<p>Hello my name is Roy Garcia...and I am have some questions to ask regarding my career path.
My first question is: Is it wise to attend a CC first and then transfer to say a UC? </p>
<p>My second question is: How much money would I save in doing so? </p>
<p>3rd question: After completing the 2 years at a CC with my Major already decided, would i only have to attend 2 years at a UC? </p>
<p>4th question: Is a Bachelor's degree more in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering worth anything nowadays?</p>
<p>5th & final question: Is college really a scam? Because one attends in order to be educated and well-prepared for the future by becoming independent and making your own stable living...and if it is a scam, How does one achieve a stable economic life WITHOUT A DEGREE? </p>
<p>Your replies are VERY APPRECIATED!!!</p>
<p>Please I need to see different points of views! </p>
<p>I'm 16 and about to be a Senior in High School.</p>
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<li><p>it depends on your high school results. If you didn’t do as well as you could have, and know you cant get into the school you WANT to with the grades, then it is wise to go to a CC, do extremely well, and transfer into the school of your dreams. If you did well there is no reason to wait.</p></li>
<li><p>You would save a considerable amount of money, but for what? less of an education? itll be a hard transition from a CC to a UC your Junior (and most important) year. You might do considerably worse because you might lack the basic knowledge base.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, you would normally spend 2 years at a UC.</p></li>
<li><p>Not too sure. Probably not. College is becoming High School Numero dos. you NEED to go to graduate school to become somebody these days.</p></li>
<li><p>Nope definitely not a scam. It definitely doesnt unlock the doors it did 25 years ago, so now graduate school opens those doors. But guess what? You have to go to college to get into grad school…</p></li>
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<ol>
<li>It depends on what you are looking for. From an economic standpoint, a CC can save you thousands and thousands of dollars. Depending on your major and the UC you are looking at, if you follow the IGETC your chances for admission to a UC as a junior are greatly improved. Even if you have a great high school GPA and test scores, attending a CC first can greatly reduce your cost to attend college. You DO NOT want to graduate from college with huge student loans!!!</li>
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<p>2.If you live at home while attending a CC, before transferring to a UC, you could easily save $70,000 to $100,000. Unlike many others on College Conf., I believe that CC’s are severely underrated, and can provide an excellent base knowledge for a bargain price. It is becoming harder to get classes in CC’s, however the same is becoming true of UC’s. Remember that employers do not care where you start, but only where you finish your degree. Also, most of the lower level classes you will take at a CC are general classes that can be just as challenging at a CC. The posters on College Conf. are not typical of the general population, and so from reading here it is easy to come away with the impression that only those who have not been successful in high school attend CC’s. NOT TRUE!!! It is not difficult to transfer to a UC as a junior and thousands of people do it successfully each year!</p>
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<li><p>After 2 years at a CC with your IGETC, you should be able to finish a UC in 2 more years.</p></li>
<li><p>Tough question- you will get argument here both ways.</p></li>
<li><p>Not a scam. College teaches you not only the basics in your chosen field, but how to deal with others on an every day basis to accomplish given tasks. But most importantly, college graduation is becoming a basic requirement for many job opportunities, no matter what your opinion about a college degree. In the tough competition for jobs, it is becoming a given to have a bachelors. Unfortunately, it is now almost equivalent to what a high school degree was 30 years ago - it is almost expected of applicants for any professional employment. To have an edge up anymore, it is becoming necessary to pursue not only a masters, but even possibly a PhD. It is tough out there, and employers want to see that you are competitive and that you can start and finish a college degree.</p></li>
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<p>Some community colleges are fine, most in my opinion are not the best place for a traditional student. (i think they are great for non traditional older students though)</p>
<p>One of my main concerns with community colleges (and junior colleges) is that for the most part they have a very “commuter school” type feel. This to me is horrible for the typical college age person as most people do not develop the sense of community or friend base at these schools that they normally do at a University. I just wrote a paper where I researched why community colleges and commuter schools in general have such a low graduation rate (it is reported at 36% however the reporting methods are screwy and many experts in the field believe that less than 23% of students who start community college ever receive any type of diploma… this is not just bachelors… the number is that low for even recieve an associates.) A large majority of community college drop outs who were interviewed in my research said that a main cause of their leaving school was “Having very few or no friends at school” and “My professors do not care about their jobs” and “My fellow students care very little about school” All of this leads to an atmosphere where the student who is trying to excel is often brought down by professors just going through the motions, students who are going to school because of probation/ parole requirements, and students who are going to school because their parents expect them to and are paying the bill.</p>
<p>Most of this matters very little as you are looking at a major in Engineering which is a five year plan and needs to be done at a University… seriously the more that you research, the more that you will realize that you must do Engi at a University and that many will just flat not accept community college courses as transfer except for your general education requirements.</p>
<p>Thanks guys I appreciate your responses.</p>
<p>Btw I have an overall of a 3.4 GPA and I missed the opportunity to take the SAT my Junior year because of personal problems…I can still take it my Senior year but I’m feeling that I’m going to go with a CC first.</p>
<p>I disagree with BowTie. You can do fine at a CC if you are committed to what you want to do. I have 2 kids thru college, a third starting as a junior this fall and one still in high school. The junior went straight to a university and I am sure the high schooler will also as he is very focused and knows exactly what he wants. </p>
<p>The oldest son had no idea what he wanted to do and really didn’t like high school. He worked part-time and attended CC part-time for about 4 years, until he finally decided on engineering and buckled down. He finished at CC and transferred to a university in engineering, and graduated near the top of his class in 2 additional years (at 24 years old). He started an internship his senior year along with 2 other seniors from more prestigious programs who had done all 4 years at a university. He alone was hired full-time on graduation and has been steadily rising up the ranks since. His start at a CC had no impact on being hired, and in fact since he had worked part-time in construction, his employer loved that he had hands-on experience. Engineering is not necessarily a 5 year program, and does not need to be completed at a university. Lower level courses include a lot of math and physics, as well as other GE classes and can be completed at a CC. My husband and I are both engineers, so I am very familiar with the curriculum.</p>
<p>Our oldest D was very quiet and not ready to leave after high school. She attended a CC, then transferred to a University after 2 years. She graduated in 2 more years, and then applied to a more prestigious school for her Masters. The cost of the Masters was not as difficult because she saved so much money by attending a CC. </p>
<p>By the way, both older kids graduated with no debt from college, mostly because of the CC’s. We are not wealthy by any means, but saved thousands of dollars by them attending CC’s. They both worked thru college- usually full time in summers and part during the year which helped with their spending money. Our D is now married and they have bought a house in So. Calif. which is no easy feat- something they would not have been able to do if they had student loans. </p>
<p>You can be very successful at a CC as long as you apply yourself. The money you save can then be used to fund your remaining schooling!!! Best wishes!</p>
<p>@takeitallin your response was very helpful! I’m glad to hear that choosing to go to a CC first isn’t a bad choice and can lead to good stuff.</p>
<p>Yes it is true that many people who start at a CC never graduate, but in lots of those cases, those students would have dropped out or failed out of a four-year institution. If there were better career orientation in high school, and more students had access to good technical school or apprenticeship programs, “going to college” wouldn’t be the default option that it has become.</p>
<p>I do agree that for many CC students it can be a challenge to make friends. Living in a dorm makes that a lot easier, and is one advantage of attending a “sleep-away college”. However, making friends can also depend on your major field. Happykid is a theater tech major, which means that she was working on the fall production about two seconds after she arrived on campus at her CC last year. She had absolutely no problem making friends! If you take classes where you have to work in small groups (lab courses are good for this), or you get a job on campus where you have to work with other people, or you join an athletic team or a club, you will have a fair chance of making friends.</p>
<p>I think the ‘drop out’ statistics also include people who transferred out or simply switched to another community college. I realize that at my last school I count as a drop out, even though I moved on to another school. </p>
<p>The only colleges that most people consider scams are the for profit or unaccredited ones.</p>
<p>I’m not worried about making friends, chances are that I’ll be in an athletic team…and who knows? Maybe I might run into some old High School buddies. Thanks for your posts guys.</p>
<p>Why not visit your local community college and see what they offer. Now while it is quiet at the school, you can easily set up an appointment to meet with an academic adviser. Bring your list of questions and listen to the answers. </p>
<p>The answers to the questions you posed here will vary based on the schools in question. </p>
<p>Some CCs are excellent and can offer many excellent opportunities. Others are less desirable. You will have to do some research and find out what your local school offers. Also, find out about the school’s articulation agreements (the academic adviser will know what this is) and this will tell you if a transfer after 2 years will be possible. Every school has a different policy and different agreements about this. You must find out exactly what will be available to you.</p>
<p>Personal story: my daughter studied nursing at our local community college and completed her degree. Her school has an articulation agreement with a local university. Upon graduation, she simply applied (acceptance was guaranteed so no worries there) and began university classes immediately to complete her BSN degree. In her case, going to community college was an excellent choice and we saved many tens of thousands of dollars. And her education was not compromised in the process.</p>
<p>Great personal story!!! And I don’t think a visit to my CC is necessary as they post a good dosage of information online, although a visit wouldn’t do me bad since I would probably meet some professors I might be dealing with in the near future. Thanks for your post!!!</p>
<h1>6</h1>
<p>Roy,</p>
<p>College is and is not a scam.
Think ahead 5-10 years later when you are trying to get a job.</p>
<p>Employers hire those who have work experience, and an abundance of it.
Getting your degree is like completing the prerequisites, and really, the college you go matters, but your experience and the quality of your work matters more, so don’t fret out about trying to get into the ivies.</p>
<p>It’s not a scam, its a requirement, but build up lots of EQ and job and experience on the way, and you’ll propel ahead of others(=</p>
<p>Also, network with professionals while in college. You meet lots of people in college, which in many ways guides you along to finding a job in the future.</p>
<p>The key is to just plan ahead.</p>