<p>people always say that there's nothing wrong with going to a CC first, and that you can receive just as good an education there than at a four-year school. if so, doesn't that disregard the whole idea of one school being better than another? arguably, at a CC, things like a strong student body won't be as present as at a decent university since CC's are open-enrollment, and the profs there don't tend to be as renowned in their fields as the ones doing cutting-edge work at a uni. so how come people are still willing to think that the education is the same there? also, why then, when it comes to just four-year schools, people always debate over whether one is better than the another? there seems to be a lack of consistency here, because people always reassure you that going to a cc will be just fine, but let's say you decide to go to a mediocre four-year school right out of high school, how come they won't think as highly of that? or is because it doesn't matter where you go for your first two years, but all of it sudden it becomes important where you go for the next two?</p>
<p>Maybe people say that community college's are fine to go to to make people who have to go there (due to financial/academic problems) feel better. I know I say the same things to my friends that have to spend one or two years at ours.</p>
<p>If by "people" you mean random people on this forum who are talking about "prestige", community colleges and "mediocre" four year schools will not get any respect. If the "people" you are talking about are prospective employers, they only care where you got your degree, they would probably not even ask whether you went to a cc for 2 years.</p>
<p>Depends where your CC is. California and Virginia are nice because it's very easy to transfer to a top 50 college, and if you get a degree from a top 50 college no one will care that you went to CC.</p>
<p>Uh...people don't graduate from community colleges. They take their first two to three years at a community college, then transfer to a university where in two to three years they'll graduate just like everyone else.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Uh...people don't graduate from community colleges.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Why would you think that? </p>
<p>The best way to have a clean transfer of all of your credits is to receive an associates degree, which one usually receives after 2 or 3 years (64-68 credits). Transferring to a 4 year school with less than an associates from a 2 year college puts the student at great risk of losing credits in the transfer process. This can cost time and $.</p>
<p>In-fact, many schools have articultion agreements in place with 4 year institutions that upon completion of the AA/AAS degree, one would receive a guaranteed transfer.</p>
<p>Actually, people can and do graduate from community colleges. The degree normally awarded by a community college is the Associate's degree. It's not a four-year degree, but it's better than nothing.</p>
<p>It's true that many student's don't bother to complete the Associate's degree if they're sure they intend to complete a four-year degree. The risk here is that things happen to interrupt one's education. If someone can't complete the four-year degree for any reason, the Associate's degree is better than nothing.</p>
<p>The Associate's degree is especially important if someone had problems in high school. For example, I know someone who dropped out of high school. She recently graduated from community college. Because of the Associate's degree, nobody is going to care about her high school record.</p>
<p>At many four-year universities, 100- and 200-level classes tend to be lecture halls with hundreds of students in some cases. Community college classes (which are 100- and 200-level by definition) are typically much smaller than this. It's a valid question to ask which is better for a given student.</p>
<p>Also, consider this scenario. The only way someone can attend a prestigious university is by starting at a community college so that they only have to pay for two years at the prestigious university. In this case, the person actually has a more prestigious degree because they started at a community college.</p>
<p>The difference between comm. colls. and a lot of the schools that are discussed on this forum isn't necessarily prestige, it's the breadth and depth of the college experience. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the college experience consists of the 15 hours a week that a student spends in the classroom. The majority of the difference provided in an excellent college culture is in what happens during the other 153 hours of a student's time each week. At great colleges and universities, what happens during those other hours is profound, enriching, and life-changing. At comm. colls., very little happens outside of class.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel better...I have one family member who went to CC and ended up graduating from ULCA and then from law school. A coworker went to CC and ultimately ended up with a PhD from Columbia. So CC and be used as a springboard to great things..and neither of these individuals in any way regret their choosen path....it was right for them, and it could be right for you.</p>
<p>Associate degrees are pretty much worthless. Saying an associates degree is "better than nothing" is like saying getting decapitated is better than getting mauled to death.</p>
<p>Wrong again.</p>
<p>There are a number of jobs that only require an AA degree. </p>
<p>For example, one who completes an AA degree in nursing and passes the state board exams can be come an RN . They will go on to a 4 year or a grad program if they are interested in supervision and/or teaching.</p>
<p>other jobs that only require an associates degree</p>
<p>Dental-Hygienist
Funeral Directors
Registered Nurses
Engineering Technicians
Court Reporters
Radiological Technicians
Respiratory Therapists
Science Technicians
Heavy Equipment Mechanics
Automotive Body Repairers
Paralegals
Cardiovascular Technologists
Sales Worker Supervisors
Machinists
Surgical Technologists</p>
<p>2 more examples of successful community college stories (admittedly, both took place in CA): </p>
<ol>
<li><p>My mom's ultimate goal was to go to Berkeley. Applied, didn't get in, went to CC. Re-applied after 1 year, rejected again, but accepted at UC Davis, so transferred there. Spent 1 year there, reapplied to Berkeley, and got in. She graduated from Berkeley, while working full time, and applied to several law schools. She got into Georgetown law (but didn't go there) and got her JD.</p></li>
<li><p>My sister's ultimate goal was NYU Tisch. Applied after HS and didn't get in, so she went to Santa Barbara City College for 2 years, reapplied as a transfer, and was accepted. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Moral of the story? CC works as an excellent (and cheap) stepping stone, but it's just that: a stepping stone. Don't lose focus after the AA - in California, it's even easier to get in to a UC after 2 yrs of CC than straight from HS.</p>
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and the profs there don't tend to be as renowned in their fields as the ones doing cutting-edge work at a uni.
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this might be true, but it's not always true. whats the value in having a professor that is well renowned lecturing you, when his strong point may not be teaching, but actually doing research in his or her field? Some times if not most of the time their TA's end up being the real teachers in the class</p>
<p>Additionally, it depends on what community college you attend, because some CC schools near major universities get the same professors teaching at their school. These professors from major schools/university may pick up a part time side job maybe teaching one class at a community college. In the case of my current CC, I've had teachers who have taught ore are teaching at USC, UCLA, Claremont, and Pomona. There are some teachers who have worked in different fields or are working in their fields and teach on the side. Some of my former teachers have even attended Harvard and other Ivies.</p>
<p>There's one thing that people often take for granted in regards to CC. From my experience, the one thing that it does allow you to do, especially if you are dependent on some sort of financial aid is freedom to explore. You think you may know what you want to do coming out of high school, but you have no idea until your actually in school and are exposed to more disciplines and classes than you have before. I know, because I made the mistake of attending a private school that was the best for my particular major of interest, and when i realized that my childhood dream/interest wasn't really caught up to be what I imagined, I didn't have much choices because I sacrificed everything else for that major and interest.</p>
<p>Throughout high school I took a variety of courses at my local community college and was more than impressed with the quality of teaching and the depth of the material taught. I will be attending a top 10 LAC, yet I would have no problem attending my local community college if outstanding circumstances put me in the situation. Community colleges are great places for many different types of students despite what some high school students' pride and ego tell them otherwise.</p>
<p>I was a community college graduate and then went on to William & Mary and received my master's degree. In Va we have guaranteed articulation agreements between the CC and most all of the 4 year colleges. For example if you were to apply to University of Va straight out of high school you would need a 4.0 or better to have a chance to get in. Coming with an associates degree from cc you have guaranteed admission with a 3.4 gpa. It is much easier to transfer. So if you don't get into your preferred college and don't want to settle for your last choice college, then earning an associates degree and then transferring will get you into that desired college. William & Mary, Va Tech, James Madison, just to name a few all offer this. It is a great deal! So please don't knock cc, it serves a great purpose.</p>
<p>
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the profs there don't tend to be as renowned in their fields as the ones doing cutting-edge work at a uni
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You'd be surprised how many Harvard and Stanford PhDs end up teaching at community colleges -- many of them extremely bright and promising scholars. The academic job market is swamped with qualified PhDs at the moment.</p>
<p>It's because "better" is a subjective judgment.</p>
<p>Renowned professors don't necessarily translate into a great education, especially if those professors are busy with graduate students and you're getting taught by their TAs instead (not that TAs are not good teachers). And Harvard doesn't necessarily transfer to a better educational experience than somewhere else. It depends entirely on the person. Perhaps they would do better thriving at a small liberal arts college nearby their home than going to Boston. Or maybe they'd rather go to a large public university. Maybe they can't handle not being near the top of their class and need to go somewhere where they're the top 10% of applicants.</p>
<p>There are many great teachers at community colleges -- some great professors don't want to be researchers at R1 schools, but want to be teachers of undergrads and such. I know plenty of colleagues here at my Ivy League graduate school who have designs on becoming teachers of undergraduates. And it could be just the preparation someone needs to get into a 4-year school.</p>
<p>no, my point was that if by going to a community college you're not sacrificing quality of education, then what's the benefit of shooting for "prestige" in the first place? what would be the difference between ucla and uc riverside in that case? also, those people who gave examples of starting out at a cc and transferring to some top-ranked school are missing the point, let's say if you had never been associated with a prestige school, like the only schools you had gone to were relatively no name schools, would you be sacrificing your education in that case? because arguably cc's aren't that prestigious, yet many would argue they give a sufficient education, but let's say when it comes to transfer time, it all of a sudden makes a difference as to where you go for your next two years, why not go ahead and say it doesn't matter where you go for those next two years as well? if the underdogs at a cc are getting such great benefits, why not argue that the ones at a no-name four year school are as well?</p>
<p>"no, my point was that if by going to a community college you're not sacrificing quality of education, then what's the benefit of shooting for 'prestige' in the first place?"</p>
<p>Quality of education and prestige are two entirely different things. Admittedly, they correlate to some extent. However, this isn't inherent.</p>
<p>It doesn't make sense to avoid community college on account of "prestige" for the reasons noted below.</p>
<p>"...why not go ahead and say it doesn't matter where you go for those next two years as well?"</p>
<p>The difference is that you earn a Bachelor's degree from the university you spend the final two years at. Thus, the university you attend for the final two years directly affects the prestige of your degree. The university you attend for the first two years does not directly have any such effect.</p>
<p>"if the underdogs at a cc are getting such great benefits, why not argue that the ones at a no-name four year school are as well?"</p>
<p>One could start at a "no-name" four-year school and transfer to a more prestigious school. However, it wouldn't offer the financial benefits of community college.</p>