<p>One option we are discussing is attending community college for one year and then transferring to a 4 year university. My son has the impression that community college is for low kids and, therefore, does not want to go there, with the exception of a very small and competitive honors program. Any advice?</p>
<p>Why not a university?</p>
<p>In general, CCs are for working students, those with limited financial resources, kids in tow, or other reasons. </p>
<p>While I don’t diss CCs, they aren’t the same experience as a university.</p>
<p>There are certainly some smart people taking classes at CC, but not a very high proportion of top 18 year olds go to CC.</p>
<p>Are you mainly considering this because of the cost? Have you figured out your EFC? Are you eligible for financial aid? Have you identified any four-year colleges that would be affordable?</p>
<p>Is living at home linked to going to CC, or could your child live at home and go to a four year college or go to CC and live in a CC dorm?</p>
<p>The best scholarships offered are for incoming freshman, so if your child is a potential candidate for good merit aid, freshman year is often the one chance to get it.</p>
<p>The quality of Community Colleges varies widely and some are more geared to technical training than academic education. The quality of courses in community colleges can vary widely too and sometimes research is required to find the more difficult courses from the insanely easy courses.</p>
<p>Also, I normally see people attending community college for 2 years, getting their associate’s, and then transferring. As the other posters have mentioned, people usually attend CC’s due to cost, low hs grades, wanting to be close to home (can also be done at a 4-year school depending on your location), are nontraditional students, or need the work-friendly schedules of a CC (also at many 4-year schools).</p>
<p>We identified a couple of excellent 4 year universities (medium quality) and I am worried that my child’s SAT scores may not be high enough to gain admission. He is taking SAT prep. I think community college is an excellent back up plan. I don’t want to send my child to an expensive private university of lower quality. These universities are significantly easier to get into after one year of community college when SATs are no longer considered for admission. You are right that good scholarships are given to freshmen-but usually you have to be at the top to get those scholarships or go to a much lower tier university.</p>
<p>Which colleges are you talking about that you fear that he won’t get accepted to? </p>
<p>If it’s true that he can get in after one year, why not let him go to a state university for a year and then apply to one of these desired privates?</p>
<p>What are his SAT scores? (keep in mind that if he’s a junior, he has several months to increase his scores.)</p>
<p>What is your home state?</p>
<p>I actually think the whole college ranking is a bunch of hocus pocus. Your son would do just fine going to a public university regardless of the tier or ranking.</p>
<p>We visited the University of Texas at one of the smaller locations and just thought it was a fantastic school. However, you need considerably high SATs coming out of state and only a 2.5 GPA transferring after one year of community college. We also like Towson and the rep from Towson said they had 10,000 applications last year. Our local community college has a policy of 3.0 gives guaranteed admission to one of the in state universities, no SAT scores needed at that time. The few nice universities I have noticed which are SAT optional are very expensive privates which require early decision application, and not the schools on our list.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids,</p>
<p>You wrote, “If it’s true that he can get in after one year, why not let him go to a state university for a year and then apply to one of these desired privates?”</p>
<p>I can think of quite a few reasons why a kid may prefer a 2-year rather than a 4-year state school. The size of intro classes at many state schools is much larger than that at many ccs. Cost and distance might be factors. </p>
<p>It sounds like the OP is in Maryland. The flagship there is probably not a match for her son if his SATs aren’t high. </p>
<p>mdcissp, Do you have access to Naviance? Where do similar kids go from your school? And have you asked the guidance counselor for any ideas? In the end, you are paying so you can trump your child’s choice, but I would weigh it carefully. If your child thinks that cc is just for “losers,” is he/she likely to drop out? Are the 4-year schools in reach for your child party schools or do they have decent graduation rates?</p>
<p>from Berkeley forum re transferring student from Community College to Berkeley:</p>
<p>"yeah if Cal had more stringent academic standards for transfers, it would be a much more reputable undergraduate education.</p>
<p>What really ****es me off is that transfers can easily pull a 4.00 at a Community College and get into Haas, whereas freshman/sophomore undergrads are put through the competitive meat grinder courses that immensely water down their gpa, putting them at a disadvantage to get into Haas.</p>
<p>I am fairly certain that those who can get into Berkeley as freshmen can easily pull a 3.7+ at a CC, but have to work their a** off for a 3.3 as freshmen and sophomores </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/873546-there-ivy-league-passers-berkeley-12.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/873546-there-ivy-league-passers-berkeley-12.html</a></p>
<p>I don’t know how CC’s are in other states, but some have dorms and attract students from all over the state and beyond. Most of the 4 year colleges have transfer scholarships that are awarded to students coming in with an associate’s degree. They may not be as high as the freshman awards, but definitely more than the kids transferring in after freshman year would receive! I would encourage you to visit a few CC’s and find out where their faculty came from (profiles may be on their website). Also, try to find out if it’s easy or difficult to register for the courses he would need. Some CC’s are over-enrolled due to the economy and may need to be excluded.</p>
<p>Happykid is about to graduate from a top 100 (according to Newsweek, so we can all think what we like about that) suburban Maryland HS. Every year the single largest group of students head straight to our local community college, Montgomery College (the second largest group head straight to UMCP). Happykid and several of her pals will be in this group in fall 2010.</p>
<p>The reasons for this choice vary from full-ride scholarships into one of the highly selective honors programs, to grades so bad the kid hadn’t a prayer anywhere else. Every single year, some families who could pay for UMCP, and have kids who qualify for UMCP send the kids to MC. Maybe to save money, or commuting time (if the kid won’t be living on campus), or because of a guaranteed transfer program, or because the largest class size is 25.</p>
<p>Yes, the OPs kid might not want to consider his/her local CC right now, but the price can’t be beat in most cases. Depending on the particular programs offered (MC has at least four different honors programs available as well as individual honors-level courses open to anyone with the pre-reqs.), and major fields available, the OPs kid should at least consider keeping the CC in question as a solid academic and financial safety school.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to squeeze the truth out of your HS guidance office about the number of students, and GPA etc., who go to the CC. I did the analysis myself based on the students self-reports of future plans in the final edition of the student paper. The parent who works up the data every year to post on the school website had excluded all 2-year schools. Only when I questioned his reports, did he go back and look at the numbers for MC. He was surprised to see how many (and the range of GPA etc.) and has revised the way he will be reporting things in the future.</p>
<p>You gave great advice about talking to the college counselor at my son’s high school and find out the numbers going to the local CC. Thank you so much for your time and support.I tried to explain to my son that it is now “hot” to go to community college because of the down economy. He could go to the local CC, and transfer to Towson, and have college savings left over to buy a car at graduation. However, I worry about the self-esteem factor because in my son’s mind, losers are at the local CC and he is very upset at the thought of attending a CC. I don’t know how to handle this any better with my son.</p>
<p>I can think of quite a few reasons why a kid may prefer a 2-year rather than a 4-year state school. The size of intro classes at many state schools is much larger than that at many ccs. Cost and distance might be factors.</p>
<p>Oh, I agree. My point was strictly dealing with the self-esteem issue of the child in question. He’s convinced that cc’s are for losers. It won’t likely matter that others might tell him differently. If that’s what he believes…and he’s a black and white thinker…then it’s unlikely that his mind will be changed.</p>
<p>You are right. But, I need to find a back up, safety school other than the local CC, which is not easy given that I refuse to pay $50,000 for a private school, do not want loans, and the other things necessary at a college to make it work for my Aspergers son (private room, availability of good chess club, good match of academics). Any other good, small to medium size state cost schools to look at? Thanks so much.</p>
<p>Our family is HUGE fans of our local CC. We were hooked when we lived in CA and oldest was still in high school. She was able to complete 56 transferable units for FREE while still a junior and senior in high school. Even books were covered.</p>
<p>I say transferable because 56 units were transferred to her first CA institution and then when we moved and she wanted to also move 3000 miles away those same 56 units also transferred AGAIN.</p>
<p>Think of it as the biggest coupon/discount/promotion code you will ever find. All of my children (5) have attended CC for various reasons, money being the first. In our new state (NC, which I love) tuition is a little more than free-$50 per unit- and easily identifiable as which courses are transferable to the state university system (4yr) with 16 campuses. Articulation agreements are online for many schools so that has also helped for privates’ transfer units.</p>
<p>Classes sizes are also small, taking orgo with a lab of 15 and your lab instructor is also your lecture professor makes for amazing results. He is also available to write letters of rec and help tutor for the MCAT, DAT and any other professional licenses, not to mention if local he can help network for internships, jobs, references, shadowing and can help facilitate other classwork. </p>
<p>Don’t overlook the big fish in the small pond. But encourage him to access everything and then some for what the school offers. Finish his core and maybe some math and science that might have 700 in the class at a 4 year. Learning to pick the best of what that institution has to offer is a life lesson that will serve him well.</p>
<p>Middle son is graduating from Princeton in May and had no problem taking classes at the local CC and local state uni. Some of his classes transfered (pton caps 2 transferable classes- that they don’t offer, ie physiology and anatomy, histology) and other classes for med school/business school. Middle daughter graduated magna cum laude from an OOS public and wanted more bio/chem on her resume before applying to dental school. Helped with her DAT and applications to UNC-Chapel Hill, Penn and Harvard.</p>
<p>Oldest daughter that had 2 years at the community knows her level of understanding for her sciences helped her with grad (vet) school.</p>
<p>So if your son thinks “losers” go to community college he would need to think again. Oldest son spent a semester a CC strengthen his calculus/chem/physics/biochem before he received his appointments to the Air Force Academy, West Point and the US Naval Academy. Most who know him would not refer to him as a loser, especially the senator and MOC who nominated him.</p>
<p>Community college is a different path but it is the student who decides if he is the loser, not the institution. He would need to optimize everything the CC offers and then look forward. </p>
<p>Where will a 4.0 in calc, english, bio, foreign language take him? Proven college coursework, good recs for college profs and maybe some interning? Towson or maybe, if he pushes, maybe much, much farther. Doesn’t sound like “loser” thinking to me.</p>
<p>Kat
son at princeton points to his a & p classes at CC with helping him score well on his MCATs, 99% percentile, again your local CC can be hidden gem</p>
<p>We have a very good community college system – it attracts a lot of nationwide speakers and has all the accoutrements of a college campus except for dorms (to my knowledge). Many, many bright kids go there for 2 years to save money and then transfer to our state flagship (a good one) or elsewhere. Given this economy? I can’t say that I blame their parents for thinking that way. I think it’s a farbetter strategy than spending 4 years worth at a not-so-good public or private school. </p>
<p>As with anything, it’s what you make of it. You know, at one point, French 101 is French 101, and Shakespeare’s plays are the same plays regardless of where you read them.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like the OP needs her son to buy into the idea of going to a CC. If I were in her position, I’d really make an effort to find out what the local CCs offer and play this up. Look through the school newspaper and other publications and find examples of kids at the CC who have taken advantage of the opportunities/programs offered at the CC and used those to go on to the four-year college of their choice. We lived in MD when D1 was in high school and she took several courses at Montgomery College (local CC) for high school credits. She was an elite athlete and because of her training schedule, her school allowed her to take a couple of courses at the CC during the summer and at night. I remember reading articles in the CC newspaper that featured kids who were doing a study abroad program in England, another about the CC Honors Program, and quite a few about the internship opportunities. The CCs play this up in their publications. I think exposing your S to information like this might be a way of helping him feel that CC isn’t just for losers. I think getting him to let go of that attitude is really going to important for his success.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl – While I won’t disagree with you that Shakespeare’s plays are the same wherever you read them, a Shakespeare course can be a very different experience at a school filled with high-achieving, 3.5+ GPA, high SAT score kids and a school dominated by kids who struggled to get C’s in a basic high school curriculum. </p>
<p>I have a number of friends and former colleagues who teach at CCs. They all have promising students who because of family finances, family responsibilities or unreadiness to leave the nest, opted for CC. These are the ones who will eventually go on to a 4-year college and succeed. But they are the minority. This inevitably impacts the way in which courses are taught; either they adjust for the caliber of students in the classroom or they leave most of the class in the dust. What the CC instructors I know do for their top students is provide opportunities for extra-credit work, not as a grade enhancer but to provide them with the challenges they need to prepare for a decent 4-year college.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Calc I at Local CC is OFTEN not the same as Calc I at RPI or MIT, US History 101 is often not the same at Local CC as it is at Binghamton or Muhlenberg, and Shakespearean Plays is not the same at Local CC as it is at Bard or Geneseo.</p>
<p>Now, as an earlier poster suggested, not all CCs are equal. I think what I have said applies to the CCs I am familiar with in this part of NYS. But the caliber of CCs may be much higher in Montgomery County, MD or Southern California. The OP needs to make a decision based upon local conditions and the actual alternatives available.</p>