Oh that’s interesting @ccprofandmomof2 - I didn’t realize that was a summer option at the community college. I will definitely look into this.
I have heard that if you apply to your local state university for an impacted course and don’t get in, you can take the same courses at the local CC for free (or maybe they said free because it’s so much cheaper than at the university!) anyway, my daughter seems to think that the classes at a CC wouldn’t be as ‘good’ as those offered at the university and that her peers in those classes wouldn’t be as dedicated as perhaps those kids she would share a classroom with at a university with higher entrance requirements.
I’m not sure I completely agree with her, I think some of that attitude comes from the fact that she has spent her entire high school life in honors classes and whenever she had to take a general class the kids and attitudes in those classes differed quite a bit. I think it may also come from her current peers and whether or not you are ‘on track’ for a 4 year or 2 year college at the school. But she’s young and she’s learning. Trying to get her to consider community college has been tough so far.
She has been identified as being possibly eligible for the ELC criteria within the UC system, but my understanding of this is that you are not guaranteed your preferred campus.
I think UC Santa Cruz would be a safety (or at least a solid match) given her GPA and major. She would probably also qualify for the honors program which comes with benefits that might suit her. I find the vibe of the campus, up among the redwoods, incredibly relaxing and soothing.
My son went to CPSLO a few years back and I was shocked at the low 4 year grad rate. He was a mechanical engineering major. The department head stated that the department’s 4 year grad rate was 15%, but the 5 year grad rate was about 85%. Looking at the latest common data set for CPSLO the overall 4 year grad rate is less than 50%.
I’d call and ask the department you are interested in what their grad rate is.
My son did indeed take 5 years to graduate, but he took a number of extra classes his last (5th) year that have really helped him in his career. So, it was useful for him. Tuition isn’t real high but the living expenses in the SLO area are; so that is where the extra year hurt financially.
I was smarter researching colleges when my daughter was applying after my son’s experience.
That’s really interesting @HPuck35 - I will do that, thank you.
I like UC Santa Cruz too, @Otterma, but they don’t have an English major - just a Literature major and she really wants to study the language side of English as well unfortunately.
How many quarters did he need (not including the “extra” courses) to complete all requirements? If more than 12, what was the reason?
CPSLO does publish course plans to follow to graduate in 12 quarters. But the engineering ones often have quarters with 17 or 18 units of courses instead of 15 or 16. The current one for English has nine 16 unit quarters and three 12 unit quarters, including 36 units of free electives.
Just wanted to put a shameless plug in for the field of Speech-Language Pathology. If your daughter loves words and language, she may want to consider the field for graduate school.
@Redsip - thank you. I’ll certainly mention it to her!
Can I also just say thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this thread, I’ve learned a lot, and the information has been very helpful. Trying to navigate your way through all the options as a parent making sure you hit all the deadlines and fullfil all the requirements while also trying to enjoy your last year with your child at home full-time is tough!