<p>My father went from community college to Cal State-Northridge to a Ph.D in paleontology from UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>I think in general, itās safe to say community college courses are a little easier overall. But I definitely think that can vary. I took a few classes with professors that also worked part time at a University (UCSD, SDSU, USD) & those professors were definitely tougher than the others. But it was manageable still. The biggest difference seemed to come down to the reading. There was more of it & the exams were tailored to really show you knew your stuff. I definitely saw more short answer/essay questions rather than multiple choice. </p>
<p>But I wouldnāt say community college courses are āno brainerā courses. They definitely take effort nonetheless. There are still research papers, midterms, exams, etc. So I couldnāt call it a cake walk exactly.</p>
<p>I did have an insanely easy English teacher one semester thoughā¦ I couldnāt believe it. Still had to turn in the work, but definitely a very easy grader.</p>
<p>I agree with Melowe. I wouldnāt say community college is much easier. For example, my organic chemistry test were 10 questions where you have to show and draw mechanisms for each question. Some of my friends who went to a 4 year universities had multiple choice questions for their organic tests.<br>
I also had one semester of english which was a joke. You basically just write and keep revising what you have and you are guaranteed an A.</p>
<p>Definitely depends on the teachers as well as the students.</p>
<p>With the huge financial pressure many states are under, we can expect big tuition jumps at the 4-year flagship schools. Iāve always been a proponent of the full 4-year undergrad experience, but the savings from starting at a community college are becoming increasingly compelling.</p>
<p>letās keep going with this thread</p>
<p>What inspiring stories!!! :)</p>
<p>I can share mines now that I have my first acceptance.:)</p>
<p>I ended up at CC in NY because financially, things didnāt work out with an out of state school. I was disappointed because it was my dream to leave NY and live some where else. I really lost track of everything. I even decided that I didnāt want to be a bio major anymore. The first semester I registered for 6 classes, I ended up withdrawing from one and failing another. I did ok, mainly B-'s and I ended up with a 2.06. The next semester I ended up with a F for not completing an INC for spanish so I ended up with a 1.92. I had to retake 2 classes in order to bring my GPA back up so the third semester I got my act together, knew what major I wanted to do and finished with a 3.34. I also ended up on the deans list.</p>
<p>My cumulative GPA went from a 2.06 to a 2.00 then finally to a 3.08.:)</p>
<p>I applied to:
Baylor University(1st choice)-Accepted today and am definently going 
Ohio State University(Columbus)-Waiting
Temple University-Waiting</p>
<p>In more good news - Community colleges have outpaced 4-year colleges for student retention! [College</a> Retention Rates Improving at Two-Year Schools, Declining at Four-Year Schools | ACT News](<a href=āhttp://www.act.org/news/2011/01/20/college-retention/]Collegeā>http://www.act.org/news/2011/01/20/college-retention/)</p>
<p>Glendale Community College to Pepperdine University</p>
<p>My S1 applied to a military college, was accepted, entered the college & resigned within 48 hours. In short, we brought home a shattered kid. Since he had been accepted ED & had not applied to any other schools, it was too late to enroll him anywhere else. We/he had two choices: 1) sit out the first semester, or 2) enroll him in community college ASAP. </p>
<p>I registered him for classes the next day. I wanted to hug the academic dean who approved his late registration, looked that shattered kid in the eye and said, āSon, I know youāll do well here.ā And he did: for the first time in his life, he began to earn As. He learned to manage his time, juggling a part time job (20-30 hours/week) with full-time classes. He completed his Associates degree with a 3.5 gpa, then took advantage of our stateās Guaranteed Admissions Agreement to transfer to the state flagship, the University of Virginia. All his credits transferred and he entered UVA as a junior.</p>
<p>He spent 2 years at UVA and graduated (on time!) with honors this past May. What we thought was the worst disaster - resigning from military college - turned out to be a true blessing in disguise. I am very proud of him.</p>
<p>^ wow. just wow! Congrats to yāall and to your son!</p>
<p>kelly92, that is seriously the biggest improvement I have ever seen in my life!</p>
<p>Any other stories?</p>
<p>Community college classes are easier, based on the opinion of people Iāve talked to who concurrently attend both 4-year institutions and CCs. HOWEVER there is a major misconception about this. CC classes are not easier because they are dumbed down, but because they are not taught in giant lecture halls by disinterested professors. Class sizes are small, you are taught by actual professors instead of grad students (because there are no grad students), and the focus is entirely on teaching. Not research, not failing you so they can keep their enrollment numbers down in certain majors, etc. Differential equations at a CC are the same as they are at State Flagship U., just taught differently (and better, according to the opinions of people Iāve talked to).</p>
<p>
True, this is what my S found at CC. There were many good & dedicated professors at CC, including one who previously had taught at Harvard. Class size is much smaller for intro courses & CCs tend to stop at mid-level courses. However, if you want advanced courses in a subject, you will need to go beyond community college.</p>
<p>That said, S found that the expectations between CC vs. 4-yr university were different. There was more reading required at 4-yr school, the length & quality of papers tended to be higher. A 200-level language course at the 4-yr school was much more difficult than the 200-level course he had just completed at CC. Many 4-yr students in our area take summer classes at CC to supplement or fulfill core requirements at their 4-yr school. This enables them to focus on their majors, complete a double major, or just take other electives.</p>
<p>S3 got his act together his last two years of high school, which was too little, too late. Went off to a JC, did well enough but didnāt like it, came back, lived at home and attended the local NY CC. Did very well - 4.0 in his major (math) and a few awards. Still not sure what to do with himself, he transferred to Quinnipiac - they took ALL his credits and he entered as a junior, plus gave him a transfer scholarship to boot. Started in their five-year BA/MAT program, decided he didnāt want to teach and left with degree in math and a 3.77 GPA. Applied to and was accepted into BCās grad program, but left after a semester due to finances. Now works at a bank, considering taking advantage of their education benefits to pursue a graduate degree or certificate.</p>
<p>A note on the rigor of CC classes - S found that, in his major, they were comparable in difficulty to those at QU. This may have had something to do with articulation agreements this CC had with in-state universities, such as Cornell and RPI. Also, a number of faculty were also adjuncts at local private universities (Vassar, Bard, Marist). He felt he got the same level of instruction at bargain prices.</p>
<p>He is in the best financial and employment situation of all four kids, having graduated with the least amount of debt, and has been successfully employed ever since.</p>
<p>As an aside, I must say how much I admire and respect some of the individuals who have posted on this thread. It takes enormous character and drive to come back from a difficult experience, whether academic or personal. Bravo to you all!</p>
<p>I can tell you that my multivariable calc teacherās tests and finals were more difficult than those at OSU and Purdueās multivariable calc classes. I can also tell you that taking a hybrid science course (you do reading and assignments at home and over the internet, but labs on-site) are more difficult than a regular science class because you are teaching yourself from the book. In a normal class you may only crack open the textbook now and then, or for homework. But when you are teaching yourself, you pretty much read the entire textbook (or at least the portion relevant to the class) so you wind up covering the maximum, rather than just what the teacher thinks is important for tests and finals.</p>
<p>I graduated high school in the top 5% of my class, but for financial reasons my parents were unable to send me to college. I paid my way through community college and knocked out all my general education requirements before transferring to a 4-year university.</p>
<p>My Solano College (California) GPA was 3.79, and I was accepted into every college I applied to, including UC Berkeley (#1 public school nationwide). Now Iām at UC Davis, just made the Deanās List and doing just as well as the students who started there as freshmen.</p>
<p>Now that Iām at a university, I can focus more on my major and minor classes. I also feel more well-rounded, experienced and motivated than my fellow classmates. While theyāve spent the last few years safe and sheltered in their dorms, I was out making a living on my own. Most importantly, I saved a TON of money! I wouldnāt change my CC experience for anything in the world.</p>
<p>I have a friend who went to a CC in NY for two years, then transferred to and graduated from a lesser SUNY. Now in his 40s he makes well over $500,000 a year.</p>
<p>Anymore success stories are appreciated</p>