<p>In our densely-populated slice of the Northeast, the “community colleges” are two-year county colleges, and they do not have dorms. Nor do they have de facto dorms in the form of apartments that are largely rented by students. The counties are geographically small, and people commute from home. Within any one county, it is an inherently easy commute. They confer associates’ degrees and various certificates. Our home county has a great school, so that’s the obvious initial prospect. </p>
<p>If one should proceed to finish a Bachelor’s, it will involve a transfer. While a leopard may change its spots, as UCB notes, and access to more four-year schools may open up, it’s responsible to assume that the leopard will not change its spots, and begin to investigate the likely options.</p>
<p>I guess my real question is, when you visit a college, how do you discern the weekend character? Asking the tour guide, and other students you can strike up conversation with, is one way, of course. Looking at the school newspaper and asking to see the list of official activities might help. But I’d like to hear about people’s experiences. I also think it might matter what year the student is in. A sophomore tour guide may enjoy a vibrant weekend life from his perspective, whereas juniors or seniors may feel differently. I had the personal experience of staying every weekend at a school that became a suitcase school by junior year, and it’s not fun.</p>
<p>If directionals (or their private academic counterparts) do tend to be suitcase schools, particularly at the upper level, then it might be important to hedge one’s bets by staying within personal suitcase distance.</p>