Community College to University Transfer

This questions is directed more towards engineers however if you have any input thats fine aswell. I know that engineering and finding jobs afterwards relies heavily on knowing your professors, going to career fairs and the internships you have. Im curious as to whether or not by transferring, Im going to miss out on any opportunities or limit my chances later in life. Im interested in Chemical Engineering specifically and my chances of getting into a really nice UC like Riverside or Irvine arent the highest so im preparing myself mentally for community college transferring. Im just worried that im not going to have the best education or future job. Any input on this issue would help!

Well, 1 out of 3, or maybe 1.5 out of 3. Knowing your profs is key if you want to go on to a PhD program but plays little importance for most people in getting a job out of undergrad. There may be a 2nd-order effect, a prof you know suggests an internship she/he knows about.

Career fairs are a way to meet the employers that come to campus to recruit but not too many are looking for frosh or even soph level in a field like ChemE. So no disadvantage there. For something like CS someone who finished their sophomore year is ready to contribute but for engineering you’ve mostly just taken math/science prep courses and just one or two engineering classes. Look at the sample schedule at http://catalogue.uci.edu/thehenrysamuelischoolofengineering/departmentofchemicalengineeringandmaterialsscience/#majorstext

What is really important is getting an internship after junior year.

Also it is interesting that you did not mention factor #4 in getting a job – your GPA. Some companies have an actual screening GPA before they will even talk to you, and everyone is going to notice if you are a C student.

Your question is sort of problematic. Let’s say you have to go the CC route. What does it matter what you may or may not miss out on by not starting in a 4 year institution if there’s no chance of starting in a 4 year institution? That’s like lamenting on what you’ll miss out on by not going to MIT when you have no chance of getting into MIT. It’s a pointless, fatalistic exercise focused on things you’ll never have rather than maximizing the opportunities in your grasp. What you should focus on is getting the best prep you can in CC so you actually can transfer to a 4 year institution. Then you’ll have 2+ years to meet professors (in your more important classes anyway) and attend career fair.

Agree with comments above. Another point: A lot of classes in the first couple of years of university tend to be larger anyway. If you are a strong student, then you can stand out in the third and fourth year after transferring to university where the classes tend to be more difficult and might be a bit smaller (although not necessarily all that small – I have had graduate school classes with well over a hundred students and probably over 200 in a few cases).

Definitely work hard in college, whether a community college or university. The courses will be more difficult than high school, you will need a high GPA to transfer, and a lot of what you learn in the first couple of years will be useful for many courses and for many years to come.

The best path is the one you can afford and is academically a match because nothing takes away from your school experience faster than being stressed about money and grades.

Look for a CC that has a solid transfer program to the UC you want.

My son went to Univ of Rochester and the local CC Monroe community college had a direct admit program to it.

I went to a CC for some prereqs of my major before going for my actual degree and the education was stellar so being a CC does not mean the schooling will not be as good.

The finding the jobs part really applies to the second half of your schooling. Juniors and seniors are who companies are interested in. You can still go to engineering job fairs at the UC you want to go and meet prospective employers. They will see that at proactive. So it is really what you do to find work/internships, not just the school you go to.

You can definitely go to a CC and still find internships and get ready for a career in engineering. I was in a similar position to yours a few years ago. I didn’t get into any schools I really wanted to go to, so I decided to attend a CC and transfer. It took me 3 years to transfer (I just applied), but mainly because I was working most of the time and some semesters I was only part-time. I’m sure if you really tried you can transfer in 2 years. So far I’ve had 3 internships somewhat related to my major (chemical engineering), and I’m getting ready for my fourth at a Department of Energy lab.

Honestly, in terms of academics and preparation, I don’t think you miss out on much if you go to a CC instead of a UC.

If you end up going to a CC I can give you some advice and info about internships. Good luck!