I am a California resident planning to move to New York after graduating high school, but I would like to know from a current/former New York resident which community colleges they would recommend. I would like to know a list of community colleges that New York residents usually attend in order to finish their general education. I have never visited/lived in New York, so I do not know what community college admissions are like either. I am starting my senior year of high school (Class of 2017), with Ds on my transcript from previous semesters. I also have Fs, but I made them up in summer school with a C or better. My overall GPA is a 3.1. My UC/CSU GPA is a 2.8. I am going to be applying to colleges this year, so I would like to know if I am eligible for any of these community colleges as well.
Community colleges are a joint venture between SUNY and the county in which they are located. There are 30 of them scattered around the state.
It might be helpful to point out that New York is quite large, so you would simply select the school nearest you once you establish residency.
The CCs are a tremendous bargain, with tuition in the neighborhood of $2000-2500 per semester. I believe admissions are open, meaning that you will not be denied once you are a resident.
All are fine to fulfill gen ed requirements and all offer transfer to a four-year SUNY campus.
Monroe Community College. See http://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/new-york
New York is a huge state. Where in NY are you planning to move? Or are you planning to base your location on the CC that you select?
Some community colleges are CUNY schools, adding to the previous poster who pointed out that they were SUNY.
TCCC has a great relationship with Cornell for articulating in (also known as TC3)
CUNY CCs that are excellent include LaGuardia CC in Queens and BMCC in downtown Manhattan. There are several others in NYC – http://www2.cuny.edu/about/colleges-schools/
I just wanted to add that Guttman is a completely rethought program. 1) gorgeous historic building in midtown Manhattan; 2) across the street from lovely Bryant Park and the super-famous main library with the stone lions of the NYPL system; 3) program is intended to rethink how CCs work. Admissions are different and they want to guide and support students at this school. If I were guiding my child about CC I’d say: Look at Guttman becuase it’s different. The reason it was designed this way is because CC drop-out rates are normally high because there’s little support. Guttman aims to change that.
One school that’s often overlooked for its CC aspect, because it’s so outstanding for its many other programs, is SUNY FIT for fashion, photography, some business courses, film.
If you’re a traditionally underrepresented group or first-gen admit, Vassar has a program with CCs in NY and elsewhere–
http://eter.vassar.edu/
California Community Colleges Tuition/Fees are the lowest in the US, at about $46/credit. For 30 credits, the annual tuition/fees would be less than $1,500 or ~$3K for two years. The Tuition/Fee for one of the CUNY CC is roughly $5.2K per year for instate students and ~$7.7K for out of state students. SUNY CC for OOS students would be about ~$493/credit or $12K per year. Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to complete your General Ed credits at a California CC and possibly transfer to a 4-year institution NY State? Or are there other compelling reasons for attending a CC in NYS/NYC?
@brantly Since I have never visited New York, I am not familiar with the cheapest areas to live in New York. However, I did google search “affordable places to live in New York,” but I’ll feel more comfortable receiving advice from actual New York residents about this topic, instead of Google. I am willing to base my location on a CC that I select, but I am interested in living in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New York City.
@Dustyfeathers Thank you for all the information! I’ll definitely keep all those places in mind, but I have a question. What is CUNY and SUNY? Based on my knowledge about schools in California, we have CC, CSU, and UC. Do you mind providing a brief explanation on how the New York school system is like compared to California with colleges and music schools? Since I want to pursue a music major, I would be interested in New York University and Columbia University for music education, after I finish my general education at a CC. Other majors that I’m considering is music engineering as well (AKA music/audio technology). Also, do you know any contemporary music schools in New York by any chance? I’ve heard of The New School for Music and the Manhattan School of Music, but I am not too sure about their reputation. I am worried that if I go to a CC and transfer to a University or music school (conservatories), that my credits will not transfer within schools in New York, or even California if I move back and forth. It is because I am planning to pursue a bachelors and masters, not just my bachelors in music.
@Middleman68 If I fulfill my general education requirements at a CC in New York, would I be eligible to transfer to a music school/conservatory in New York? What I am wondering is if my high school grades even matter if I am trying to go straight to a music school/conservatory in New York right after high school, but I heard that everyone is required to complete 2 years of general education. I am not sure if music schools/conservatories (e.g., The New School, Manhattan School of Music) provide general education requirements, like CC, CSU, and UC schools do in California. If music schools/conservatories in New York do not consider grades as much, I would definitely skip all this CC planning, but I am worried that I cannot have my credits transferred if I want to pursue a bachelors and masters degree at a different college of my choice (e.g., NYU, Columbia). I also go on this website to figure out which school is the best for my major (music education/music production): https://www.careersinmusic.com/music-schools-new-york/
@Jamrock411 The reason why I’m considering CC in New York after high school, is because I would want to establish my residency as soon as possible before I start to pursue a bachelors and masters in music at a university (e.g., NYU, Columbia). I am hoping to find a job in New York after that with my degrees. Also, I am planning to live there for the majority of my life after high school. But I do see your point with finishing my general education in California first, and then moving to New York if I get accepted to any of the schools I apply to. But I am also interested in attending a music school/conservatory in New York as well.
So you are interested in living in the city of New York, not just anywhere in the state of New York. That narrows it down. SUNY is State University of New York. CUNY is City University of New York, which is the city college system in NYC. Not sure any other city has something comparable to CUNY.
Start your research on these websites:
https://www.suny.edu/
http://www2.cuny.edu/
CUNY has at least two well-regarded music schools. CUNY also has bargain basement prices for education. Check out the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens – http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/music/
Also check out the music school at Brooklyn College – http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/schools/mediaarts/departments/music.php
Baruch is usually considered the business-school arm of CUNY but it also has a music department – http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/areas_of_study/arts_and_humanities/music.htm
Because CUNY has several colleges (community colleges in all 5 boroughs; senior colleges in all 5 boroughs; specialized colleges such as for criminal justice and for business; law school; medical school; an outstanding honors program, graduate programs, etc.) it’s hard to keep it all straight. Here is a tool to help you find their programs – http://tipps.cuny.edu/cgi-bin/RegisteredPrograms/menu.pl?STYLE=NEW&GRADONLY=NO
Here is the page that offers a narrative description of the CUNY system. http://www2.cuny.edu/academics/
Many local NYC people know that these schools offer a lot and they are inexpensive. You also have access to the many resources of NYC–all of the networking connections and the work connections and internships.
Columbia, NYU, Manhattan School of Music are all wonderful schools, but boy-oh-boy the cost. New School is also good but check their financial aid–my understanding is that it’s pretty non-existent. Enterprising people have gotten great educations at CUNY for a bargain. I’ve said on CC that one smart cookie could come to NYC for a gap year and get residency and work experience, and then get their degree at CUNY for cheap. They would get all that NYC has to offer. Several stellar students I know have gladly gone to CUNY to get their BAs for zero debt and then put their measure of debt into grad school.
For your ambitions, you may want to look ahead to Purchase College (part of SUNY) and their music conservatory. Should you successfully establish residency, it could be an excellent option for you.
I know this is a bit late, but I would look into the requirements for residency if I were you.
For example, if you’re still financially dependent (if your parents provide for 51% of your necessities) and they reside in another state, it’s my understanding that you won’t be eligible to become a resident of New York until you’re legally independent, which occurs at the age of 24.
You also don’t need to worry about residency, except for state-based financial aid, if you’re looking at universities such as Columbia or New York University for your Bachelor’s and/or Master’s. These are both expensive private schools and charge the same tuition, regardless of where you reside.
And unless you’re somewhat wealthy or are willing to room with multiple people, I’d stay away from Manhattan and much of New York City. (Side note, Manhattan is a borough of New York City. The city proper is composed of Staten Island, Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn.)
Upstate is generally cheaper, even in cities such as Buffalo, Albany, or Rochester than in New York City. I’m fortunate enough to live with parents who are willing to put up with me until I transfer out of my community college on Long Island.
You’d be able to find a decent education in one of the community college’s north of the city, and if it’s a SUNY, virtually all of the credits will transfer to other SUNY institutions. You (or your parents) will also save a fair amount of money by attending a CC outside of the boroughs, and you could then move downstate to continue your education at a four-year institution.
To establish residency you’ll need to work full-time for a year before you enroll. Your likely target once you’re done is SUNY Purchase.
Columbia and Barnard admit freshmen, but you need to be a stellar applicant (32 act /1450 new sat, 3.75+ GPA with mostly honors /ap classes, excellence in your chosen field so for you music.)