<p><3 to everyone on here, because we all made the smarter choice…and never regretted it! This thread makes me happy.</p>
<p>Just finished up on my first year of community college and I like it so far :)). First semester was ehhh (not involved, bitter,etc.). I still made friends and such but I had to deal with (far away) friend drama all the time and their complaints/excitement over their awesome four year colleges, so it kind of took a toll. But I did get (and am continuing to get!) good grades! 
4.00000 this semester baby, haha. </p>
<p>Just this past semester I got more involved and it defintely helped! I have a job now too, so my summer is actually quite pleasant! :] Going to a CC is saving a TON of money too, and I’m glad I’m not going to be like some of my friends who will have a decent load of debt on their shoulders. $26/unit FTW! 
Plus, by the time I “graduate” from my CC, I’ll be head to UCI (my “dream” school, at least for undergrad), have my AA, and have a completed TAG and IGETC this Fall. Booyaaa! Yay for being ahead when I transfer!!!</p>
<p>And a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all of you on here! We’re all awesome! ^_^</p>
<p>I got to disagree that choosing a CC is better. You’re posting on a UC transfers forum, so be prepared for most replies coming from biased-CC students. I went to a CC out of high school and I really loved it. But really thinking about it, CC is just another form of high school. I kept telling myself “Hey, I’m saving money…there’s so many classes…small class environment…I can go to a great university after…going to CC is basically like attending a UC except I won’t stay there.”</p>
<p>Then I really thought about it and realized I was wrong. Out of high school I got into UC Davis and I was going to go, but I kept thinking “ill just do well at CC and transfer.” Looking back at it, I really think UCD would have been a great choice. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>That dorm experience is seriously worth it. You find out so much more about yourself and others once you become so close with all these incoming freshman. If you tend to be a loner or are not completely social, then this part may not apply to you or you might have had different outcomes. But the fun/experiences you have here is immeasurable. It’s not the same with on-campus living as transfers. You’re older, hopefully more wise, and most importantly…ARE NOT FRESHMAN. College is so much different in the mind of a freshman. One of my siblings went to UCR out of hs and we all thought that was a bad choice. A year later, she became such a social and outgoing person from living in the dorms. She joined a sorority and the times/experiences she has there make her feel like she made the best choice. Also she was able to graduate early because she was able to take most of her upper-divs in her 2nd year (huge disadvantage for CC’ers). Now you might say, “Dude…your sis went to UCR. Does she live in a box?” No, she actually works as a financial analyst in New York. How did she get the connections for that job? Her sorority. How did she pick that sorority? All of her dormmates joined it, so she did too.</p></li>
<li><p>Not going to lie, telling someone you go to a CC is like telling them you failed in hs. My family is Asian and so are all our family friends (huge community). They were actually fine with my sis going to UCR, but thought I was stupid because I ended up going to CC with all the other “stupid” kids. </p></li>
<li><p>Jobs. Getting a prestige internship in CC is pretty difficult. It’s doable and I’ve heard stories about students getting there, but it’s really not often. I’m not talking about “LOL I WORK AS A TELLER @BANK” or “LOL I WORK AT NASA.” I’m talking about working with the big boys. I have so many friends at Cal, UCD, UCI, SCU, USC, and even UCSC who get offered great internships with selective companies because their university is well known and they offer very specialized courses (upper divs) that are needed to succeed in jobs. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Overall, I know I had great fun at a CC… but I think I would have had an amazing time at a 4-year. I don’t dwell in the past though, so I’m looking forward to fall :D</p>
<p>^ So basically dorming(but only in FRESHMAN year) is the greatest life experience ever and people will think we are stupid for going to CC. Damn we are screwed</p>
<p>If that is all you can extrapolate from my behemoth-length essay, then I would understand you are from a CC.</p>
<p>OH NO I DIDN’!!</p>
<p>behemoth-length??</p>
<p>lol please</p>
<p>step ur game up</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I’m new to these forums. Where is the [/sarcasm] tag? Or do I just type that?</p>
<p>Well, to get into the UC’s with the best priority? Yes
Socially? NOOOOOO. nono no no.
But that could because I didn’t go to high school on this side of the country haha.
I mean, I got a fine education here, but it would have been easier if I went here after high school, not after 1.5 years of being at a 4 year haha. It was just weird for me.</p>
<p>I did very well in high school and got accepted into the UC system, but we didn’t have the money for it :/. That’s the reason why I’m going to a CC, not because I’m a freaking failure, but because my family COULDN’T AFFORD IT. T_T</p>
<p>Gah, as annoying as it is, money sure solves a TON of problems… >.<</p>
<p>what about applying for scholarships</p>
<p>People like to say, “community college is just like highschool”, but I call bs. Going straight to a 4 year is closer to highschool, you’re surrounded by highschool peers that all have similar cookie cutter life experiences, practiced for the SAT, did community service in highschool, very stable middle class upbringings, very little life experience.</p>
<p>@ my cc, the average age of my peers was like 23. I have met people who served in iraq, afghanistan, people who already had bachelors degrees, people from different countries, cities and states, people who work full time jobs, people with mental disorders, I even recently met a girl who was stripping her way through college, she plans on transferring to UCLA.</p>
<p>The point of this behemoth-long post is to say, that if you learned nothing about yourself or about life from your CC experience, then I feel sorry for you, and enjoy your time at 4 year college where everyone thinks the same and looks the same.</p>
<p>P.S. for the record making friends and meeting people in CC is NOT that hard (if you play your cards right you can even get LAID a couple of times, seriously!)</p>
<p>I absolutely hated my junior college. Especially with all the budget cuts, it was extremely depressing to plan to stay for another year–to put off life for another year–when I couldn’t sign up for a class. </p>
<p>Junior college is also isolating…I’ve been here for two years and I haven’t made any friends. I still have the life experience and mindset of a high school student.</p>
<p>I thank god every day that I’m finally transferring out. I still can’t believe it’s happening!</p>
<p>“Going straight to a 4 year is closer to highschool, you’re surrounded by highschool peers that all have similar cookie cutter life experiences, practiced for the SAT, did community service in highschool, very stable middle class upbringings, very little life experience.”</p>
<p>^A 4 year is nothing even close to that. Maybe you should put down the season dvd’s of Gossip Girl and actually make some friends who go to a 4-year. You will begin to realize that the people you encounter are completely different than your regular “high school” student. </p>
<p>Also on the contrary, I think entering CC students might be more high schoolish than an entering 4-year. This is just an initial thing, because most college students mature over time (regardless of what type of school they attend). Even though there are students who were accepted at 4 years and still chose to go to a CC, most of the students I witness at a CC are the kids in my school that just did “average” or even had trouble in HS.</p>
<p>The only thing I see CC being good for is getting transfer priority. Otherwise I would never second guess my choice of going to a UC. Yes, I did spend ~40k for two years, but the networking connections, internships, early chances to take upper-div courses, and all the experiences I had were completely worth it.</p>
<p>Yeah greentea is extremely biased and I like how he generalizes 4-year students as all being the same with no special life experiences. In case you didn’t know, 4-year students are just as diverse as cc ones.</p>
<p>I got into UC Merced and SFSU out of high school and CC sounded better than both of those.</p>