What do you guys think about community colleges? I have thought about applying to a CC but my mom absolutely won’t allow me to. I have been accepted to CSUN, CSUpomona, etc. I didn’t apply into any UCs as I knew I wasn’t qualified with my current grades as i slacked off alot. The CSUs I’ve listed do not seem bad in my opinion but i feel that i would have more opportunities if i were to transfer from a CC. What do you guys think, how could i possibly convince my mom otherwise?
She’s is just worried about what her friends/family will think of her parenting.
Is she paying 100% of your school bill? If not I don’t think she should have a say. She needs to let you grow up and make intelligent decisions. Good luck.
Transferring from a CC is a wonderful option for many people. There’s a stigma around them that they are second rate institutions, but in my own experience this is completely untrue. My professors at CC have all been wonderful, and I’ll never regret going to one.
I’ve always been a big proponent of CC’s. I went to one, then on to a 4 year university, and graduated on time, with a job all set to go. I think that, particularly here, they’re VERY unfairly maligned.
But I don’t want my son to go to CC.
He’s the kind of student you sound like. He slacked off too much for frosh and soph year, and his grades aren’t where they should be. He still slacks off a bit more than he should.
I’m pretty sure he would fall through the cracks at a large CC. (Our local one has something over 23,000 students.)
I think he would fall into the same old patterns, not fully realizing that he was no longer in high school.
For me, it was absolutely the right choice. For my son, I’m absolutely convinced that a MUCH, MUCH smaller school, away from home, is the right choice. When my two daughters get to this point, we’ll consider it and see whether it would best meet their needs.
Perhaps, instead of “needing to grow up” mom just has the big picture in mind. And I promise you, she doesn’t care in the least what others care about her parenting… adults learn before they choose an infant’s name that other’s opinions of your parenting are of absolutely no concern.
Have you ever ASKED her why she’s so against you attending a CC??
Oops, typo in the preceding post. It should have said "instead of ‘needing to let you grow up…’ ".
I’ve talked to her about it multiple times in the past and I think she is just worried that out of all my friends I’ll be the only kid going to a CC while everyone else is going to a CSU or UC. In the case of who is paying the school bill I am 100% sure I won’t let my mom pay more than me when it comes to tuition, the guilt would end up killing me.
Also forgot to mention that my mom is swayed easily by the opinion’s of her peers. So when she hears about people failing to transfer she enforces that belief onto me. For the parents out there how do you feel about sending off your children to CCs? Would you have high hopes for them or not expect much out of it much like my mom does.
Probably your mom thinks that if you go to a reasonable Cal State college you will be on your way to a 4 year degree…surrounded by other people on a similar mission. The caliber of students will generally be more academically inclined. At CC, she may see you as on a more precarious position…surrounded by other students who may be there because they don’t have strong goals.
She also may think that you living on campus will push you toward independence while you staying at home will cause you to stay in the same patterns of letting mom take care of things for you.
Can you also transfer from a CS? I cannot imagine that would be any worse than transferring from a CC.
Why not start at the CS college and transfer out? It’d give you better prospects than coming from a CC.
I believe you can also transfer to a UC after 60 credit hours at a community college. This would give you a second chance to get your act together as far as school work is concerned.
I think CC’s are a great option for people with a tight budget and/or have marginal high school stats.
The pros to community college are that it is a lot cheaper and the classes are an easier transition from high school with smaller classes and more teacher interaction.
There are also more cons to community college than the stigma that is related to it. You will have considerably fewer opportunities at a community college than you would at a university or state school. These include research, professional organizations, and less time to build relationships with students and professors at the school you transfer to.
P.S. There’s also the horrible statistics of students having a much lower probability of completing their bachelor’s if they go to community college.
CCs are real college at a fraction of the cost. Since admittingly you slacked off a lot in high school, I’d think your mom would want to keep a closer eye on situation as opposed to putting you into a completely unknown situation with potentially lots of distractions especially considering the cost. There are successful and unsuccessful stories of kids who start out at CCs, CSUs, and UCs. You can be one of the many success stories who start at a CC. And your mom will be beaming with pride in graduation photos while holding your diploma that at the top says CSU, perhaps UC. Good luck.
I bet your mom has your best interest at heart, they usually do.
Many moons ago, I went to a CC for 2 years, transfered to my target school and graduated with a BS 2 years later. Of course it can be done.
@bopper is spot on though. Most people simply aren’t on a 4 year graduation mission. That will impact you in ways you can’t understand right now.
I’d also note, transferring Jr year tends to get in the way things like studying abroad, internships, on-campus jobs and leadership positions, club affiliations, etc.
You’d have to do really well at the CC to transfer to a better school than CP Pomona. They also have a 4 year graduation guarantee that is tough to beat.
I heard priority goes to CC students and incoming freshmen when it comes to transferring so the chances of transferring out of a CSU are slim
You sound level-headed and self aware. I have 3 kids, we are also in California.Two went/are going straight to 4 year schools because they worked hard in HS and had good grades and got scholarships.
My middle D, did not have the grades, slacked off, and was super depressed when “all” her friends went away to college. I told her to go to community for 2 years and then she could transfer and have the same great time her friends were having. So, she did that. Got a job, woke up and went to every class, and got A’s and B’s. Big change, because she had a goal. She was lonely at first cause her friends were gone, then she got into working, and she’s goes occasionally to visit her friends at UCSB or USC, with a couple trips a year to see friends at out of state schools. Plus, they come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, she is getting some college social life.
She went to 2 campuses to get all her classes, and took 3-4 classes per semester plus one in summer. She looked into a couple colleges she wanted to transfer to, NOT UC or Cal States, and spoke with their transfer advisors. She got a required class list, and took those classes. It can be difficult to get all the classes you want, but here are some of the tips we learned:
- get priority registration - this goes to honor students, students that claim they are dedicated to transferring to UC in 2 years ( I think the program has an acronym), learning or other disabled students, veterans, athletes.
- you cannot transfer to UC or CS until you have all 60 (I think) units. Out of state and private schools let you transfer with only 24 units. They all have different requirements regarding SAT/ACT, based on how many units you have.
Some say it will take you too long to go to CC, then transfer. But, it will take you 5 years anyway if you go to Cal State, unless you are in that top 10-15% that is on a fast track. My daughter is so much happier that now she has lots of options.
She has just been accepted to one of her top choice schools, out of state, where they give guaranteed scholarships to transfers, based only on your CC grades. It was important to really dig into websites to find out which schools do that. Most don’t offer as much to transfers.
Look into your local CC’s and find the right one for you. Maybe even take classes at 2 campuses. It can absolutely be a great option for someone who is determined, and just needs a little more time to mature and take school seriously.
Good luck!
California’s higher education master plan intends for most transfer students to UCs and CSUs to come from community colleges. Consequently, the course articulation agreements are robust from community colleges to UCs and CSUs, but limited to nonexistent between the various UCs and CSUs. UCs are often said to prefer community college transfers over those from four year schools.
Yes, California may be different from other states in what community colleges are like.
Whether starting at a community college is the best option for the OP depends on many factors:
- Are preparatory courses for the intended major available (see http://www.assist.org )?
- How advanced is the student? More advanced students in subjects like math and foreign languages may run out of courses in their second year of community college.
- Cost constraints? Starting at community college and then transferring to a UC or CSU is cheaper than starting at a UC or CSU.
- Are the student's high school credentials good enough for merit scholarships? Merit scholarships are better for frosh than transfers, although big ones are not as common in California publics as in some other states.
Keep in mind: most of the people here who constantly malign CC’s have never attended one and don’t work in admissions. Many are repeating what they’ve heard from other students, who have also never attended one and who also don’t work in admissions.
It’s not the right choice for everyone like my son. But it is, absolutely, the right choice for some, as it was for me.
I’m just going to go with what I feel is the best choice for myself, which would probably be going to a CC. Thanks for all the help!
That is cool as long as you have gotten info on both options and understand the tradeoffs.