<p>barnes and nobles is kind of like a library, except for some reason, it feels a lot better than being at a library, like i'm more "at home." i like studying in my dorm a lot better where i get to be in my pj's and nap if i need to take a break</p>
<p>when im at home i have way too many distractions..an annoyin roomate, a kitchen, some HDTV lol the hottie nextdoor lol so i go to the library reserve a study room and bang out the studying works great for me.</p>
<p>Hey, just wanted to get some people's opinion. Currently, I'm at first year of CC, straight outta HS. I would've gone straight to a UC, but....well, it's a long story.
Just curious, how is the social atmosphere after you transfer (I guess IzzieBear could hopefully answer this). As in, the fact that your room-mate and fellow dorm members are prob. at least 2 years younger than you? Is there somewhat of an inseparable gap between you and your roomies?</p>
<p>And yeah, I'm just done with the first semester, and I'm sharing your thoughts to a point. Mostly, it's the lack of any social environment. Doesn't help that I get all the crappy classes with people twice my age. Not that I have anything against that, it's just hard to make life-lasting friends this way.</p>
<p>well, i transfered to cal too, and it is hard to make friends at first. but you get more comfortable, and you pick up a few friends, and it adds up. i even found a good bf here my 2nd month :)</p>
<p>Do you expect to make "life-lasting" friends at a school you're only planning to stay at for two years? And there IS a social environment at every CCC; it just takes an effort to be part of it. It's obviously harder to find, but it's there, even at the smallest school.</p>
<p>Also, I urge you to see the great benefits you can gain from those who are older than you. I've had classes with veterans of multiple wars, established businessmen, etc. There is a lot you can learn from your elders.</p>
<p>Hey DeusFNL - </p>
<p>I actually really like the social atmosphere at Cal and don't think that being a transfer has put me in a tough spot.</p>
<p>I really have not had a problem making friends. I joined a few clubs, and seemed to have had luck meeting really decent people in my classes. Some are indeed transfer students (there are FAR more here than I ever thought possible), but many are not. I had a few friends here at Cal prior to transferring in (transfer and non-tranfer students), so I was lucky enough to have a small social network in place for me when I arrived. However, I have totally branched off and established my own group of new friends as well.</p>
<p>Living in the dorms is a worth while experience, and I advise you to look into it if you're not considerably older than those you will be living around. I enjoy where I live and have very kind and interesting floormates. As far as age goes, my roommate and I are only about two months apart in age - and she is a sophmore. So I really only have a little over a year on the freshmen that are in my building. I am the same age as all of the sophmores I have come to know at Berkeley. Because I am younger than the average transfer student, I have been advised and asked to participate in spring sorority rush, so that is another social outlet that I am considering and can quite possible tackle with little difficulty.</p>
<p>And gabe - I disagree a bit. I actually do think that I will and am in the process of making some incredible friends here at Berkeley. I think 2 years is a good amount of time to create lasting relationships with your fellow students. Many juniors that I know have changed social groups at least 1 or 2 times since they started as a freshmen, so I think it's quite possible to meet a fabulous companion as a junior.</p>
<p>Good Luck Deus and make the best of your time at CC,</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>Woops--I need to clarify. I meant two years at a school you know you are transferring away from, a community college without an alumni network, etc., etc.-sorry.</p>
<p>Oooh. didn't think of that possibility. hehe.</p>
<p>No worries =)</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>I originally attended a “real” university, then transferred to a community college for one year and will return to the university in the fall. It was the biggest mistake of my life. First of all let me say that I really dislike the whole concept of a “community college” that is allowing everyone in the community access to education? Why you might ask? Normally I’d applaud people for wanting to expand their knowledge and better themselves, but not in my community. I live in an area that is populated by white trash: that is, teen age mothers, high school drop outs, 40 year old housewives, the show “Community” really hit the nail on the head. It’s really annoying to see all of those people all over campus. They bring their kids which they’re not supposed to, they smoke all over and leave their cigarettes all over the campus, it’s disgusting. NO ONE CAN PARK! People park right in front of the stop signs, in handicap spaces it’s disgusting. I also hate how there are no actual professors (aside from one) and that they refer to themselves as “Professor so and so,” when what they really are is mere teachers. In fact my HS teachers were more adept to teach the curricula. Someone mentioned that cc feels like “13th grade” and I totally agree. My GPA doubled when I went from the university to community college and that’s not a coincidence. I also hate how like people have said, there’s not a lot of motivation from your fellow students to transfer to a real school and get REALLY educated. It’s really depressing. CC really is the land of mediocrity at its finest. Urban dictionary defines community college as the place people go before their inevitable drop out from college & it’s kind of true- well my cc anyway. At least I have the good memories from a real university and also take solace in the fact that I will be returning in August… I CAN’T WAIT! It can’t get here any faster! I’m glad it’s March, because it means we’re almost done. Needless to say that when I get back to my real school with my real life, I’m going to file the cc away into that dark part of my history that I just won’t talk about. The only good thing about cc is you can take bull **** classes and get easy general education credit for a real college. Oh yeah and it’s cheaper too. Cheaper cost for a cheaper education. That’s all I can say for now.</p>
<p>Ciao,
Rob L.</p>
<p>I’m finishing my third year of CC…Ya I hate it too. Compared to HS, it is horrible! There is zero school spirit here, no excitement at all…tiny crowds at the football games. I am so glad I’m transferring fall 2010</p>
<p>I don’t mean to bring this thread to the top after almost a year, but I am glad I can find a place to vent… I went a university for a year, and then intending to transfer to a different state university I decided the best route was to enroll in the state’s community college. Boy, THAT was a mistake. The thing that bothered me most was how the school embraced underachievement all around. From the instructors who told me, “You know, college isn’t for everybody” when I came to office hours, it was such a change for me because I went to office hours at my first university the professor or TA was very laid back, “Oh, you just do x, y and z, it’s easy you can totally get it”… not convince me that I don’t have what it takes at a college setting, sheesh. It was even present at the administrative level, the lady in the office who told me she “didn’t believe in an admissions process because not everyone can attend” Yeah, that’s the point, my papers constantly getting lost. I requested a transcript sent and even paid the fee two weeks before the deadline of the university I wanted to transfer to, and the day before I just got this feeling I should check. I went to the office and, big surprise, my transcript was not sent, and the lady only rushed it free of charge because she saw I paid the fee weeks before, but even then I had to hand deliver it. That is the most outstanding, but there were at least two other times my papers were just magically <em>lost</em> and the office ladies would bark at students to stand behind a specific line for their window… it was just a place of low respect all around and everyone seems like they hate their jobs.</p>
<p>There was also a large presence of international Asians at my community college which made most of the school activities centered around that (though to their credit, it could be that they were the most involved) things like “Japanese Movie Night” or “Chinese politics club” were the most common clubs. So most class discussions were centered around how it felt to be an international student in the US, and all the bad things about the US and how these students are ****ed off they didn’t get financial aid. It wasn’t uncommon at all to sit down next to someone, whisper to them during class and they would shake their head they didn’t understand what I was saying because of the language barrier. Once my instructor even stated as she passed back papers, “Just for future reference, you MUST write your paper in English” The school was one big building on a city block with a bunch of “no smoking signs” around, yet everyday I’d walk through a cloud of smoke pushing past the students with their lit cigarettes smoking on the sidewalk. The second worst part was the incompetence of the instructors. I did have a few that genuinely cared about their students and knew what they were doing, but then there were the handful whose class was just a stressful and chaotic experience because they just left grad school, were teaching part time and didn’t know what they were doing. The worst thing was that they were very prideful about it. When the class voiced concerns they would say things like, “Oh well, this is COLLEGE” where I think another professor would actually acknowledge they’d dropped the ball and was not making expectations clear.</p>
<p>It was just hard because I hated being there after being at a university for a year. I quickly ran out of motivation and never spoke a word while at the school. Most students also would just come to class, sit, leave. I guess if community college is your only option then go for it, but if you have ANY other option or path to get to a university, then take that. I am so glad community college is over, it was a big mistake but I really learned about what an academic and scholastic atmosphere is and isn’t. Hope this wasn’t too long or too negative, just my $0.02…</p>
<p>haha I love this thread, I hate cc so much…I feel like im going through a great depression from just attending. </p>
<p>-One of my main reasons I hate my cc is the lack of social life. I went to cc with my the majority of my senior class who I hated and by the end of first semester all of them and I mean all of them dropped out. With that said being at cc is like the 13th grade of high school and people typically talk to the group that they had in high school. People here mostly just go to class and go home or to work and the clubs here suck so yea it’s hard to make lasting friendships. Even if you did manage to make a new friend in my case they always happen to live 30mins away from school in the opposite direction of my house. People commute from everywhere, even almost an hour away people commute to my cc. </p>
<p>-Hippies are another reason because they’re annoying at my cc. They hang out all day banging on some bongos playing terrible music and token up in front of everyone like they don’t care. Everyone smoking campus is also gross and annoying because there are cigarette buds everywhere.</p>
<p>-Commuting sucks because I have to drive a half an hour to get to school and parking can be a pain to find at the beginning of every semester (that’s why I like mid-terms because after that a ton of people drop out especially the hippies that continue to lingerie at cc). For the hippies that stay at school all day they should put parking meters and charge them so that it will encourage them to leave. </p>
<p>-The last reason is mainly just the atmosphere of my cc. It doesn’t even feel like I’m really going to college and I don’t really feel like a college student. I cringe sometimes when my grandma brags about me being a college student when I feel like I don’t even go to real college. </p>
<p>There are some good things about my cc though</p>
<p>-Academics are pretty decent and I really liked most of my professors. If it wasn’t for my having such good professors influencing me to do my best and actually teaching me, then I would of greatly regreted coming to my cc. In fact, I decided that I’m going to become an English professor and that probably wouldn’t of happened if I didn’t attend cc. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, it is pretty lonely for me to attend my cc and I absolutely cannot wait till next fall 2011 when I can transfer out with my generals done, to a four year University. Man it feels good to vent haha :)</p>
<p>I think my CC has opened a lot of doors for me. I am not close to a regular college or university, so this was my only option for now, but I will be transferring. I have also been extremely lucky that most of my professors have been passionate about their subjects, and many have offered challenging coursework and discussions. I think what has bothered me the most is the lack of dedication in fellow students. I feel as though an excellent education comes from the professor, and the attainment of varying perspectives from the discussions with classmates. This does not occur in most of my classes. In fact, I have done most of the talking in my classes. I feel like I am missing out on so much by not being educated in an atmosphere with other students who are just as passionate about their education as I am. I am also bothered by the reputation of community colleges.</p>
<p>I don’t hate my community college, but I don’t LOVE it either. The biggest issue for me is the amount of international students. Not that I have anything against people from other countries! My school, however is composed of mostly foreign students from Asian countries. It’s difficult to make friends/get study buddies etc. when everyone is in a little group speaking their own language and not branching out…most of the other people are in ‘tech programs’ like nursing and think the humanities courses are pointless and useless for them (these happen to be my favorite classes and I HATE it when they get knocked down). My professors, overall, are superb. I agree that everyone seems really unmotivated. Can’t wait to transfer out.</p>
<p>I feel like my cc is geared towards incredibly inept students. Whenever students complain about a class being difficult the professor will immediately offer extra credit or allow notes for tests. </p>
<p>The advisors just randomly make things up. I fell victim to them and wasted 3 credits on a class they told me I needed but didn’t really. They try to talk you into taking classes online. </p>
<p>Most of the students aim only to pass each class. While I’m working to get A’s alot of people are perfectly happy with C’s. It seems to be a ritual to brag about how little you study before each test. I’m not some great student but after awhile it gets old to feel like the only one taking classes seriously.</p>
<p>The professors seem to be really helpful and concerned… Only about the failing students. Forget having any sort of relationship with your professors if you’re actually doing well. I swear they get paid based on how many pass their class.</p>
<p>I agree with NotAClue, some people have really low standards for their grades and even though I have been only applying myself truly in my classes for a short time lately, I am maintaining close to a 3.0 for two semesters and I know I need to improve those grades lately (which I am working on btw), and I have a behavior disorder which interrupted my high school education. People need to stop whining and quit having low standards for themselves.</p>
<p>I hate going to community college too. 3 years ago I would have never envisioned myself being at a CC. If I had just received a loan-free financial aid package from my first school I would have gladly stayed there… Wouldn’t have transferred up even if I had a 4.0 there.
Now, 2 and a half years later I’m in my final semester at a CC, have completed almost 90 credits of college work, lost a year because I came back to my CC to get 2 more 4.0 semesters and try again to transfer up to an elite school instead of matriculating at Fordham.</p>
<p>The only positive I can ascertain from this is that this extra year at CC has boosted my overall UGPA into the 3.8 range which will help me when applying to law schools a year and a half from now. Had I transferred to Fordham, it would have only been possible to boost my UGPA to a low 3.8, now I can boost it to a 3.9 if I continue to get 4.0’s.</p>
<p>I feel a lot of pressure because now if I don’t get into a top law school nearly 2 years from now, I’ll feel like this past year was wasted.</p>
<p>Ah I don’t think I’ll ever get over this.</p>
<p>I’m guessing some people will agree with me. </p>
<p>CC is the best AND the worst thing that ever happened to me!</p>
<p>I saved my money and it looks like I am going to get into a much better school that I would have otherwise. The last 2 years have been a ____ but I made it.</p>
<p>Reading some of these posts I feel the same way!</p>
<p>Honestly, I didn’t have many problems at my CC. The education itself was alright. Some of my general education classes were mind-numbing and a lot of students in those classes were stupid. However, as a math major I took many of the same classes throughout all my time with bright people who ended up at many prestigious colleges. My first two years I hung around people I knew from high school and they were not good for me. They would put me down, tried to get me to do drugs, and they asked way too many favors. They dropped out. My last year I made a lot of smart friends and that changed my attitude toward school immensely. I got involved in clubs, I worked harder, and I had someone I could talk with about schoolwork as opposed to totally being on my own. My last year of CC was great and I’m going to miss it. I had a great social life at school my third year and I was able to stay on top of my work. </p>
<p>I did however come to dislike honors societies, the honors program, and the people who take honors classes. I went through the honors classes myself and I was amazed at how many people would do ANYTHING to make the grade by looking at people’s old tests and whatnot. If these were the people going to UCLA and UC Berkeley and whatnot…wow.</p>
<p>I hated the commute. I liked how anything liberal artsy was super easy and how everyone there was struggling. Like, seriously?</p>