<p>This year will be my senior year in high school and I'm planning on applying to colleges for entry in fall 2006. My parents and I recently attended a college info night meeting where several colleges were represented. Our local community college's presentation basically encouraged people to attend there for two years and then transfer to another school afterwards. I had never heard about this before, and I still don't know much about it. They claimed that by transferring after two years, if you kept up good grades, that it would be much easier to get into the good schools than if you were to just apply to these schools as an incoming freshmen. Well I thought that sounded great and all, but I've worked very hard during high school. I have taken the hardest classes possible, have around a 4.5 GPA, 2060 SAT, and good SAT II scores, along with 4's and 5's on all my AP exams. I'VE WORKED HARD, and honestly, doing all that just to end up going to my local community college for a couple years doensn't appeal to me. I did all of this so I could start out at the good schools. But, the problem is my parents are now hooked on this idea of how much cheaper attending the local college for two years will be than paying for four full years at a university. We can, with a little financial aid, afford the full four years, but they don't want to pay for it if they don't have to. So basically, what I'm asking for is a good argument for NOT becoming a transfer student. The only reason I might consider this is if I didn't get into the schools I want to go to (some of the nicer UC's). What advantages are there to starting out at a school as a freshman rather than come in later as a junior? Do you really have a better chance of acceptance by becoming a transfer student and performing well your first two years?</p>
<p>Well, alot of people who transfer from a CC generally didn't have a good high school career. CC was a way for them to pick themselves up. If you worked that hard in high school, I suggest you go in as a freshmen. Alot of the experiences you get during the first two years of college life is irreplaceable. You would have much more of a social life and would be well adjusted to your college before you have to start your upper-division classes. However, by going to a CC you would save alot of money. Also, if you want to transfer to a UC, it might be a little easier because of the transfer agreements CC's have with UC's, and with a 4.5 GPA in high school, I'm sure you would do great in a CC and be able to transfer to the college of your choice. In the end it's all up to you. I'm sure your parents really want to save money, but I'm sure they would respect your desicion.</p>
<p>I completely agree with above. I had very crappy grades in high school, and did not really focus on going to college. So I went to CC and I really focused on my grades and school work. Not only did I get a good GPA in CC, but I also daved a bunch of money. After two years of CC, I am now transferring to USC. If I could do it all over again, I would do the same exact thing. I saved so much money, it's ridiculous.
Kyle</p>
<p>mercinator- 2 years ago I was in your exact situation. I applied to Scripps and Berkeley as a freshman, and got in to both. But I realized pretty fast that it was going to cost a lot of money and I was not going to get a lot of credit for the 8 AP classes I had passed. The two biggest advantages to going to community college for me were that I would save so much money and that I would be able to skip an entire year of school using APs (which I would not have been able to do if I had gone right to school). I graduated a year ago, went to College of the Canyons in southern CA, and in 2 weeks Ill be going to Berkeley as a junior transfer. I would not change my experience for the world. I had small class sizes, was friends with my professors, saved lots of money, and got to skip a year of school. </p>
<p>But what jkim says is true. The only reason community college was ok for me was because my boyfriend was there the entire time. Without that, I wouldve been miserable. Im glad I made the choice I did but I can completely see the pros of going right to school. </p>
<p>And its true that I was one of the only "smart kids" at community college. It was kinda crappy sometimes being the only involved student. But oh well.</p>
<p>If you're interested in study abroad, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to do so at many schools if you transfer in as a junior. Also, the academic environment will not be the same as the schools you are capable of getting into. There are advantages to CC, but there are advantages to the top universities. I think you need to sell your parents on the opportunities that you will have access to at whatever universities you want to attend.</p>
<p>Assuming you plan to go to a UC school, study abroad is not hard to do as a transfer student. I am going to London for a year and my boyfriend is going to the Netherlands or Paris (he's not sure which yet) for a semester. If you are capable of getting into good schools now, you will be capable of it again in a year or two. I am not saying that community college is the best choice for you. Im just saying that you should fully consider all of your options before you decide that community college is below you. It can be an excellent option depending on your financial and social situation.</p>
<p>Also, what they said about transfer admissions being easier can be true, but there are many schools that have lower admission rates for transfer students.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everybody. Yes, I do see there are certain advantages to both choices. I will need to look into whether or not transferring would raise my chances of getting into the schools I would like to attend. I still have a while to figure it out. Anyone else have something to contribute to this subject?</p>
<p>leaving friends behind is probably the hardest part of transferring, make sure you take that into account</p>
<p>well take Jkim's advice with a grain of salt, because if you're in California and go to cc, that's perfectly acceptable...it's not uncommon to then transfer to a UC. but yeah most anywhere else, I agree.</p>
<p>i worked my butt off in HS much like you did, got into some great schools, but i went to a CC to save some bucks. I worked even harder at my CC, so much that i was able to cram in two years into one. It wasn't fun, but now i'll be going to Cornell in the fall and i have enough cash in my savings account that i'll be graduation with no loans and no debts. I'll take that over graduating with $60,000 in loans any day. The CC option is something more people should really look at. After all, in the end i'll graduate with the same degree. With all of the cash i saved, i can look at buying a house, and a car (a BMW) right after i graduate rather than crawl over my $100,000 worth of loans (which, IMO, is a stupid way to start out in the professional world).</p>
<p>money isn't real...</p>
<p>i would trade 4 years at a school i really wanted to go to for 2 years at that school and some bucks in my fist any day. </p>
<p>only transfer if you have to/want to</p>
<p>I have a friend who is doing the 2 years of community college and then transferring to a university. She did it for money reasons too, as she had also been accepted into some very good universities but just chose not to go there.</p>
<p>However, in the past year of comparing my university experience with her community college experience, I have to say that I have noticed that she increasingly wishes she had just gone straight to the university.</p>
<p>One thing you miss out on big time if you go to a community college is the whole freshman year thing. Living away from home, having a roommate and dormmates, etc. I can't even describe what a crazy experience it is. And true some of it might not be all fun (my freshman roommate was a monster, for example) but it is definitely an experience that I would not have missed for the world. And when I've mentioned that to my friend who is going to community college, she admits that it makes her jealous and regretful of her decision. Also, living at home keeps you from growing the way that you would if you spent your first year of college on your own. You change a lot in that year, the clich</p>
<p>You are sacrificing quality of life for money - not worth it in my book. College is thed best time of life.</p>
<p>couldn't have possibly said it better myself</p>
<p>If I was in your shoes, I would go straight to a 4 year. especially since you're going to a GOOD 4 year school. When I was 18, I didn't have the option of going to a good 4 yr university, just some shi.tty 2nd tier university. To me, CC gave me another chance to start over my academic record. It was a means to an end. CC was not a really great experience besides saving money.</p>
<p>Also, you have 40 YEARS to make back the money that you would have saved if you went to a CC for the first 2 years.</p>
<p>money that you saved can never buy back experiences and memories that you never had during your prime.</p>
<p>To find out for yourself, go talk to some freshman or sophomores at the 4 yr university you want to go to. ask them how student life is, do they enjoy it? If they're constantly smiling, telling stories, outgoing, chances are that it'll be a really good experience for you. after talking to them you should have a decent idea of how the freshman experience was. when you've done what i told you to do, and you still hesitate about going to CC, go straight to the 4 yr school instead. </p>
<p>Some might say that I left out interviewing students from CC, just take a look at the students in your high school going to CC. In my experience, most CC students are apathetic, they go to school and go home.</p>
<p>In my almost 22 years of life, I feel that I learned the most about life and people between 17-20. My experiences shaped my outlook on life, and continues to do so. It was when I developed my own identity. CC afforded me the opportunity to hang w/my dumber high school friends that weren't so intellectually oriented. It delayed my personal growth and discovery. </p>
<p>Since you're obviously a smart person, I warn you that you might find yourself in the minority at CC. One of the hardest parts of CC for me was working so hard and having to do it alone. I hardly knew anyone who cared about their grades or intellectual stuff as much as me. Struggling through really challenging classes & 21 unit courseloads becomes a lot easier when you're in the company of likeminded friends. A few times I asked myself why I was working so hard when nobody else was doing it. It was a really long and hard 3 years, but I try to find consolation in the fact that I saved some money.<br>
I found the classes at my CC to be pretty easy, but finding motivation was sometimes very very challenging.
This stuff may sound corny, but I'm sure you'll agree when you've experienced enough for yourself. Also, not all CC students are dumber than top tier university students, but in general it seems to be true.</p>