Should I go to community college?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>During high school, I've taken all honors and 3 AP classes, with the exception of one regular class. Freshman and sophomore years, I did really well and got all As and 2 Bs. This year, I've really screwed up and I'm getting a B and a D. My GPA is probably going to be about a 3.8 unweighted. </p>

<p>Do you think my best bet is just to go to a community college for two years and transfer to a different college as a junior? I mean, I want to have the full 4-year college experience, but I don't think my horrible grades and lack of rigorous courses are going to get me into any good schools that I want to go to. I'm not talking HYPMS, but more like uber-selective LACs. </p>

<p>But I also don't want to write off this option all too quickly, does someone mind telling me more about what it's like to go to CC then transfer? What kind of person is it best for, what kind of person should not do it? Can CC classes be TOO easy, because I want to be challenged?</p>

2

<p>You should really sit down with your guidance counselor. For someone as qualified as you, I’d recommend CC only if finances or immaturity were issues. Your grades make you qualified to go to many solid schools – maybe not the tippy top ones you mention – but if you were my kid, I’d say aim a little lower and go full blast into the 4 year college experience.</p>

<p>CCs are filled with many people. It’s doubtful you’ll find much challenge. Certainly you’ll probably the be single most qualified kid in the school. Only about 1/3 of those intent on transferring to 4 year programs eventually do (not saying this would apply to you – but it’s more of a statement of the quality of your classmates).</p>

<p>CC students are kids wanting to save $ and eventually transfer to a 4 yr pgm (like you) – but most are looking to transfer to the local public college. Also there are people in work transition – maybe get some credits towards that associates – but mostly adults already in the work force. Then there are tons of kids who are frankly, too old to be in HS but want to do something. They’re taking remedial classes to prepare them to take standard CC fare. Huge attrition in these kids. Maturity issues, focus,and academic ambition can be shaky here.</p>

3

<p>I don’t understand why your choice is </p>

<p>A. uber-selective LAC</p>

<p>OR</p>

<p>B. Community college</p>

<p>WHAT??? Those are your only two choices???</p>

4

<p>If you go to a community college with a 3.8 GPA, you are going to be very bored. And it’s not going to be like bored with a 4.0; you’re going to be stressed that your classmates suck, and stressed that you’re not in a 4 year college, and you’re probably going to end up getting a lower GPA than you’d prefer. </p>

<p>There are people who honestly need to go to community college to get where they want to go. You are not one of those people.</p>

5

<p>Obviously he has many many more choices.
However, those are clearly his only two choices LEFT.</p>

<p>He used a 50/50 lifeline to eliminate
C. Ivy Leage, and
D. Failure</p>

<p>I’d say he did a good job narrowing down his options - and now he’s just that much closer to being a millionaire!</p>

6

<p>Wow, selective LAC or community college? No. Go to a 4 year. You WILL be bored at a community college.</p>

7

<p>Consider some more mid-range LACs. Did you test well?</p>

8

<p>3.8 and going to CC?? That’s crazy. I got 3.62 (but no D) and I still got accept to good 4 year universities.</p>

9

<p>*but I don’t think my horrible grades and lack of rigorous courses are going to get me into any good schools that I want to go to. I’m not talking HYPMS, but more like uber-selective LACs.
*</p>

<p>What are these “horrible grades”?</p>

<p>Ok…so you didn’t take the most challenging course load, that will likely mean that uber-selective schools are out (and hard to transfer in anyway).</p>

<p>But…that doesn’t mean that you don’t have other VERY GOOD options that aren’t CCs.</p>

<p>What are your scores? </p>

<p>What is your home state? </p>

<p>How much can your parents afford to spend each year on your education?</p>

10

<p>It’s not that it’s uber-selective LACs or nothing, it’s more like I’ve had my heart set on a couple of specific schools (Bowdoin and Middlebury) that can both be categorizezd as uber-selective and those are the schools I most want to go to. So I was thinking of a community college as a stepping stone to getting there, but obviously I was very wrong.
But yeah, I’m going to just accept the fact that I don’t stand a chance at getting admitted to those colleges and that I should look at the other options I have that aren’t CC. </p>

<p>So… I wouldn’t mind more mid-range LACs and any large universities. A lot of merit aid would be a huge plus, but I’m pretty worried that no schools will offer me any merit aid if I have a D on my transcript. </p>

<p>The horrible grades are the 2 Bs and the D (Seriously, who ever gets a D?). I’m going to try to get straight As for the rest of high school, which I think could be doable.
My SAT score is a 2100 (on my first try but I’m going to retake it) and I’m from md. I think my parents make $120k combined, so I’m upper-middle-class, but they’re definitely going to need good financial aid. I think they said about $10-15k per year would be ideal.</p>

11

<p>You could always go to a mid range LAC or a university, and after a few years transfer to Bowdoin or Middlebury. Also, I think that you should still try for these very selective LACs, your SAT score is great, certainty above community college level.</p>

12

<p>If those are your dream schools, you should still apply. Your chances may not be great, but sometimes good things happen.</p>

<p>However, I agree you need to find some safeties and match schools. As your SAT score is 2100, you do still have quite a few options. For matches, I’d say look at schools whose median SAT is below 2000, and create a collegeboard profile and search for colleges meeting that criteria. You won’t get top schools, but you should be able to find some interesting schools whose midrange is around 1700-2000.</p>

13

<p>You need to take into consideration acceptance rates for transfer students. Often times, with more selective schools, the acceptance rate for transfers is lower than freshman admissions. There are plenty of great LACs that aren’t as selective but that can provide the same academic environment top LACs can. I’m mainly thinking about the colleges that are listed in “the colleges that change lives.” Also, I hope you are researching schools that offer a lot of merit aid because your stats are not LOW at all. Schools like Occidental(if I’m not incorrect) offer great merit packages for those with high stats like yours. Transferring out of a school like Occidental has more credibility in terms of academic rigor vs a community college, if you were to apply to transfer into a “higher ranked” LAC. </p>

<p>There are a ton of threads on here that list colleges that offer free rides or large merit offers based on SAT scores. research research research!</p>

14

<p>Don’t let a few bad grades stop you from getting into a great university.</p>

15

<p>You’re a junior right?</p>

<p>*So… I wouldn’t mind more mid-range LACs and any large universities. A lot of merit aid would be a huge plus, but I’m pretty worried that no schools will offer me any merit aid if I have a D on my transcript. </p>

<p>The horrible grades are the 2 Bs and the D (Seriously, who ever gets a D?). I’m going to try to get straight As for the rest of high school, which I think could be doable.</p>

<p>My SAT score is a 2100 (on my first try but I’m going to retake it) and I’m from md. </p>

<p>I think my parents make $120k combined, so I’m upper-middle-class, but they’re definitely going to need good financial aid. I think they said about $10-15k per year would be ideal. *</p>

<p>**That last part is one of the most important parts. ** At that income, you’re not going to get much/any financial aid from the majority of universities. Your parents say that they can only contribute $10-15k per year…which is likely less than then their EFC (expected family contribution from FAFSA) and why might be expected from CSS Profile. </p>

<p>Because of your parents’ income and likely unaffordable EFC, you’ll need to be looking at schools with great merit scholarships as financial matches and financial safeties. The goal for your financial matches and safeties should be schools that will give you scholarships of free (or nearly) free tuition, so that your parents contribution can cover room and board. If necessary, a small Stafford student loan can cover the rest.</p>

<p>Your match and reach schools will likely be the more selective LACs that are known to give strong aid/merit. The most selective ones might be high reaches for you because of the D, and because you say that you aren’t taking the most challenging curriculum.</p>

<p>So, continue with your goal of doing well the rest of the year. Grades 9-11 are what colleges really look at for admission, but that doen’t mean senior grades should fall. </p>

<p>What classes will you be taking next year?</p>

<p>So… I wouldn’t mind more mid-range LACs and any large universities. A lot of merit aid would be a huge plus, but I’m pretty worried that no schools will offer me any merit aid if I have a D on my transcript.</p>

<p>That D might hurt you for the more competitive scholarships, but some schools award scholarships just on overall GPA and ACT/SAT scores. You mention taking the SAT again. Good! Also, take the ACT…some do better on that. :)</p>

<p>You say that your unweighted GPA is about a 3.8. Good. Many scholarships require at least a 3.75. So, work on keeping that high or higher. What is your weighted GPA?</p>

<p>What is your M+CR SAT?</p>

16

<p>mom2collegekids is absolutely on target about the money. You need to sit down with your parents and run some of the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and Loan Repayment calculators. There are good ones at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>How Much Will College Cost – BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>Talk with your parents about just exactly how much money they will be able to contribute, and how much they would prefer to contribute. Does this figure depend on the college/university where you are admitted? Find out how they feel about taking out student loans, and how much money they expect you to make by working during the school year and vacations.</p>

<p>Once you are clear about the finances, you will be better able to focus your college applications. The cost of attendance (COA) at the public universities in Maryland is in the range of $20k each year. COA for the community colleges is significantly less. If you are in Montgomery County, your GPA and SAT scores are in range to apply for the honors programs at Montgomery College. Graduates of those programs have excellent transfer records. If money is a problem, MC is not a bad place to start.</p>

<p>The State of Maryland offers a number of merit-based scholarships. You may qualify, but you need to begin the application process in February. Read about them at [MDgo4it[/url</a>] or stop by your HS guidance office and ask for a copy of “College 411” which is published by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.</p>

<p>Read these threads started by momfromtexas. They will give you good ideas on how to look for merit aid.<br>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>What I've learned about full-ride scholarships - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums](<a href=“http://www.mdgo4it.org%5DMDgo4it%5B/url”>http://www.mdgo4it.org)</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

17

<p>I won’t over-generalize because some community colleges have some good programs, and these schools can be a great opportunity for many students. But I say be careful! Without going into a lot of details, I know that in many instances the rigor of community college courses does not match that of 4-year college courses, including mid- or lower-tier colleges. This situation can be insidious because CC students don’t know they are getting short-changed until they transfer to a 4-year school and find that they’re unprepared for upper-level college work. They go through their first one or two years, do all their assignments, maybe get all As - only to find themselves getting Cs and Ds at their 4-yr school. Again, this doesn’t happen to everybody, but it is all too common. You need to check out the quality of the CC program you would attend, the same as you would investigate a 4-yr. program.</p>

18

<p>OP – you and your parents find yourselves in a very difficult financial situation. $120k household income puts you in no-man’s-land with regard to Financial Aid at private colleges. MERIT aid, yes. But not much FA (assuming you are the only household member who will be in college at the time).</p>

<p>People in your position generally look at these options:</p>

<p>1) State Flagship
2) A private LAC or University that offers MERIT aid, and where your stats place you in the top 10% of admitted students (or possibly top 15%).</p>

<p>A last resort taken by many families is to load up on Home Equity loan or private loans at the point that FA is exhausted. I caution against this! The last 2-3 years have really driven home the point that DEBT is not to be entered into lightly, and materially affects lifestyle choices for decades.</p>

<p>Oh, and don’t look down too much upon Community Colleges. One of my dorm mates at Stanford freshman year was a Junior Transfer from Foothill College, a nearbye JC. While rare, it is quite possible to excel at a JC, save your money, and then finish up two years at a prestigious private college or university using the savings from the JC years.</p>