<p>happymom: another reason I wished we lived in Maryland; what a great alternative…</p>
<p>Does he think he needs a single room?</p>
<p>Or does he think he’ll do fine with a roommate but you think he needs a single room?</p>
<p>If he thinks he will do fine with a roommate, and he’s not aggressive / violent (sorry I don’t know anything about your sons condition), let him decide if he wants to go the 4 year university and have a roommate or the 2 year college with no roommates.</p>
<p>My son is sound sensitive and needs it very quiet to study. My understanding is that some kids love to blast their stereos to all levels. My son could not tolerate loud noise as it hurts his ears. He is a nice boy, but only social with others who have similar interests.</p>
<p>In order to get the full college experience of going away from home and living on ones own, one must leave home and, therefore, not go to a community college unless this community college involves dorm rooms, and I think most colleges don’t have dorms. So, I would say that going to a community college is for ‘low kids’ but only because anyone who applies (at least in my area) gets in and there is no selectivity.</p>
<p>Mdcissp,</p>
<p>I was a resident advisor at a university a few years back. Rest assured, he can find quiet roommates. (Probably half of the guys on my floor were very quiet). There are a lot of options.</p>
<p>My university had study floors where students were required to be quiet 22 hours a day. The policy on these floors was you couldn’t make a noise that could be heard 2 doors down the hall. You could request to be on them. If the assigned roommate is too noisy, he could request a different roommate. However, if he is considerate and kind about it (and can be reasonably flexible), he certainly can work something out with his roommate.</p>
<p>A lot of college students aren’t very social. I wasn’t great buddies with my roommate either, we usually tried to stay out of each other’s hair. That’s ok.</p>
<p>Also, when you say “my understanding”, I think that means you’re assuming that he wouldn’t enjoy dorm life. But as part of growing up, he needs to decide what he does and doesn’t like. That’s what college is for!</p>
<p>I don’t know what state the OP is from as the quality of CCs varies widely. My CC is not for losers and has very little voc/tech. We also are 15 miles from our well regarded state flagship (that is considered a public ivey and admits 15% OOS and 35% instate). Our students routinely transfer in and do as well as the typical student who began there. I teach at a CC and although there are some immature “loser” types the vast majority of my students are bright and capable. Personally, I would rather send my child to the CC than a lower tier state school.</p>
<p>It looks like there are two community colleges in Md with dorms-- Garrett and Alleghany. Would your son be more inclined to go to a cc if it had dorms and/ or wasn’t the closest one to home (so he wouldn’t see the same kids from high school)? </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.allegany.edu/willowbrookwoods/[/url]”>http://www.allegany.edu/willowbrookwoods/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.garrettcollege.edu/services/student/housing.html[/url]”>http://www.garrettcollege.edu/services/student/housing.html</a></p>
<p>But if the son is going to live in dorms in a 2 year CC, why not go to a 4 year university and live in dorms?</p>
<p>Tuition would be cheaper and classes smaller at a 2-year. Plus, I am sure they have the same articulation agreement that would get him admitted to the 4-year of interest without the requisite SAT. The latter seems to be the major area of concern that prompted consideration of a 2-year.</p>
<p>I’m w/ katwkittens and some of the others. We are a big fan of CC’s in California. 20 years ago, CC’s did have the reputation of being for the kids who weren’t good enough to get in anywhere else. With the current economy, that is longer true. A lot of kids go there simply because it is too expensive to start at a 4-year university. Our 1st 2 went to a CC then transferred to good 4-year programs after 2 years. Both were hired immediately on graduation where many of their friends from top notch schools are still looking. Our daughter went on and got her masters at a very expensive private school with the money we saved her first two years at a CC. Remember that no one cares where you started out- only where you graduated from. I can tell you that a lot of employers were impressed with her masters- I don’t think anyone asked if she started out at a CC.</p>
<p>Also there are a huge number of kids who just don’t know what they want to do yet. CC gives them some extra time to try out different classes and to mature and find out what they want to do. Class sizes at CC’s are often smaller, & teachers know who they are. My son graduated in engineering, and at his CC had top notch guest lecturers coming in to his program on a routine basis. </p>
<p>As for the college experience, most colleges now guarantee dorms for the first year for transfer students, so they are still able to experience the whole deal. One last note- many colleges will not accept transfers until they are at a junior status, so be sure to check into that before planning to transfer after one year. Good luck!</p>
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<p>Interesting. Care to elaborate? (I have a kid in CC and so far, so good).</p>
<p>Another idea… Why don’t you contact the cc and see if there’s a chess team? Maybe you can talk to the person in charge of it and arrange for your son to visit. That way, he’ll feel like he has friends there and is more likely to identify with the school.</p>
<p>If he is particularly prejudiced against your LOCAL cc as a place for unsuccessful students, could he go live with a favorite family member for a year and go to the local CC there?</p>
<p>University Minnesota Morris, a small public LAC west of the Twin Cities, is quite inexpensive and may well fit what you are looking for his first year, perhaps even for all four years. It is an excellent school. There is no out-of-state tuition differential there; they want more out of staters. It is quite inexpensive and not too difficult to be admitted to. Check into it.
<a href=“http://admissions.morris.umn.edu/costsaid/costs/[/url]”>http://admissions.morris.umn.edu/costsaid/costs/</a></p>
<p>I want to thank everyone for their excellent ideas. I think it is better to find a university with easily available single rooms because getting an unknown roommate carries some risk.
We will also go on the tour of the local community college and hope that my son will find something appealing on the tour. I will continue to see if I can find a 4 year university with the right fit resources.</p>
<p>mdcipssp,
I think it’s a good idea to check out your local CC. There are some very good options in Maryland - HCC, MC and BCCC. Your son could attend one in another county if it suits him better, but you would have to pay more. Many students in my county attend the local community college. Most of them are average students whose parents aren’t ready to pay for a 4 year college. Some stronger students attend because of financial concerns, or because they aren’t ready to leave home. I’ve heard good things about the quality of the teaching, but some students feel like they are in 13th grade.</p>
<p>I think if your son does go away, you should try to find a school close enough to home that would allow the option of commuting if he doesn’t like dorm life. That will also allow him to come home for weekends if he needs a break. Dorm life can be hit or miss, depending on the others kids in the hall, and how much the RA intervenes. I think trying to get him a single is a good idea.</p>
<p>Has your son spent any time away from home? If he is a junior, you might want to sign him up for a short summer college program to see how he copes with the situation. </p>
<p>In terms of 4 year schools, I’ve followed some of your earlier posts. I know that your son didn’t like the setting of the UMBC campus, but you might want to reconsider it. I’m pretty familiar with the Maryland schools, and I think UMBC comes closest to the quiet,
studious atmosphere you are looking for. Another possiblity is McDaniel College, which is more expensive but does give out a lot of merit and need-based aid. A private school may offer more support.</p>
<p>mdcissp -</p>
<p>Which county are you in? Would any of the other MD community colleges be reasonable commuting distances from home? Happykid is headed to MC, but she could commute to Frederick, Howard, or PG community colleges fairly easily if she needed a program that was only at one of those campuses.</p>
<p>Have your son stop by the guidance office at his HS, and ask for a copy of College411 which is a guide to colleges ad universities (including the private ones) in Maryland published by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Most of the same information is also available at their website <a href=“http://www.MDgo4it.org%5B/url%5D”>www.MDgo4it.org</a> You might find some other workable ideas there.</p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your excellent advice. We are going to tour Towson and Salisbury.
I tried to discuss com. college again with my son and his response is to look into on-line courses. I actually like NOVA as another com. college option, and we can go see the different NOVA campuses–a long drive, but another option at some extra out of state expense. NOVA has a lot of good programs and might be good for other Maryland parents to consider. My son does not like UMBC. UMBC does not have a business school.</p>
<p>I teach at UVA, and every year have a few kids in my upper-level undergraduate class that spent 2 years in CC and then transferred in, as they are entitled to do if they have maintained a B average. Some do fine, but others have a very hard time, because the CC classes aren’t as rigorous as the UVA courses for 1st and 2nd year students and haven’t prepared them as well for what’s expected here. While there’s lots of support for entering 1st year students making the transition from high school (freshman dorms, underclass advising, and so on), in some ways the CC students seem to flounder more and get less attention from the university. I think the CC + university option is wonderful for those with money issues but the student needs to be mature, hardworking, adaptable, and willing to ask for help. It’s not a great way for a marginal student to get in “the back door”–he or she is only set up for failure.</p>
<p>You make a valid point. If my son ends up at the local community college, I will have to find out if he will be sufficiently well prepared to transition to a 4 year university. Our state has an agreement that students can transfer to the state university with a 3.0. Personally, I think he is better off at one university for 4 years without transitioning between two schools. Thank you for taking the time to explain your excellent insight.</p>
<p>My D grappled with her self-image when she attended CC. It was seen by her as a better option that starting a new HS as a senior, so she “settled” for it and immediately set about getting herself positioned to transfer to a 4-year U that she much preferred. She ended up admitted as a 2nd semester sophomore & is very happy at the only U she applied to. She definitely would NOT have been accepted if she hadn’t done so well at CC. Her CC offered small classes & great instructors (who taught the SAME material at flagship U). It was one of the best bargains and helped D complete a lot of her general requirements before she transferred.</p>