<p>I am looking into a Computer Science program to start, and have decided to go to community college for the first two years and then transfer out to a state college. There are two different community colleges near me. I am trying to decide between the two, and just have a few questions:</p>
<p>What kind of factors should I be looking at when deciding on the right Community College?
How do I differentiate between a good program and one that is not?
What kind of questions should I be asking the school representative when I speak with them?</p>
<p>Thanks for you help everyone! I'm looking forward to the journey! :)</p>
<p>If transferring is your priority, then the transferability of courses should be your first concern. Not all CCs have the same agreements with 4-year programs. Not all DEPARTMENTS have the same transfer agreements, either. You need to look at both, ideally with 1-2 specific universities in mind. (Also, be aware that individual courses need to transfer, not just credits, or you could end up repeating courses you’ve already taken.) If you’re planning to transfer out of state, you should figure out what schools in your state are comparable to the schools you want to attend, and get answers about transfer agreements with those comparable schools.</p>
<p>Note that admissions reps do not always know these kinds of details. Often you can find transfer agreements online. If not, the advisement office might know. Do not listen to anyone who says things like, “Well, I’m sure our courses blah blah blah.” You need facts, not good intentions.</p>
<p>Awesome. Thanks! I think I’m going to have to stick with in-state colleges. Do you have any recommendations for Computer Science programs that I should be looking into in New Jersey?</p>
<p>You should call each CC and to find out if they have an articulation agreement with Rutgers and what is their success rate in placing their student in the Rutgers NB Computer Science program. Rutgers has a very good CS department.</p>
<p><a href=“http://njtransfer.org/”>http://njtransfer.org/</a> probably has a lot of information about what courses transfer from CCs to universities in NJ. Use it to look up how well each CC covers the prerequisites for your major at the target universities. Be sure to check each CC to make sure that each course is offered at reasonable frequency with sufficient space.</p>
<p>Another of the OP’s posts indicates that s/he is 23 years old, having graduated from high school with a “very average GPA” (whatever that means) and without taking the SAT.</p>
<p>You should ask each CC how its students fare in transfer admissions to Rutgers NB. If one or both is unwilling to discuss the topic in specific terms, you should be skeptical. I don’t know how feasible it is to ask someone at Rutgers, but it might be worth a try. There must be admissions officers dedicated to transfers. Perhaps one of them would be willing to discuss the transition from CCs to Rutgers.</p>
<p>Check the CC and Rutgers websites for “articulation agreement” or “guaranteed transfer” that will help you find out whether there are any formal agreements in place. You also should visit the CCs that you can attend easily, and meet with the Transfer Advisor at each one. Those people will be able to tell you what you need to do at their CCs in order to be ready to transfer into the major you want at Rutgers.</p>