<p>I started back to school at a local community college last month for a two year horticulture program.
Ive never attended a 4 year college- because I have never been able to learn a 2nd language which is a requirement for admission.
However, I do have roughly two years of college transfer credits( with about a 3.4 gpa) in case I ever was able to jump over that hoop.
So I felt I was well prepared to enter a "vocational" program to become a designer/landscaper.</p>
<p>I am blown away by the amount of work and reading ( and memorization) that I have to do. I wanted to go full time- because I wanted to finish a two year program in two years ;), but I am finding that not many others are doing that- even the ones that have degrees.</p>
<p>A work oriented program isn't the same as college transfer classes- but actually in some respects those were much easier. Yes we had to write papers which, I am not always so good at, but there was much discussion and interpretation involved as well- not quite so much memorization.
There must be 150 ways to describe just the * shape* of a leaf, and don't start me on the * infloresences* !</p>
<p>My instructors for the most part are also very impressive.Dan Hinkley who * isn't * currently teaching at EDCC has taught there in the past.
Last week one of my instructors was the moderator for a public garden curators conference@ That Big school in Boston
And an instructor who I have only had for a field trip but has been head of the dept for 30 years and is a director of a local horticulture conservancy is just encylopedic in his knowledge.</p>
<p>Id like to see my daughter, who graduated from Reed College in 06 to attend a local community college so she can get more practical guidance on being employed in the same field as her thesis.</p>
<p>Pay is also apparently good, for instance yesterday we visited a local neighborhood where a local stoneworker is building small garden walls . He is doing the work with only the assistance of a displaced man from NOL. Our guide was fairly derisive when asked about what the stone worker charged- "only $70 an hour", the guide makes more than double that. ( but I think he has to pay the 12 people working for him out of that & and this is only a few years after completing the two year hort program)</p>
<p>There still is a delination between "pink" and "blue" collar work. Service jobs still don't pay anything, and they can be fairly stressful. I can see why parents want their kids to have a 4 year college education.
But next time you are out and about, ask your barista what his degree is in ( anthropology or psych I bet) or the transit driver.</p>
<p>At the very least- I hope I can dispel some of the disdain for two year college instruction, and help people to realize that a 4 year degree is not a magic ticket.</p>
<p>OMG- and to think I was condescending in my "former life" about botany because for some reason I didn't think it was as valid a "science" as biology or physics or geology- just because plants were "pretty" :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I did point out to #D 2 however that not only did a WWU grad develop a method to monitor volcanos that costs a nth of the cost and is 95% as accurate as current methods but a WWU prof jsut got a big NSF grant to study how plants live through climate change.</p>
<p>( did I mention Im trying to get her to study oceanic plants instead of sharks? & Im hoping she will like WWU )</p>
<p>Well not really- I know enough to just casually mention anything- if I express too much interest than it will be sent to the garbage pile. :p</p>
<p>D #1 however did bring up one of her books that although is TMI, has been helpful and has good charts & beautiful illustrations</p>
<p>LOL,EK, my S had to take Botany first semester freshman year for his major (Natural Resource mgt.). It was the first "b" he ever made in a sci. class (has made a few more since). He did enjoy the class. His prof. has been at the state university for 30 years and had ways of making it interesting.</p>
<p>It's been interesting to me to hear so many good things about CC's here on CC, including the excellence of advising. I'm sure programs vary, but it's heartening to think that an affordable education can also be such a good one. Congratulations, EK, on your new career path!</p>
<p>I will have to share your comments with my friend, who is a community college chemistry prof. She will be thrilled to know that there are people on CC who understand the value of community college. She is always dismayed to find that students seem to think her class is going to be easy. The truth is, due to matriculation agreements with 4 year colleges, her class MUST be as rigorous as a similar class at a 4 year college. She expects her students to respect themselves enough to put in many hours of study and preparation outside of class. Those who do are successful in her class. More than that, though, she CARES about her students. She feels that she is able to establish bonds with her students & she prides herself on helping her students see the value in their education. All at a tuition bargain!</p>
<p>I have had some great instructors at community colleges and my D also took one course each summer in order to slightly lower the number of courses she had to take during the year at Reed, ( as well as she took the year off to take Organic chem over as well as microbio for "fun")
Especially one instructor she had, was just fantastic , Ive also heard from a friends daughter who recently graduated from Oberlin, but attended two years at a CC first who felt that her instructors were also comparable.
The CC of course probably doesn't pay half as much, which is probably why several of them that I know of have gone on to much more "prestigous" universities, but some also like this area, so they stay.</p>
<p>I'm confused about terms- are all community colleges the equivalent of what we have as technical colleges in Wisconsin? We don't have any "community colleges" but the state is divided into regions for vocational/technical schools (usually colleges). I thought California had what amounted to a junior, 2 year then transfer into a 4 year, college system for its community colleges. The 4 year colleges/universities are for an education, whether or not practical, not for specific job skills as the technical programs are.</p>
<p>Our community colleges in Washington offer classes that are transferable to 4 year universities- both students who are in high school "running start" take this classes as well as adults. ( they also offer high school completion classes and ESL classes for international students)
Additionally community colleges offer programs like the HORT program I am in, that may have some classes that are transferable to a 4 year college, but the intent is for work related training.
Programs may be a certificate ( 1 year) or a two year course.
Minis wife for example, took an RN program at the local CC, which was very difficult for admission.</p>
<p>Vocational schools here, do not have courses that are transferable to a university, although the actual material may be comparable to that from a CC</p>
<p>Not to mention virtually all of the 4 year universities and colleges in Washington have a presence at , at least one Community College, where students can complete a 4 year degree without going to the main campus.
( or else they actually have a seperate branch campus)</p>
<p>I'm not particularly familiar with the system in Virginia, but believe the community colleges offer the equivalent of freshman and sophomore classes found at a 4-year college. Maybe they offer vocational/technical programs as well. However, I know UVA has an auto-admit transfer program (from any community college in the state I believe) assuming a certain GPA is maintained and the right classes are taken, so it presumably must be rigorous and the equivalent of what you would get at a four-year school.</p>
<p>Some of the Community Colleges in our state were called called technical colleges many years ago but all have switched to the Community College name now. They offer both technical degrees and the college transfer program which allows direct transfer to one of our public state u's upon completion. I know several kids who have gone to our Comm. College for one year after high school to get some general credits out of the way and save money, then transferred to a state u. Not a bad idea.</p>
<p>My senior S is taking Intro. to Sociology as dual enrollment class this semeter at our CC. It is more interesting to him than some of the "by the book" classes at his high sch, because the CC instructor is also a police officer who has a lot of real life situations and experiences that relate to the subject.</p>
<p>Congrats for giving it a good college try EMK4! We live near a Horicultural college with a reknown reputation . I buy my North American hardwoods there to replant at our parks where I do volunteer work. I am truly amazed every time I go to the college . It's a wonderful experience. You picked a fantastic major!</p>
<p>The Madison Area Technical College (MATC) signed an articulation agreement with UW-Madison a couple of years ago guaranteeing their students with a certain GPA automatic admission to the University. </p>
<p>
[quote]
The goal of the Transfer Contract is to expand access to UW-Madison for students at Madison Area Technical College, and ultimately, increase the state's number of four-year degree holders. An unlimited number of qualifying MATC students will be able to take part in the program every year.</p>
<p>"MATC does an exceptional job of preparing students to transfer to UW-Madison," says Wiley. "The Transfer Contract provides detailed guidance for students so they know early in their enrollment what they need to do to establish the academic momentum that will assure their admission to UW-Madison. It takes the guesswork out of their planning."