<p>Is there any disadvantage to doing your prereq's at a community college and then transferring to a state college vs. attending a prestigious one?
I am trying to minimize debt but at the same time don't want to be a disadvantage.
I am a middle-class white American male so I don't think I'll be getting any scholarships.</p>
<p>bump 10char</p>
<p>There’s nothing inherently wrong with it. But who actually wants to go to community college, if given the chance to go to a prestigious college?</p>
<p>Why go to a 4-year instead of thru a CC?</p>
<p>CC’s tend to serve several populations, all of whom are enrolled in the same classes. You have retired people (and sometimes working people in evening classes) who take classes for general interest. You have students who due to financial or other constraints intend on getting a 4-year degree but start in a CC. You have some students who finally got serious about education after HS when they realized they weren’t working hard enough in HS to get into a 4-year college. And finally you have the students that people often have in mind when they 'dis CCs, those who maybe don’t belong there. These days its somewhat frowned upon to finish HS with no intention of college. Many parents expect their kids to go to college, even if Johnny has no interest in doing so. The CC plays the role of bridge between HS and the “real world” for these students, allowing them to at least give a show of attending college before quitting.</p>
<p>And there are lots of these students! Stats show that about 2/3 HS graduates enroll in college, and that 42% of all students in college are at 2-year schools. The outcome stats that follow kids over 6-8 years clearly show this “CC bridge-out effect”. In a US Gov’t study of traditional CC students (kids who went to CC right after HS) 63% reported they intended to eventually get a 4-year degree and another 18% said they were aiming for an AA degree. The outcome 8 years later? Out of those students, only 21% got a 4-year degree and another 18% got an AA. **In other words, 81% of those entering a CC said they were going to get a degree but only 31% actually did<img src=“Source:%20%5Burl=http://nces.ed.gov/programs/quarterly/vol_5/5_2/q4_1.asp]Education%20Statistics%20Quarterly:%20Vol.%205,%20Issue%202,%202003[/url]” alt=“/b”></p>
<p>Peer effects play a big role in how people do in life; in HS, in college, at work. There is a fair amount of social pressure to conform to what the community standards are if you want to get along and make friends. So if only 1 out of 5 of the more traditional kids at a CC are going to end up with a 4-year degree, 80%+ of your peers are probably not going to be setting good examples of how to study, attitude towards academics, or be good to get together with to figure out homework and study. Ask too many questions in class, complain the instructor is going at too slow a pace or is just checking off the homework was turned in and not bothering to actually correct them, and someone is likely to set you straight as to school norms (perhaps with their fists).</p>
<p>Keep in mind, too, that CC students tend to come from the local area and live at home. So social opportunities are going to be different, as well as the sense of getting away from home and taking part in the college experience. And it can be harder to make friends at a new school after you xfer from a CC. When the frosh show up, everyone is in the same boat – nervous & knowing few if any people on campus. One of the easiest time to make new acquaintances (some of which will turn into friends) is the early period of frosh year. By junior year the continuing students have had a lot of their friends 2 years, sharing a history with them. It’s not impossible to make new friends as a junior xfer, and the more outgoing you are the easier it is, but a lot of xfers can tell you what it feels like to go into a classroom of 25 people and it seems like 24 of the other people in there already know each other.</p>
<p>Time is also compressed for CC xfer students. It might take a semester to really feel at home at a college – learning about the clubs, what leisure time activities are around, finding good hangouts, getting to know the rep of different classes and profs so you can make better choices when signing up for classes, just generally finding your way around. As a frosh you have 7 semesters after that to go; as a junior xfer you have 3. If you think about applying to grad school which is commonly done senior year, kids that have been at the school since frosh year have had 3 years to get to know faculty members for recs. Those interested in research have had 3 years to build up responsibilities in the lab so they have something significant to list.</p>
<p>I’m not saying not to do it; for many students a CC turns out to be the best choice for a number of reasons. And there are CC’s that do much better than average; often ones located near a major U since kids enroll their with intent to xfer such as Santa Monica CC near UCLA, or in suburbs with high average incomes such as DeAnza CC in Silicon Valley.</p>
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<p>Depends… what is your intended major, and what are your academic and career goals?</p>
<p>Sometimes, the state university is prestigious for specific majors, more so than a generally more prestigious university. And some state universities are prestigious overall – consider the flagship universities in California, Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, etc. (which state are you a resident of?).</p>
<p>The community college and transfer route is certainly an option for a committed student. State universities often streamline the transfer process for community college students. But you will want to check to see if the community college has all of the freshman and sophomore level courses for your major – otherwise, you may be playing catch up as soon as you transfer, with very tight scheduling or delayed graduation after you transfer. In that case, it may be better to attend the state university (or other university) starting as a freshman.</p>
<p>As far as scholarships go, you may find some automatic (based on GPA and test scores) merit scholarships at some schools which would be safety-level for you. For example, [University</a> of Alabama](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]University”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html) gives free tuition to those who meet specified GPA and test score minimums (though currently it costs about $15,000 per year in non-tuition expenses).</p>
<p>You really do need to find out what your financial situation is. Maybe a CC for two years, and followed by two years at a state U is the only way you can truly afford your education. Maybe it is just a way to save a few dollars that don’t necessarily need to be saved. Only you and your parents know which category you fall into. Sit your parents down, and ask them what they are willing to pay.</p>
<p>As a general rule, the parents who are active in the financial aid forum would tell you that you should keep your total college debt within the limits allowed by the federal loan programs. In other words, no more than the maximum allowable each year for Stafford Loans (and Perkins if you are eligible).</p>
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I plan on doing something like chemistry or biology in order to apply to medical school. Really I’m just trying to get into and out of medical school without a mountain of debt.
And I am a resident of Texas, and am guaranteed admission to UT due to the 10% rule.
I’ll finish my degree there after CC.</p>
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<p>I can’t afford prestigious college, so I have to do CC instead.</p>
<p>UT Austin is prestigious. But check carefully the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How “guaranteed” admission is for transfer students (i.e. what GPA etc. thresholds in CC are needed).</p></li>
<li><p>Medical school policies on taking pre-med courses at community colleges as opposed to four year colleges.</p></li>
<li><p>Your backup plan if you do not get into medical school. Biology and chemistry majors tend to have a hard time in the job market at the bachelor’s level, since those are popular majors with pre-meds, the great majority of whom do not get into any medical school. You can take the pre-med courses around any major.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>When/If you gave kids, make sure you start saving early so they don’t have to make those dreaded financial decisions</p>
<p>From what I see, some of it depends on the practice in different areas of the country. In my state, WI, it seems the CCs, called tech schools till just recently, are seen as a less prestigious option. My kids would not have considered going. But I think it would have been a fine option educationally speaking. Our local CC has great instructors and smaller class size than the big universities, as well as classes designed to mesh with the big university that will give you the BS/BA. There are no TAs, and instructors are there to really each, rather than research. There are plenty of smart folks at our local CC, but socioeconomically more diverse than you’d find starting at a 4 year school, and there is certainly a mix with those who find college challenging. </p>
<p>When young, I lived in CA and AZ, where the CC system was where most people headed right after HS. The local CC had great instructors, and an ambitious student body headed to the UCs and higher ranked CSU schools. When I transfered to a CSU school, I was disappointed, as it was far less intellectually stimulating than my CC. </p>
<p>A friend from my CA hometown was talking with me about our mutual CC experience. She teaches at the U here, and says she never talks about starting at a CC among Wisconsin colleagues, as they don’t get it. Geographic difference. </p>
<p>So I’d say, go for it, if the social life issues don’t matter to you, as mentioned by mikemac above, and you can stick to your goal of top notch grades. Saving money for med school is a fine goal, and you’ll be better prepared for the actual practice of medicine if exposed to a diversity of people and life situations early on. </p>
<p>Regarding white male and scholarships-you don’t know till you’ve tried, and it really depends on what you’re looking for in a four year school.</p>
<p>I teach at a state flagship university, UVA, that has an articulation agreement with community colleges in the state. Those who complete two years of cc with a sufficiently high GPA–I think around a 3.8-- are guaranteed admission. The advantages: 1) it is much, much cheaper than attending the flagship for all 4 years. 2) many students–especially those who buckle down as they mature–can do excellent work in CC even though they were mediocre hs students, or had lowish SAT scores, and wouldn’t have been admitted to the flagship at 18.</p>
<p>The disadvantages: 1) the majority of students at UVA are there for all 4 years so the transfers have to play catch-up socially. It’s hard to rise to leadership positions in clubs, or play on sports teams, if you’re only around for a couple of years. Most students at UVA love their time there and don’t want to shorten it–my S, for instance, came in with enough AP and college credit to graduate in 2 1/2 years but wants to stay for the whole 4, doing a double major and taking a lot of farflung enrichment courses. 2) the cc courses purport to cover the same material as the UVA underclass courses, but they are often not as demanding in actuality. That’s not surprising given that UVA is a pretty selective school, whereas almost anybody can enroll in cc. This doesn’t seem to hurt some students, but others flounder. They have to come to UVA knowing what they want to major in, and prepared to succeed.</p>
<p>Statistically speaking, this latter issue doesn’t seem to be a big one. A dean told me that the cc transfers have considerably lower grades in their first semester at UVA, but after that, they adapt and do just as well as anybody else. However, I’ve had a number of cc transfers in my classes who haven’t remotely been prepared for the level of expectation. This can be upsetting for both student and teacher–especially if the student is flunking out of the subject in which he or she intended to major.</p>
<p>UT Austin is a prestigious university, FalconPunched. If you can’t afford somewhere like say, Stanford or Harvard, without scholarships…don’t go. Having mounds of debt is not worth it, especially if you want to go to medical school. Since you’re in the top 10%, (the rule is actually 9% for automatic admission for the Fall 2012/Spring 2012 applicants), you’re automatically in, which you know. Go to: </p>
<p>[Texas</a> Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.texasscholarships.org/]Texas”>http://www.texasscholarships.org/)</p>
<p>There are a buttload of scholarships on here that could help you out. Do you have an AP/IB credits? You could even try taking some dual credit classes, if your school offers those. I hope that helps!</p>