<p>I have just finished my third semester at a local community college (brookdale) majoring in chemistry. Classes I have taken are as follows:
Gen. Chemistry I
Gen. Chemistry II
Gen. Biology I
Gen. Biology II
Organic Chemistry I
Intermediate Algebra (1st college level math class)
Trigonometry
Precalculus
English 101
English 102
World Civilization
Microeconomics
General Psychology</p>
<p>I currently have a 4.0 but I have heard so many times that community college courses are nothing compared to 4 year university courses.
I am just worried that I will be in for a shock when I get into a 4 year university.</p>
<p>IMO it’s not the coursework or the teaching that’s different (I found many CC teachers better than those at 4 yr colleges because they’re more focused on teaching than on research), but rather that the student cohort is more prepared/competitive/etc. and so keeping high grades can be more difficult.</p>
<p>Looking at your schedule, you’ve taken a solid set of coursework and still gotten a 4.0, so I don’t think you’ll have any trouble at a 4 yr. Of course, which 4 year does make a difference too, due to the same factor of who your fellow students are.</p>
<p>Just a sample point, and a long time ago, but I was not prepared for college when I graduated from HS, I did 2 yrs at a CCC, transferred to UCB and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. I found that my CCC English writing class prepared me really well for writing well organized analytical papers.</p>
<p>In community colleges, professors tend to have more time for students, since class size is usually small. There are no researches going on in CCs (I think…), so they have more time to focus on the teaching rather than on the research. Also, CC students tend to be less competitive academically, so getting A’s is not so difficult. But in the end you are still learning physics and calculus like the students in 4-year university. Unless physics work differently in CC than in a university, I would ignore comments like CC courses are nothing compared to 4-year universities.</p>
<p>People who say CCs are nothing like 4-year universities typically haven’t taken classes at a CC. As someone who transferred <em>from</em> a 4-year to a CC, I’ve taken both, and I can say that the quality of the classes were very similar. As PPs said, the size of your school and classes affects your relationship with your professors, but the work load isn’t any greater or worse, and you’re learning the same material. You should be proud that you’ve maintained a 4.0 (I certainly haven’t)</p>