<p>The only college near me is a private college. im planning on doing my first 2 years at a CC and get an associates in business (I want to work a little bit) then transfer to a private college because the credits should transfer (articulation agreement).</p>
<p>so if i skip working and go straight to a university would it be worth it to take out the student loans? or would i be better of going to the CC,working then going to a university?</p>
<p>When you have an option of NOT taking student loans, then by all means choose that option, as long as it leads you to your intended destination. However, if you are going to be working fulltime, while attending community college, your grades may not be as immaculate as you would have wanted them to be, or you may not be able to dedicate as much time to your studies as you should have. Remember, since you are going to attend CC, you are still responsible to cover and learn on your own what your peers @ 4 year college and universities you intend to transfer to, are covering withing that first 2 years…i.e say in the same courses you are taking.
Just on the side, by the time you are ready to transfer, your FAFSA will be based on your income for the previous year, so then again you might not qualify for grants if you make a certain amount of money, and then still be forced to take out a whole lot of loans to meet your expenses when you transfer. Not to mention, as a transfer student, most schools reduce your scholarship package, compared to what you are offered as a freshman - only very few school give transfer students the same full % of aid package that are offered to freshmen.
So, you have to research these two options in details and choose carefully.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.</p>
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<p>That’s not the way community colleges work. Many have articulation agreements with 4 year colleges so the courses a student takes at the cc transfer to the 4 year school. If you take ENG 101 as a freshman at a cc, there’s no reason you can’t take ENG 102 as a sophomore at a 4 year college. When I started school, many of us choosing technical fields went to cc first because the prevailing wisdom was that the first 2 years at 4 year colleges were theory, while cc colleges started hands-on courses immediately. I transferred from a NYS cc to a NYS private as a junior and found that to be the case. This was more than a couple years ago, so perhaps things have changed in that regard (perhaps if you paid high enough tuition back then it wasn’t like that), but merely attending a cc doesn’t mean students are getting a substandard education. The idea that you have to do additional study in your freshman and sophomore year courses to cover what students in those same types of courses at 4 year colleges are covering is misguided.</p>
<p>@austinmshaur: “The idea that you have to do additional study in your freshman and sophomore year courses to cover what students in those same types of courses at 4 year colleges are covering is misguided”</p>
<p>Misguided by who? If OP knows where he/she intends to transfer to, covering the materials on her own that aren’t covered in her classes at a CC is to her advantage. Schools for example do not use the same textbooks, so if OP is certain about this for sure, its up to her to stay current on course contents. It’s not even about transfer of credits at this point, its about being on the same page with her peers when transferring into the junior year. Colleges will not say…“oh sorry your CC did not cover electromagnetic in physics, so we will revisit that with you.” That is what I was referring to, “by doing additional studies on subjects that are not covered in OP’s courses”, should he/she intends to go to CC for the first two years.
Then again, You may agree that in education, there is no such thing as “over-learning”. The more, the better, even if it’s just for self improvement.
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<p>I took loans out. I’m about to graduate with 40K in debt but I have a full time job lined up and a plan to pay off my loans in 2 years. As long as you have a plan and know what you’re getting into then you should be find. Just know that whatever you do you’re going to have to make sacrifices somewhere. </p>
<p>I had a very positive college experience which I wouldn’t trade for the world. I took loans out to attend my dream school. I couldn’t have had the same fun as I had if I didn’t take loans and had to work a full time job. </p>