoy doing things with my hands so I've been making furniture and wood working and such with my father. I'd swear I'm the smartest person around here who ISN'T in college lol.

I've got until the beginning of august to decide what I want to do, and I still have no fucking idea. I'm the kind of person who has a great work ethic, did well in high school, but just has no fucking idea what I want to do in life. There is no question that I *will* get educated, but choosing the field is the difficult part.

in my humble opinion i believe it's better to go to school and figure out what kind of career path you want to take part in through the diverse classes you take (especially the first 2 years when you're forced to comandeer through gen-eds) rather then by skipping out on school and trying various entry level jobs.

theres alot more you learn through an education that does not relate to the job you'll be working in future years.
i'd reccommend going to school, the sooner the better, because as others in the world have said to me, it's much harder to go back after taking a break then never taking a break at all.

It is not just meeting people. Like I said, I have learned a lot in just one semester.

Freshman year away from home at a college is something you just can't duplicate.

and yea i agree, i went away for freshman year, learning independence was amazing, it turned out to be the funnest year of my life. but life's tough you gotta suck it up, realize what's best for you (living with your parents for another few years :( ) and do some real work.

[Bad Luck]

If you did poor in high school it's probably because you didn't enjoy it. I don't think you said when you graduated, but I would suggest a break from school for a while if you did just graduate. I took three years off and now I'm back in school and I'm actually enjoying going there.

Just take time off and save up some money or whatever.

[FireWall]

It is not just meeting people. Like I said, I have learned a lot in just one semester.

Learning a lot in one semester is not something that is restricted to universities. How much a student learns is just a matter of how hard they study. The bottom line is that good students are going to succeed anywhere they go because they have right mindset.

Statistically, transfer students do just as well as students who enter as freshman, and the degrees that they receive are equivalent. The only difference is that they pay fifty percent less money to accomplish the same task. That sounds like a damn good deal to me.

I agree that the ideal path would be to do great in high school, get a full ride to an awesome university, and enter as a freshman. But for most people, that is simply not how things turn out, and there is no reason to throw money away.

[hate]

hmm you misunderstood me again. I wasn't implying learning to strictly in the classroom.

I like most people did not do great in high school and recieved a full ride by the way. And choosing to go to a University is not a waste of money.

[FireWall]

hmm you misunderstood me again. I wasn't implying learning to strictly in the classroom.

Feel free to elaborate.

I like most people did not do great in high school and recieved a full ride by the way. And choosing to go to a University is not a waste of money.

What does someone gain by spending an additional two years at a university? Do they meet interesting people and learn various things about life that they might miss out on otherwise? Sure. And it works both ways. I could just as easily argue that there are experiences that they will miss out on by going to a university. There are always opportunity costs for every decision that someone makes.

I have found that many students at universities who adamdantly defend their matriculation as freshmen are there because mommy and daddy are paying for it, or they are not very financially responsible in the first place and they have no problem borrowing tens of thousands of dollars for social perks. That may not be your situation, but I have seen it many times.

It is extremely difficult to justify those extra two years from an economic standpoint.

[Magus]

check out all the dumbass CC kids coming to defend their poor performance in high school.

Community College is an absolute joke in my experience, doesn't prepare you for anything. Kids like DarKk are there, and do I need to really elaborate on my point more than that? Your local community college is full of the fucking retards of your high school who also dicked around and probably still are. You'll probably get sucked into that and end up in bartending school in a month if you didn't have the maturity to do work in high school. What's going to change for you now?

[hate]

Feel free to elaborate.


How do you want me to elaborate? It is pretty clear. When I say 'learning' I mean almost everything else besides what happens in the classroom. Just simply learning.

I don't want to give examples because there is so much but just to give you an idea of what I am trying to say... learning to be on your own, learning to balance your own money, learning to not mess with girls on your floor, learning to just do everything where as a few months ago your mommy and daddy did most of it for you.

Kids like DarKk are there


I believe he is at a state college but is going to a CC next semester. Not right now.

[leg]

As I'm sure people have said previously, the knowledge you gain and learn isn't necessarily dependent on the college or university you attend. I would suggest doing well in CC and get involved in something outside of college, relating to your academic interest. Prove to your desired university/college that you aren't a regular CC transfer student. Personally, the knowledge I have gained, during my own time, has been invaluable to my college experience.

[hate]

well when you say the knowledge you learn isn't dependant on a two year school or a four year school, I agree if you mean knowledge learned inside the classroom. In that case, it could be seen as similar (though it may also be fair to say classes taken at a University could be more difficult.)

But I disagree if you say the expierences, lessons, and knowledge (mainly outside the classroom) one learns is similar at a two year school where you live at home with your parents to a four year school away from home for the first time.

[|RES|arod]

You learn more in a university because you are challenged more. You are put into classes with more intelligent people ("intelligence" in this instance refers to how well someone did in highschool and standardized tests). While I will agree that how much you learn is based on how much effort you put into it. The problem is the level of the material set by the instructor is not the same for CC compared to a university. The standards set by the instructors are not as high for a CC student compared to a university student. I knew a guy who came straight from community college to university to do civil engineering. He couldn't do half the stuff we learned in calculus II, which is required for differential equations. Apparently he was heads above everyone in his CC, but was struggling to pass differential equations because he wasnt prepared for the material. Also, he was set a year back because alot of his classes didnt transfer at all. I am not bashing community college, but saying that the first 2 years of a university is equivalent education wise to 2 years of a good university is ridiculous. However, CC is a great place to go to save money or get back into the 'groove' of school if you havent been in a while. I am not bashing community college at all because bright people can come from anywhere based on how determined they are and still succeed. I am speaking in terms of the average CC student versus the average university student. I am sure if you do well in community college, then you will also do well in university. Its just a different ballgame.

Also, everyone's experiences are relative to the area I live in so keep that in mind. I am sure things work differently elsewhere.

[GhOsT]

check out all the dumbass CC kids coming to defend their poor performance in high school.

Community College is an absolute joke in my experience, doesn't prepare you for anything. Kids like DarKk are there, and do I need to really elaborate on my point more than that? Your local community college is full of the fucking retards of your high school who also dicked around and probably still are. You'll probably get sucked into that and end up in bartending school in a month if you didn't have the maturity to do work in high school. What's going to change for you now?
I guess it depends on where you go. I ended up going to a community college for my first 2 years since I received a full scholarship for there. All I had to pay for was books. I really enjoyed my computer science classes there and had many great professors. I got my associates and transfered to a SUNY 4 year school to get my Bachelors. My parents agreed to pay for my last 2 years since it wasn't all that expensive.

I found that I enjoyed my classes at the CC far more than my classes at the other school. I felt like I learned more in my first 2 years than in my last 2. Also, the stuff I learned at the CC is the type of stuff I use on a daily basis in my career now.

I've now been working for a defense contractor for over a year and have just been promoted from associate software engineer to software engineer. I started off at 50K a year and I'm now at 57.5k a year. On top of that I have no loans from going to a university to pay off and am debt free.

[hawk]

If you have the money and grades to go straight to a 4 year university, do it.

If you don't, go to a CC.

I doubt anyone here will argue you get a better education, experience, or opportunities at a CC - but for the amount of money you pay, it's a pretty darn good deal.

[Moniker]

The life lessons people learn in college can be learned pretty much anywhere else. 4 year universities are not special outside of the fact that you concentrate a bunch of people into one place and award college degrees.

Seriously, you're not missing out on anything grand or profound. For example, if you met your wife in college, you may say college is wonderful because you can meet your future wife. In reality, it just so happens that you were in college and that's when you met her. You could have been in the Army, living at home, living in Europe, or working at Burger King and done the same exact thing.

There is absolutely nothing you can learn at a 4-year University that you can't learn anywhere else. The only special thing they do is award accredited degrees.

Also, the administration at the fucking CCs around here are sons of bitches who want you more for your money than anything else....At my real school....they really want the students to succeed. Granted, it's a private school and quite expensive, but you do get what you pay for. This made me laugh.

[the Paper]

You learn more in a university because you are challenged more. You are put into classes with more intelligent people ("intelligence" in this instance refers to how well someone did in highschool and standardized tests). While I will agree that how much you learn is based on how much effort you put into it. The problem is the level of the material set by the instructor is not the same for CC compared to a university. The standards set by the instructors are not as high for a CC student compared to a university student. I knew a guy who came straight from community college to university to do civil engineering. He couldn't do half the stuff we learned in calculus II, which is required for differential equations. Apparently he was heads above everyone in his CC, but was struggling to pass differential equations because he wasnt prepared for the material. Also, he was set a year back because alot of his classes didnt transfer at all. I am not bashing community college, but saying that the first 2 years of a university is equivalent education wise to 2 years of a good university is ridiculous. However, CC is a great place to go to save money or get back into the 'groove' of school if you havent been in a while. I am not bashing community college at all because bright people can come from anywhere based on how determined they are and still succeed. I am speaking in terms of the average CC student versus the average university student. I am sure if you do well in community college, then you will also do well in university. Its just a different ballgame.

Also, everyone's experiences are relative to the area I live in so keep that in mind. I am sure things work differently elsewhere.

This is true; the quality difference is especially staggering around here as well. Also, the administration at the fucking CCs around here are sons of bitches who want you more for your money than anything else. They basically said I wasn't a resident of the state, and had to pay out of state tuition for a summer class I wanted to take for fun, because I went to school outside of the state. At my real school, they are probably the most helpful people you can ever meet, simply because they really want the students to succeed. Granted, it's a private school and quite expensive, but you do get what you pay for.

I don't get the joke????

[bayz]

college is overrated

[leg]

^ I agree.

[hate]

The life lessons people learn in college can be learned pretty much anywhere else. 4 year universities are not special outside of the fact that you concentrate a bunch of people into one place and award college degrees.

There is absolutely nothing you can learn at a 4-year University that you can't learn anywhere else. The only special thing they do is award accredited degrees.

I disagree. Nothing is like that first year away as a freshman in dorms. Nothing is like being at home and having your parents do a good amount of daily things you took for granted and next thing you know you are at college. I don't want to really give example because I feel one, all I know for sure is my experience. And two, if I give an example(s), I don't want it to be seen as it is just limited to those examples.

what I am trying to say is life lessons could possibly learned at other places. But not 'pretty much anywhere else'. One place life lessons that cannot be learned compared to a University is a CC. and coincidentally that is what we are discussing.

[NemesisMMi]

Started off in a CC for the first 2 years of college right after HS. Saved boatloads of money. Now i'm set to graduate from UCLA this spring having spent approx. half as much as other people who've been at UCLA for 4 or 5 years now. There is no shame in going to a CC.

[Moniker]

I disagree. Nothing is like that first year away as a freshman in dorms. Nothing is like being at home and having your parents do a good amount of daily things you took for granted and next thing you know you are at college. You're acting like a 4-year uni is the only way to move away from parents. Plenty of people move out of their parents' home, and either enter the workforce/trade school/community college. Who says you can't find an apartment by a CC? Is there some mystical force or Federal law that says you absolutely must live at home and commute to a CC?

And you do realize that a lot of people at 4 year schools live at home and commute to class too, right?

Anyway, living in a dorm doesn't teach you any special lessons. You're getting it confused with "not living in your parent's house", something most people are suprisingly able to achieve all over the country. If anything, living in a dorm keeps you from learning the more important life lessons because you're basically isolated in a protected shell.

[jennMWdragon]

But I disagree if you say the expierences, lessons, and knowledge (mainly outside the classroom) one learns is similar at a two year school where you live at home with your parents to a four year school away from home for the first time.

Out of curiosity, why do you think that people who go to CC live with their parents? I know I didn't and all of the friends I met along with my current bf didn't either.

[hate]

Is it safe to say the majority of people at a 4 year school live there? and most of the people that go to CC are people who just graduated high school that year? And the majority of those people live with their parents?

I could have this totally twisted since the last two towns I have lived in before coming out of high school have had a community college 10 minutes away so most people I knew did not buy an appt coming out of high school.

If you don't mind me asking Moniker, did you graduate high school then enroll into a four year school that fall and lived in a dorm?

[Yesbama]

It is different when you're 18 and move into a community with thousands of kids your age who know little about themselves and the world.
You learn a lot about yourself and other people freshmen year of college (at least I did).

It's different from entering the work-force or army. It's different if you live on campus, if you live with parents and commute, or if you live with people in an off campus apartment/house.

Nothing compares to dorm life.

Saying that you can get the same experience anywhere else is ridiculous. You get a different experience anywhere you go.

No one is saying it's better or worse than going into the military either, calm down. Everyone is trying to act like their choices are the absolute route to take. Like Firewall, he is going to a really good CC, most of the ones I've seen are not very good and the ones by me would not be a good choice for me.

[Moniker]

If you don't mind me asking Moniker, did you graduate high school then enroll into a four year school that fall and lived in a dorm? Yes, I did, and it was something new and different, but it's really not as unique as everyone is making it out to be.

[AntioK]

Is it safe to say the majority of people at a 4 year school live there? and most of the people that go to CC are people who just graduated high school that year? And the majority of those people live with their parents?

I could have this totally twisted since the last two towns I have lived in before coming out of high school have had a community college 10 minutes away so most people I knew did not buy an appt coming out of high school.

If you don't mind me asking Moniker, did you graduate high school then enroll into a four year school that fall and lived in a dorm?

What's the big difference between learning the lessons of independance at age 18 or 2 years later at age 20? Looking back on it, i wish i had gone to a CC my first two years and then transferred to a University, i lived in the dorms my first year, the only lesson i learned is that i didn't like sharing a 10 by 12 cell with another person and probably wouldn't enjoy prison very much.

I mean really, is doing your own laundry, making your bed and keeping your room clean that big of a lesson? Its not like most freshman even cook for themselves.

[hate]

Nevermind I give up. I guess no one else feels the same.

[hawk]

I think there's something "special" about surrounding yourself with hundred's of unique individuals in the dorms that can't be experienced many other ways. Maybe something like the armed forces, but there you're lacking the responsibility of being independent.

It's nothing vital for human development, but I really believe that I learned more about myself that freshman year than I could have in any other environment.

[Gr8Shot]

i feel like the biases expressed here are based on experience, neither party has been in the others shoes and so they void the opposing argument based on one sided beliefs.

anyway, i lived in dorms last year and go to a college while staying at home/working right now. i feel like thats an even better expereince, one where you were able to get best of both worlds.

[GhOsT]

Commute to college...make friends with people in the dorm. Problem solved.

[Repair Man]

check out all the dumbass CC kids coming to defend their poor performance in high school.

Community College is an absolute joke in my experience, doesn't prepare you for anything. Kids like DarKk are there, and do I need to really elaborate on my point more than that? Your local community college is full of the fucking retards of your high school who also dicked around and probably still are. You'll probably get sucked into that and end up in bartending school in a month if you didn't have the maturity to do work in high school. What's going to change for you now?

I graduated 60th in my class of 110 out of highschool. Now all my grade for this semester aren't final, but barring a huge fuckup tomorrow on my last final I'm looking at a 4.0 this semester and a 3.8 cumulative. I'm transferring to my 4-year (SUNY Geneseo) in the fall.

If someone didn't like highschool or just didn't try (this was me), it's pretty god damn ridiculous to automatically assume the person is a "fucking retard." I'm not "defending" my poor performance in high school either. I didn't do a lot of the work and my grades reflected it. If you go to a CC and fuck around, you will do worse than you did in highschool unless you're majoring in VCR repair or you go to a terrible CC.

High school was boring for me, college so far isn't, thus the change in grades. Sometimes all you need is a good change of scenery. High school is not the end-all in terms of judging intelligence.

<3

[Magus]

man i was hoping to cause a shitstorm and everyone got all calm and educated on me... in a fucking college thread! Ridiculous!

[Craven]

i think today's society places too much emphasis on going to college, it is important for people to get education after they graduate high school, but nowadays, people want to jump right into the white collar workforce right away just because they have their bachelors but even getting an associates in a certain area can easily as beneficial as going to a 4 year liberal arts

and the only reason i think 2 year associate degrees are good is because apprenticeships arent as big as they used to be, employers want you to jump into your field already knowing the basics (welders, mechanics, HVAC, electricians, plumbing etc) and they make a lot of money

i just dont think you should be forced to go through a 4 year degree program if you are not fit for it just because somebody thinks you should have at least a bachelor's degree

[GhOsT]

I agree with that. There are some people out there with degrees that are definitely less qualified than others who don't have them.

[ALieN]

I had a 2.35 GPA in high school, and then got a 1220 on my SATs and got into every school I applied to except Rutgers business school.

My brother is in a situation where he wants to do engineering, but we feel like he's not going to get into the schools he wants to go to with the great engineering programs because he didn't do very well on the SATs and his GPA in high school is like a 2.9.. so if you're in a similar situation where you want to do a major like that.. you may want to do a couple years at a community college then transfer, because it's much easier to get into good schools that way than right out of high school.

[Moniker]

Well college degrees have so much emphasis placed on them because young people look for the quick fix and don't know any better.

The trick to getting employed is going to where the work is. It's pretty much like buying and selling stocks. If a certain job market is rising, you follow that market and cash in. The quick fix is simply putting off thinking about your career choices until after graduation. By that point you have to take a job to pay back student loans or support yourself, and you start playing a potentially endless game of catch-up.

Sure, there are special cases, but the sad truth is everyone thinks that they are the exception to the rule.

[cryptopsy]

Myself and a group of my friends from high school all got roughly the same GPA in high school (2.5-3.0), mostly due to hanging out (experimenting w/ drugs), and not giving a fuck, which is high school in a nut shell around here.

I left to go four hours away to a 4 year university. I'm experiencing new things, meeting new and more people than ever, but we're all getting about the same education because we're all doing the "core" college bullshit.

But I come back home for winter break and they're still doing the same shit, which is absolutely nothing. I love doing nothing just as much as the next person, but this is fucking boring. They're still facing the problem of avoiding parents and finding places to "hang out". At school I call a few friends and go hang out without the worry of my parents and all the other bullshit that follows them. That's what I'm seeing..

[hate]

I had a 2.35 GPA in high school, and then got a 1220 on my SATs and got into every school I applied to except Rutgers business school.

My brother is in a situation where he wants to do engineering, but we feel like he's not going to get into the schools he wants to go to with the great engineering programs because he didn't do very well on the SATs and his GPA in high school is like a 2.9.. so if you're in a similar situation where you want to do a major like that.. you may want to do a couple years at a community college then transfer, because it's much easier to get into good schools that way than right out of high school.


Was your brother thinking about applying to Rowan?

[ALieN]

Was your brother thinking about applying to Rowan?
I don't think he's really looked at Rowan, I'll mention it to him. He really wants to go to Lafayette, but they are a very competitive school. Other schools I know he's applied to are Rensselaer, Hofstra, and RIT.. and he only really has like 1 safety school on his list of applications lol. We keep tellin him to look for more schools that he could definitely get into just in case.

[hate]

good luck w/ that. :insert non bias opinion of Rowan here: ^_^

[SteelValor]

Look honestly it's better than not going to college. I know plenty of people who were stuck going to a CC because they slacked off too much in HS, and now they are getting ready to graduate from a 4 year college.

The thing about CC is that if you put yourself in the proper mindset you will end up doing very well. That's really what they are there for.

And not EVERYONE who does shitty in HS ends up at a CC. There's definitely people out there that find their way into 4 year schools who probably shouldn't be there.

GL.

That's true I slacked in HS and then dropped out of CC and am still in a pretty good job coding for schools and such. Oh and skip the IT degree, the market is saturated with wannabes.

[GhOsT]

That's true I slacked in HS and then dropped out of CC and am still in a pretty good job coding for schools and such. Oh and skip the IT degree, the market is saturated with wannabes.
Maybe it is in Central NY but I've talked with my Uncle who lives near Charleston, SC and he says they can't hire enough programmers where he works. I would've had a job instantly if I moved down there.

[the scrill]

my mom always says "if you have a college degree, youll make twice as much as the guy sitting next to you who doesnt have a degree". Doubt thats true though.

[Muchez]

EDIT: Delete this.

[FireWall]

I have two primary questions:

(1) What evidence is there to suggest that the curriculums at community colleges and universities differ in an important way (with respect to analogous courses, of course)?

(2) What evidence is there to suggest that there is a notable difference between how well professors at community colleges teach and how well professors at universities teach?

You learn more in a university because you are challenged more.

According to whom? What evidence is there to support that claim?

The standards set by the instructors are not as high for a CC student compared to a university student.

This is another baseless claim. Support your point.

I am not bashing community college, but saying that the first 2 years of a university is equivalent education wise to 2 years of a good university is ridiculous.

In terms of how much you are able to learn under both conditions, there is no evidence to suggest that the difference between them is notable.

[NecMo]

Maybe it is in Central NY but I've talked with my Uncle who lives near Charleston, SC and he says they can't hire enough programmers where he works. I would've had a job instantly if I moved down there.
I lived in Charleston for my whole life up until last March, does he work for Blackbaud?

I had the choice to either go to CC or to a 4 year college. I knew I would save money by going to CC and then could probably get into any state university that I wanted later, but I wanted to spend my first couple years away from home at least. I don't know about everyone else, but I met one of my best friends at my 4 year university. I hated my roommate, so I hung out in my suitemates' room a lot, and both of them were pretty cool guys. As it turns out later on, me and one of them shared a dorm for a year and now that I recently graduated, looking back on it I'm glad I didn't go to CC because I never would have met one of my best friends at a 3rd-tier university in some shithole town in rural SC.

I didn't go to a 4 year university for the parties, social life, etc. I went there because I didn't want to spend all of my college years near home. I transferred in 2002 after spending 3 semesters there since they were phasing out the Computer Science department. I attended a private college close to home and commuted after that.

I'm glad I went to a 4 year school right away, eventhough I knew I could have saved money by going to CC, probably could have had classes with some of my friends from home, and improved my overall college GPA. My feeling is that it showed me that I could adapt to a sudden change in my environment under any circumstances...going from living with family, having parents cook for you, and being close to friends one day, then living with a repulsive person and not knowing ANYONE the next day isn't easy. I also became a pretty good cook, I never ONCE ate at the dining hall during college...hell I never even went inside the damn building.

The only thing I regret is majoring in IT...the job market is too flooded.

My advice: Do what you feel is best, because everyone is different. And to be honest, it's not all about saving money. I'm glad that I went to school away from home at first, I met a life-long friend and even helped one girl overcome her addiction to drugs and alcohol along the way. That justified the whole experience for me now that I'm done with college and looking back on it.

[|RES|arod]

I love how you discount any of my anecdotes and ask for evidence when you are making even more baseless claims with NO support. It has nothing to do with how the professors teach, but rather who they are teaching to. If you are teaching to a brighter group of students, the teacher can progress more rapidly and in depth into the material. This is what our educational system is founded upon. There is a reason there are honors classes for the brighter students. Those honors students can challenge their intellect more within a group of similarly minded people. There is also a reason for the special-ed classes. Those students can learn more with people on the same level as them. Also, as far as I know, I've never heard of CC "weeding out" courses. This is a course where the instructor tries to find the real players in the class and 35-40% of the class ends up failing. This is a very common technique in the school of engineering at many places and is usually sophomore year. I would venture to say that any course like that will demand quite a fucking bit out of you.

[Muchez]

EDIT: Delete this.

[FireWall]

I love how you discount any of my anecdotes and ask for evidence when you are making even more baseless claims with NO support.

Many of my points are common knowledge (e.g., faculty at community colleges are not required to publish research). You are welcome to request citations for anything that is not common knowledge, and I will do my best to find a good source.

It has nothing to do with how the professors teach, but rather who they are teaching to. If you are teaching to a brighter group of students, the teacher can progress more rapidly and in depth into the material. This is what our educational system is founded upon. There is a reason there are honors classes for the brighter students. Those honors students can challenge their intellect more within a group of similarly minded people. There is also a reason for the special-ed classes. Those students can learn more with people on the same level as them.

No one would deny that how successful a group of students is depends on how competetant they are. But to rule out the importance of other factors (particularly the comptenancy of the professor) is absurd. A large portion of what students learn comes from the notes that they take during lectures, and how effective the lectures are depends on how well the professor is able to communicate ideas.

Also, as far as I know, I've never heard of CC "weeding out" courses. This is a course where the instructor tries to find the real players in the class and 35-40% of the class ends up failing. This is a very common technique in the school of engineering at many places and is usually sophomore year. I would venture to say that any course like that will demand quite a fucking bit out of you.

There are many courses at community colleges that weed out students. To claim otherwise would be to say that there are no difficult courses at the feshman and sophomore levels.

[Vanquish]

To sum up the thread: CC is bad, University is the be-all-end-all of education, and black people don't tip.

[DarthGreg]

As someone going into his 5th year of "real" college, I can confidently say I wish a helluvalot that I had gone to community college my first two years.

[FireWall]

FW - They have more kids enrolled in the classes, so they make them a bit harder at acclaimed universities to "weed" out average people.

According to whom? Why should I believe that to be true? Since when does the size of a class dictate its curriculum at reputable institutions of learning? While it may be true that demands are placed on professors that require them to distribute grades in specific ways, those demands are relative to how many students are enrolled in the class. Absolute quotas are not handed down to them.

Also, the environment of the university scene makes life harder. There's independence from the home town, new people, many extracurricular activities, a minimum requirement of 12 hours in class a week, labs are also university requirements (3hr) for all sciences at my school. I'm sure there are a shitload of more subtle variables that make university life just that much harder.

Mostly, I agree with that paragraph.