<p>My parents say that they suck and that they're going to kick me out of the house if I go to one. They're Asian too. </p>
<p>Are they really that bad though? I heard that the slackers go there and that they provide TERRIBLE education. Is that true?</p>
<p>I need the truth here. I don't want a link to an article. I need real people telling me what they know (based on their experiences) about CCs</p>
<p>No, they’re not bad. They’re cheaper than regular colleges, of course, and then move to a four year college afterward.
I don’t think they’re bad at all. It just caters to people who have different needs than a four year can immediately fulfill.</p>
<p>You get out of college whatever you put into it. If you go to community college and are a total slacker, then yes, it’s going to suck. But if you take advantage of all that a it has to offer, and strive for excellence, then no, community college isn’t going to suck.</p>
<p>They’re nowhere near as rigorous and don’t offer a lot of upper-level classes (like any chem past Orgo or math past calc III in most cases) but they’re not HORRIBLE. They’re just easier and cheaper.</p>
<p>Oh and an important note; In my experience, if you want to be a math, science, or engineering major, it doesn’t behoove you to go to CC. Some people will say ‘Finish your gen eds there and then go to a university!’ but for technical majors that makes no sense. A lot of tech classes are a long chain of prerequisite courses and to try to cram them into 3 or 4 years (without any easier classes, since the person already took all the gen eds at a CC) is lunacy. And no, a CC calculus or physics class is not the same as a university calculus or physics class and most technical majors will not accept the credit from them. Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>I think they don’t compare to most colleges/universities. The ones around me are just awful and called the 13th grade. A few of my friends went there and in comparing our work for similar classes I thought theirs was far too easy.</p>
<p>However if you need to save money or had some trouble and need to pick up your grades then I would go to CC, otherwise I would stay far away, personally.</p>
<p>they are not bad… it actually depends on the professors
some want to provide university standard education, but the professors want everyone to succeed and there are usually people who are behind or have work schedule conflicts</p>
<p>not everyone there is a slacker. some go because it’s cheaper, but most assume it’ll be a cake walk to transfer into another school (dunno about the admissions for transfers but it can’t be that easy as some say)</p>
<p>if you want to know about CCs, take a class during the school year or the summer and experience it yourself…</p>
<p>I don’t think they’re bad.Of course, it depends on the school you choose and professor you get, but that’s the same of any traditional school. CC can be a good jumping board for some people.</p>
<p>I agree with collegepirate. School in general is about you. There are plenty of great classes, professors, friends to be made at any school. They are a GREAT learning enviornment there for the taking.</p>
<p>I know two people here at Caltech that took classes at community colleges and said the classes there were better taught, more organized, and helped them understand the material much better than they did at other classes here.</p>
<p>Not sure if that says they went to stellar CCs or something about the quality of teaching here.</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 our country can be proud that there’s a way for these people to get back on track (in contrast to a country like France, where a one-time placement exam in HS determines whether you can go to college, and which one).</p>
<p>And finally you have the students that people often have in mind when they diss 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, another 18% wanted an AA. The outcome 8 years later? Of all these 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]The%20Education%20Statistics%20Quarterly:%20Vol.%205,%20Issue%202,%202003:%20Postsecondary%20Education%20--%20Community%20College%20Students:%20Goals,%20Academic%20Preparation,%20and%20Outcomes[/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 , or in suburbs with higher average incomes.</p>
<p>Some community colleges are excellent, others are excellent for the right kind of student, and others are terrible.</p>
<p>There is absolutely no blanket description of the quality of community colleges.</p>
<p>Your local community college may be terrible-- Nassau Community College, my local one, is considered to be great by pretty much everyone I know who has ever stepped foot on their campus.</p>
<p>I hated community college. I felt like most of the kids there were screwups and very few were like me, the kids that wanted to save money and actually were somewhat smart. I did well in high school, got into 9 out of 10 colleges I applied to but decided on CC to continue playing tennis and save a lot of money. Well after getting out of Community college, I’m pumped because I saved a lot of money. Just realize, that you do have to try in CC bc I messed around my first 3 semesters and my gpa was ****ty for a cc but i ended up getting a 3.4 my 4th semester after i put in a lot of effort even though i had a busy schedule with work and tennis practice. Also meeting people in cc is harder imo unless you live in the dorms. My 1st year, I met a lot of people bc i played tennis but lived at home (hung out at the dorms with tennis friends every week which helped my social life). My 2nd year, I lived at the dorms and met a ton of people but CC sucks bc their are not really any parties due to no frats.</p>
<p>It really depends on the school. My brother transferred from a community college to a top 100 university and he says that he got a much better, more personal, hands-on learning experience at the CC. I also went to a supposedly decent college and found the academics there to be appallingly lacking. </p>
<p>Like people have said, you get out of your college experience what you put into it. If you really do want to learn you can do that pretty much anywhere with some measure of success.</p>
<p>CC is like a small pond. If you go into it determined, you can easily get a 4.0 and have your pick of EC’s. I’m a high school drop out but I went back to school at a CC, became student body president, have a killer GPA, and will have my pick of an assortment of top schools to transfer to. So as everyone else has mentioned, it is what you make of it. </p>
<p>If you want to transfer to a top school after 2 years, make sure you plan out your schedule accordingly so you take the prerequisites for transferring. Also challenge yourself and take as many honors courses as you can.</p>
<p>I go to community college, and it has its positive and negatives.
The positives are it is close to home. (I am married so that is a huge plus) I am a non-traditional student, going back to school since I joined the military after high school, it helps me get back in the swing of things. I have students that are 18 in my classes, and I have students that are in their 30’s and 40’s going back for a different degree. You see a ton of older adults in programs like nursing around community colleges. As far as academics go, it isn’t actually easy. My school goes by a 7pt system so you need to get a 93 to get an A. I have papers, homework, tests, everything a “traditional” student at a university has. </p>
<p>The downside is that many of my classmates don’t care about school. Im assuming they go to please their parents. They can’t keep track of when things are due, and waste class time asking stupid questions. Those are usually the people who drop out, and yes the drop-out rate is high. Another downside is you don’t get the “full college expierence”, but then again im married and don’t need it, lol.</p>
<p>in nj we have this thing called “nj stars” if you graduate in the top 15% of your hs and go to a CC for two years they’ll pay for your education so long as its a public university here in nj. of course we’re not really known for top public universities but hey four years of college free …</p>
<p>I go to a community college, and I’m perfectly fine with it and its people. Well, maybe not the people all together, but that’s only because the town’s a little too conservative for my liking. It’s true, some professors will be harder than others. Then again, since I have yet to have gone to a university I can’t compare the teachers- just as those who have not been to a community college can’t compare teachers. </p>
<p>My school actually has a very supportive environment, and I have yet to come across a student who did not want to be there. Everyone is excited about their major and looking forward to the future. There’s help when you need it, and no one’s going to laugh at you if you want help. I also have never come across anyone who seemed like they were a slacker in high school. For the most part, it just seems like everyone is there because being there is the convenient place for them to be. Going to a CC really does save you a LOT of money. Other people are there because they have families to take care of, full-time jobs to work, or they simply only want or need a 2-year degree for their career. Not to mention our school has great transfer programs to different universities.</p>
<p>I go to community college and it’s great. $26 a unit, a decent amount of clubs and ECs, at least half the classes taught by PhDs, honors classes with some very intelligent students, and guaranteed transfer to 7 out of 9 UCs.</p>
<p>Yes, in affluent educated communities there is generally a stigma associated with going to a community college, particularily when one’s family has the money to finance a traditional 4 year education. However, it doesn’t make sense to broadly ascribe a value judgment of “good” or “bad” to CCs. They serve important functions e.g. affordable, accessible education and being a staging ground for motivated students who for whatever reason cannot directly enter a traditional institution, so in that respect, I’d say that they are “good.” </p>
<p>A better question would be “is community college right for me?” If you’re motivated and high achieving and your parents are willing and able to finance your education, then no, CC probably isn’t the best choice.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Depends on what class and how. Supplementally, like over the summer or during high school, CCs are pretty good. As a replacement for a core class in your major? Usually no way. And perhaps your CCs are better than most. I have heard from a few friend out there and they seem to really enjoy Californian CCs.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not to be a prick or anything, but transferring from CC to a normal uni is harder than going from high school to college. A 4.0 and a very high class rank are a lot easier to get in a CC than in high school and most adcoms know this. I wish you the best but until you actually have the acceptance letters, it means little to the OP. I’ve seen lots of kids from our local CC (the top one in the state) brag about how they were going to transfer to an Ivy or the flagship university but very, very few made it.</p>