<p>I was just wondering what life is like as a student at a California community college. I've heard that, due to the sheer volume of students going to community college, it's far more difficult to be a student at one than it is in New York, where I live. I've heard that it's often hard to sign up for courses needed for graduation because they fill up so fast, and that usually, students take three years as opposed to the regular two to graduate.</p>
<p>How much of this is true? Is it really that much more of a pain in the ass to go to a community college in CA than in any other state?</p>
<p>not true.. california community colleges are great, but i recommend u go to school in ur home state just cause traveling across the country to attend a community college defeats the purpose of community college</p>
<p>Yep I agree.. just stay where you are.. even if you want to "cc2uc" :P I would still recommend staying in NY since out-of-state students have to pay crazy $$ for tuition.</p>
<p>A lot of people take several years, but there are a number of reasons why that happenes. I got through a California community college in two years, so it is very much possible.</p>
<p>First off it depends on what college your going to. The worst California community college in my personal opinion (based on experience) would have to be Riverside Community College. It is so rediculously overcrowded. You'll never find parking, the campus is huge, and because of the volume of students your first year trying to get classes is literally hell on earth. In class your surrounded by hundreds of unmotivated people who you have to share a book with because the book store sold out in ten seconds. Crafton college in Yucaipa isn't too bad though and Chaffey college in Rancho Cucamonga is pretty nice but in the past year the population has gone way up there and with construction going on getting to class is pretty tough. My opinion, apply to a University and if they dont' let you in just appeal it. I dropped out of community college halfway through a semester because i hated it so much. I applied to a University and got rejected. I appealed and got let in on academic probation but hey i still got in. I've been here a year and after getting good grades the first semester they took me off academic probation. Where were you thinking of going?</p>
<p>Yeah, the community college depends on where you're going. For example, in SoCal, PCC (Pasadena City College) is incredibly overcrowded. Then again, PCC is considered the best community college in the nation (but I suppose community college rankings aren't necessarily too competitive). Anyhow, because it's so hard to register for the classes you want, it's very possible you won't transfer out on time. And your competition isn't just people hoping to transfer out, they're people who take classes for fun, to meet people and also overly ambitious high school kids, but that's true at any community college.</p>
<p>I went in 05 and 06. I thought it was great. A little crowded, but not bad. I liked all my instructors and got great grades. I was 55 at the time. Now I’m returning in 11 at the age of 62 for some more. Hope to get my AA this time. It’s grown a lot in the time I’ve been gone, so we’ll see.</p>
<p>Depends alot on the CC, but most CC’s have a high dropout rate, so getting into classes at the beginning of the semester is tough, but it empties out as the semester progresses. Stay in NY and go to CC there, California CCs aren’t awesome enough to warrant paying out of state tuition prices.</p>
<p>Well I live in California, so going to a California community college is absolutely no problem for me. I go to Irvine Valley College, which gets crowded all the time during the first two weeks of every semester, but that’s just from all the people trying to petition, but then eventually, people start to drop out and then its easier to find parking spaces. Overall, the campus isn’t really crowded at all. I very rarely see large groups of people on campus. </p>
<p>It also depends on your major and what kind of courses you have to take to determine whether you graduate in two or three years. I was placed into Intermediate Algebra after taking a math placement test, despite the fact that I had already passed the class with a B+ in high school. Following that, I had to take Trigonometry before I could take Pre-Calculus, which was transferable unlike Int. Algebra and Trig, and it was only after I passed Pre-Calc that I was able to take Calculus 3A. Along with all the science courses I had to take, along with IGETC and a unit cap, that set me back a year.</p>