<p>I'll either be attending SMC, SBCC, or Mira Costa college all in CA. I feel so under-prepared for college because HS classes were too easy(no AP or honors), I earned over 100% in most without too much effort. I've heard people say college classes are waayy tougher and require a lot of critical thinking. I've been doing my research and many students say teachers at SMC, specifically, don't typically give A's. The reason I'm so concerned is because I want to transfer to Rice U. and it's extremely selective. So any info you have on how difficult college classes are would be helpful. Thanks everyone:)</p>
<p>What I realized is that showing up and turning in the work will get you at least a C+ in a CC class doing all of the work with no effort may get you a C+ or a B-. If you show up to every class and put effort into your work a A is really easy to get in CC and even in a University setting it is easy to get a A by showing up and doing your work.</p>
<p>I agree with previous post. If you do the work, and actually put in some effort, A’s are not that difficult in most classes. I’m not a science major, but I would imagine those classes would be more difficult.</p>
<p>I’d imagine a science course would be easier because unlike English and other social sciences, the grading isn’t nearly as subjective.</p>
<p>Like Mgyeldell said, if you do the work, and put the time into doing said work, you shouldn’t have any issues.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of any reputable community colleges around Dallas?</p>
<p>Not sure exactly where you are in Dallas, but Collin County Community College are really good. They have campuses in Frisco, Plano, and 2 others I can’t remember. I have a friend going to a Dallas County CC right now, and his advisors have been great. I lived in Dallas for a few years but I never took classes there.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the other posters. Unless they went to an easier CC or they have a “weaker” major, I don’t see how they felt that way. With that in mind, I realize I only went to one CC and took one major, so this question might be subjective, and everyone won’t have the same experience.</p>
<p>I majored in biology and it was a lot more than “just showing up and doing the work” to get an “A.” For starters, there wasn’t “work” or homework like high school. I had 4 exams, and that was the entirety of my grade plus the final exam. I probably pulled an all-nighter once every week for those two years.</p>
<p>Class sizes generally ranged from 20-30 students for me. Most professors didn’t give out more 5-6 “A’s.” They told us that on the first day of classes. </p>
<p>I can see that this wouldn’t be the same experience if you were a business, English, music major, etc. But when you’re taking Bio, organic chem, physics, calculus, and some other gen Ed requirement each semester, studying will become your life.</p>
<p>You’ll have to get feedback from people with your major or that went to the CC you’re going to attend to get the most accurate answer. Honestly, I don’t think you could easily receive an A in any class just by showing up.</p>
<p>No one said you can show up and get an A. We said showing up and turning in work gets you a C. Putting in effort gets you an A. Different majors require different strengths. Don’t get it twisted I work 40+ hours a week, carry 15-18 units, and have received only 1 B for the past 37 units. Never said you could sleep your way to an A, but at a CC, it’s not the hardest thing in the world. Lets keep it real.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info everyone. So it generally requires more work and effort than high school right? How does community college compare to 4-year institutions in terms of academic difficulty?</p>
<p>P.S. I plan on majoring in mathematics.</p>
<p>@2016Candles did you still have time to participate in clubs, honors, sports, etc? Did you ever feel overwhelmed and like giving up?</p>
<p>I don’t do traditional ECs because I do work FT, and like to have somewhat of a social life. There are times it can feel overwhelming, but that’s when step back, take a breath, and reassess your priorities. I’m speaking of short term priorities to help manage your daily schedule. For me giving up isn’t an option- I gave up years ago, and now I’m back. Unless you want to be like me working on your AA at 30, you can’t let giving up be an option for yourself.</p>
<p>@2016 Great advice. Thank you so much. Just curious but what’s your major and do you plan on transferring to a 4-year?</p>
<p>Psychology. I’ll finish up my AA this fall, after only 3 semesters and 1 summer. I’ll be transferring to a 4 year Fall 14.</p>
<p>2016Candles: I never said that anyone said “you can show up and get an A.” I said “showing up and doing the work.” In an earlier post you said “if you do the work, and actually put in some effort, A’s are not that difficult.” That post was consistent with Mgyeldell’s post which said, “if you show up to every class and put effort into your work a A is really easy to get.” I disagree with those assertions, at least in my experience. That’s the regimen I would use for getting a C. </p>
<p>My problem was that you both said it was “easy” or “not that difficult” to get an A if you just put in “some” effort. This could have been your experience, which is why I wanted to offer another experience and which is why I prefaced my comments with the idea that everyone may have a different experience.</p>
<p>It’s important to understand that a fair amount of community college students didn’t take every single AP class available to them in high school. However, some people have to go to CC’s for financial reasons, even if they did very well in high school. People who took a lot of AP courses or even honors courses in high school will be far more prepared for CC’s, however by working hard any student can do well. If you didn’t take college level courses in high school, you may have to study a bit more than usual but it shouldn’t be so difficult where you will be constantly stressed out. Just do your work, study in between classes if you can, and study at home, before tests, etc.</p>
<p>
I’m lucky enough to attend a CCC that is often regarded to be in the top 5% of CCs in the *nation<a href=“numerous%20students%20xfer%20to%20UCBerkeley,%20UCLA,%20and%20other%20top%20colleges%20every%20year”>/i</a> and have straight A’s through 50 units (~33 semester units), which includes nearly all my GE including Biology, Astronomy, etc. My intended major is Economics, which means I have had to prepare with Macro, Micro, Statistics (which many students actually find very difficult), and Calculus. I also work 40+ hours/week. Getting nearly a 4.0 wasn’t terribly difficult (read: challenging). I started CC almost 6 years after finishing HS and was nervous about my future success, but after that first academic term, I found a groove to get the A’s.</p>
<p>Actually attending class and paying attention to lectures/demonstrations, doing homework assignments (if there are any), and actively studying (even just a little the day or night before a test) brought me all my A’s. Only one or two classes actually challenged me in a thought-provoking way; my Macroeconomics class was taught by a professor who also teaches Macro part-time at Stanford and his class kicked my behind - but I loved it and still got an A.</p>
<p>I concur with the majority opinion that it’s not that difficult (again, read: challenging). Most of it is going through the motions of notes, homework, study, quiz/test, rinse and repeat. Once in a while you’ll find those classes that take you to another level. Savor those classes and if you truly put forth an extra effort (more studying, tutoring, whatever), then an A is not out of reach for those either.</p>
<p>Find your groove, prioritize your academics with the rest of your life (family, work, clubs, etc), and straight A’s shouldn’t become that hard to accomplish (barring severe long term illness and other obvious interferring circumstances).</p>
<p>With that in mind, it’s rare to find a class where just showing up will net you the A. Typically a student at least needs to pay attention and take notes of the lectures and understand how the professor is breaking down all the concepts for the student - unless the student comes into a class already with a vast understanding of the course material.</p>
<p>If I didn’t work full-time, I’d probably bore myself to death of the routine (or just join some club, I guess).</p>
<p>I also think it’s worth mentioning: do not be afraid of getting extra help outside of class to ensure your success (in this context, the A). For every math class I have I make sure I get with a study group or go to the tutoring center on campus because math was never my strongest area. I know for sure that if I didn’t proactively seek out some assistance in my first math classes at CC (or stay up all night practicing problems) that I would not have been as successful. Get help where you think you need it.</p>
<p>My view may be a little skewed as a war veteran, but there are more stressful situations in life than “getting an A”. The feat is absolutely possible for nearly anyone and it won’t break the back – although, some of the backpacks students wear these days might.</p>
<p>I got to a CC and ill be completely honest in how its been in my situation. Business classes like Economics, Statistics, etc have been VERY easy for me. Its almost a joke in how easy they are. Science classes (Gen Chem, Gen Bio are the only 2 series I’ve taken) are wayyy harder because they only give a limited amount of A’s. Our Chem 2 prof said only 5% would get A’s so in a class of 60 that meant 3 (or 4). Usually, introductory GE courses are very easy like Sociology, Psychology, etc but the Pre-Med courses are a bit harder. They aren’t impossible like some people describe but they are certainly no cake-walk. So far I have straight A’s but its WAYYY more than just showing up to class. In science classes they WILL fail you if you don’t study but in GE’s its usually pretty easy to get a C/B by just showing up to the lecture but the A’s come from actually reading the book and testing your knowledge. I took 6 APs/2 honors in high school so I’m kind of used to hard classes so CC was a bit easier for me until I hit the second semester (Gen Chem 2). I still got an A but I definitely had to study a lot for it.</p>