@austinmshauri Yes, my daughter did decide to supplement her high school education with some courses at the local community colleges in 2 cities (she moved after 9th grade). my impressions are based on her interactions with students and professors at the CC. she mentioned that her CC seemed more like a transitory airport terminal than a place to be at (and she could compare because she spent a week at UCSD with her cousin last year). To her it seemed as though everyone including the professors at CC, got up and left in a hurry after classes. how do you expect people to open up and engage in intellectual debates if no one seems to connect with you. 2 year non-residential community colleges are meant to be launchpads not ends unto themselves like residential 4 year colleges are.
@mathmom you are correct, the residential dorm system gives kids both the time and forum to engage in debates on political, philosophical and ethical issues. after community college classes, you drive home. there is minimal interaction with peers compared to that at a dorm. community colleges are not meant to be a comparable experience to full residential colleges. you will neither make the lifelong friends that you would at a full residential 4 year college nor will you open up to your peers. that is why i clearly stated so.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek once again we are discussing colleges where intellectual debates are MORE common, not saying that you cant get such elsewhere. sure there are intellectuals who come from community colleges and for sure at standard state and private colleges but those are exceptions and less common. the entire point i am making is that there are some colleges whose character is MORE conducive to intellectual engagements.
@ucbalumnus i am not sure how your example disputes my claim that there are some colleges that provide a more intellectual environment. also aaron benavidez did well academically and then transferred… to a spectacular 4 year institution, which WAS his end goal. you cant get a PhD at a community college and thats why it is just a prep institution or a stepping stone otherwise no one would transfer over. i also would state that all high schools are by definition not intellectual environments. their role is only to prepare you for college. the fact that you might get some intellectually stimulating conversation between high school seniors does not make all high schools intellectual.
@dfbdfb Having an honors program is about encouraging academic excellence and it is always nice to see that. the topic for this discussion is environment for intellectual debate. incredible academics does not necessarily correlate with philosophical debates.
@intparent agreed and i am confused why no one is understanding my point. this is not about academic excellence or even your own ability to engage in deep thought. this is about finding the forums where such activities are MORE common.