<p>People make it sound so lame. Are you really a loser b/c you attend a CC?
So you're starting 2 years late, or you did bad in highschool. Life's not over. You havent missed anything. There's a lot to look forward to right?</p>
<p>No we are not losers because we go to a cc, I had the opportunity to go to a couple of 4 year schools, but went to a cc and felt it was the best decision I made. I saved a bunch of cash and i'll be applying this upcoming year to trasnfer out to a much more prestigeous university. I also think the novelty of the school won't wear off as nearly as fast as you would expect if you entered in as a freshmen. I know people who are at brown, berkeley, penn, and pomona...they all seem to think nothing of the fact that they are attending one of the premier institutions. In fact, they've been slipping in grades and seem to lack motivation, whereas in a cc if you surround yourself with the right crowd (People who are motivated - High Gpas, high expectations) then I would think you are in the right mindset in a cc.</p>
<p>I second that...attitude is everything...</p>
<p>I totally agree with ccchopeful. Surrounding yourself with the right people is the key to obtaining high goals because you'll feel motivated, determined and obligated to achieve goals that you'd never even thought about obtaining. Not only that, you have others who are determined to reach that same goal. It's a win-win situation. Study groups are also a key factor in succeeding in a class. Do this and you can do anything! Unfortunately, it is rather difficult for studenst to form clique's at CCC because usually no one has time to "chill" because of their busy schedules. Most students just go to class and leave immediately after. It's rather depressing if you think about it (well for me it is) because most of the time you are doing independent study. There is nothing you can do about this and despite this drawback you can still succeed if you put your mind into your studies.</p>
<p>There IS something you can do about that. I have had success at my college "rounding up" people and working on activities. Some HAVE TO go to class and leave immediately after for work etc. But many dont and I don't believe the stereotype that community college students can't be active.</p>
<p>Community college, in my opinion, is the worst possible UG experience. I would so much rather have gone to ANY 4 year state. Yesterday i had a lab where this girl took up 20 minutes of the class asking questions about 8th grade math. I have a class like that everyday. It's really hard to pay attention in some classes because they move so slowly. Most of the classes I've had so far have been either at or below the highschool level. The grading is a joke, and 4 year adcoms know this. In my economics class, an 80% in the course is an A. All the questions are given in advance for tests aswell (in psych and economics) and the lowest TEST grade is dropped (in almost all my classes). This all adds up to an experience that won't prepare me for any four year schools i hope to transfer to. I do not have a positive attitude about it at all. The profs are a mixed bag, some are actually pretty good, but over all, I am not at all happy to be here.</p>
<p>I'm posting from a computer at my cc right now, and I'm totally not in a good mood. I hate community college! If you have the stats to get into some elite 4-year schools but can't afford to pay for it, I'd recommend trying to get merit aid at some TTT and transfering whenever you would have transfered from CC. If you're grades are really crappy, unless you like dropped out of highschool, you could probably get into atleast ONE state school and transfer from there. I wish I did this, but I missed all the application deadlines (originally wasn't going to goto college at all) and didn't want to wait a whole year to start.</p>
<p>No. It can be smart.</p>
<p>Is it horrible? Proly not, but it's not enjoyable that's for sure. Doesn't duplicate a UNiv expirience most def socially, and usually not academicly.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>As nikkei325i described, problems getting meeting new people. I usually feel like i am lone except my friends from HS who are out of the town most of the semester.</p></li>
<li><p>Being surrounded by people that have no desire to learn and shouldn't be in any college</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My CC has other big probs like Overcrowded, shortage of classes b/c of that, parking, etc.</p>
<p>CC is a viable and smart option for those lacking funds or in need of remedial help. New Jersey passed a very good law several years ago mandating all NJ State Colleges accept all CC credits earned from any NJ CC when that college offers the same or similar course and a grade of "C" or better was achieved. </p>
<p>Lots of smart people are saving tens of thousands of dollars by attending a CC for the first two years and then going on to graduate from such schools as Rutgers, NJIT, and TCNJ.</p>
<p>I hate CC. I went to CC b/c I moved to CA and couldnt afford to pay out of state tuition. Now i'm a resident and will transfer to a UC after this semester. I have saved a lot of money, but would never go to a CC again.</p>
<p>I loved it. Depends which one you went to I think though. I went to PCC <a href="http://www.pasadena.edu%5B/url%5D">www.pasadena.edu</a> :)</p>
<p>I totally agree with dm3. I personally think that in the eyes of the adcom a CC student is much more inferior comparing to any other 4 year school student, simply b/c they know how is it is to succeed in CC.
Toblin - I am attending NJ CC. This system is great and all for the average student, however, what about the students that are aiming for top tier schools or even state schools outside NJ. I don't think much of Rutgers or any other NJ school (except Princton, which restricted transfer). For me Rutgers is no more then a last resort.</p>
<p>Ok lets look at this situation and see those who abosolutely hate community college would continue to disagree. If you had the opportunity to attend UCR, UCSC, or a couple of Cal States, would you in fact settle for those universities, whereas if you attended a cc you will most likely end up UCLA, UCB, or USC (That's if you don't got yourr head in your ass most of the time). Also previous threads have mentioned cc students are favored alot more in the transfer admissions process. A Pcc student would have priority over a cal state student if they both applied to UCB/UCLA, there is no way around it. Just suck it up for two years, you'll still will be able to participate in activities the fresh and soph experience. Also Top tier private universities cater to cc students as well. It's pathetic to attend a school that you would not be satisfied to begin with, some second rate choice, and then have the audacity to transfer out, and your personal statement similar to this reason... " Well, I didn't really want to attend here because it damage my ego if I attended a cc, furthermore you must believe that I am so much higher then them". Thats the crap that gets rejected most of the time. CC's are not bad options, you just have to understand, do you feel the sacrifices you make will outweigh the benefits in the end ( I think so).</p>
<p>ccchopeful, what you said applies only for states that have excellent public schools. and just out of curiosity, what top tier privates cater to cc students? please tell me, so I can them an app!</p>
<p>If you had the opportunity to attend UCR, UCSC, or a couple of Cal States, would you in fact settle for those universities, whereas if you attended a cc you will most likely end up UCLA, UCB, or USC (That's if you don't got yourr head in your ass most of the time). </p>
<p>I guess my situation was very different. I had very good grades, ec in high school and most likely would have gotten into a good UC out of high school. I applied as an out of state freshman. I wanted to leave TX so badly, that I applied to every UC, but not to other colleges. I would have gotten into A&m or UT very easily and I wish I would have applied. I got a letter from UC that said they were no longer accepting out of state freshman due to state budget cuts. My father got a job in CA, so I moved w/ him and was stuck at the JC i'm at now. regrets regrets regrets! If I could rewind, I would have gone to a good school in TX</p>
<p>littleeviltwin,</p>
<p>I think u should wait till u transfer to make the final assesment if it was worth it....</p>
<p>Obviously the more transfer friendly schools, I would say a large amount of Cornell, Upenn, and Brown transfers come from cc's. If you're looking into the top 50, I would say if you're a competitive applicant then you have a reasonable shot anywhere, but it is a lottery. An earlier thread said 42 out of 79 harvard transfers came from cc's, so it's not just state schools. When it comes down to it, 4 year to 4 year transfers must pretty god damn good reason because they do look at those apps last.</p>
<p>I guess it just really depends on your outlook. I attended a "prestigious" four year college and now I'm at CCP. I had a such a bad experience at my four year college. The thing is I don't really feel fullfilled at CCP either. I'm still looking for the college where at I feel at least half of my needs and wants as a college student are fulfilled. This year, I had the option of going to a state univ (since I was rejected by my first choices) or staying at CCP and I decided to stay b/c I really didn't want to risk being extremely unhappy at this state univ that was my last choice, deciding to transfer yet again, then explaining why the hell I was transferring for a third time. I figure it would be a lot better staying at CCP for another year. It isn't my ideal college experience. Unforunately, the ECs are pretty lame and people do just come to class and go home. I understand but it still sucks. There really isn't much a campus life at my CC. Maybe it's different at others. My classes have been so so. Some I really thought were interesting and others I just sat through so that I could get the grade. I mean they weren't hard but very uninteresting. I have to admit that my academic life at the four year college was better. However, CCP is a lot more diverse than my previous institution and students are a lot more down to earth and appreciative for their education. No one looks down on me at CCP just b/c I don't wear Abercrombie and Fitch and didn't go to some elite private or boarding school. Students at CCP do seem interested in learning about and interacting people who are different from them and I like that a lot. If nothing else, my experience at CCP did make me more grounded and it helped me to grow up a lot.</p>
<p>cchopeful, the stat about the number of H transfer admits was patently untrue. it's probably in the low single digits each year.</p>
<p>I highly doubt that it's in the single digits.</p>