<p>I plan to major in engineering. I was accepted to the University of Washington. I have a 3.96 GPA with AP's and honors courses. There is a community college in my home town that I could attend that is around 4.5k a year. I could have a job, live for free at home to attend community college and then transfer to UW with 10K in savings and no debt for the first two years of college. Or I could attend the UW with cost of attendance of 27k a year for all four years and put almost all of it on loans.</p>
<p>I have an EFC of 12K and only qualified for loans to make up the difference. My parents don't plan on contributing financially much to my higher education expenses so I would have to take out substantial private loans in addition .</p>
<p>My gut feeling is to attend community college and transfer because of the huge savings. When I've discussed this with my friends they think community college is a bad idea. They say that it will be hard to get a job after graduation and that I am "too good of a student" to community college.</p>
<p>Is the cost difference (~45k over two years) of attending a University the first two years really worth it when it comes down to after graduation applying for that engineering job? Is the additional 45K in loans worth it when I will be taking out about the same for junior and senior year in college? Would community college significantly hurt my chances of internships or co-ops later in college?</p>
<p>Any input on community college transfer vs 4yr University is welcome.</p>
<p>You can only borrow $5,500 your first year - 27k would mean your parents borrowing. Can’t they contribute something? I agree that based on your GPA you will not be intellectually stimulated at community college (the classes will not go in as much depth as at UWA’s and often don’t offer the prerequisite engineering classes - check!) However you may not have a choice if you can’t afford UWA…
Can you call UWA and see whether you may not qualify for grants from the COE, considering your GPA and classes? </p>
<p>Sorry MYOS1634: As a community college professor for 22 years, I can assure you that there will be sufficient intellectual stimulation. With your credentials (jayjay12), you may qualify for scholarships and/or an Honors Program. Back to MYOS: your assessment is without merit. Community colleges are less expensive, smaller (35 students or less), you get to know your professors, ABSOLUTELY offer the prerequisite engineering classes. At the college, we promote critical thinking, so please check your facts before making erroneous statements.</p>
<p>@jayjay12, what were your ACT/SAT scores? Some large public Us give good scholarships, even to out of state students with high stats (you already have the high grades). If your scores were high enough it might be worth looking at a gap year where you could work and reapply to Universities looking for high stat students. Look at the stickied threads in the financial aid forum for some options.</p>
<p>The most intellectually stimulating college professor I ever had was at a small community college in Upstate NY, not at the 4-year state school I attended, not at the (2) pricey privates (whose names regularly pop up on these boards), but a rural cc. People sell cc’s short for no good reason. </p>
<p>My GPA was like yours, but I didn’t feel cc’s were intellectually beneath me. I’ve always felt that you can learn something from everybody so kids with lower GPAs (attending cc for whatever their reasons were) didn’t bother me, and my education is only held back if I allow myself to become complacent. If the college doesn’t have the internships I want, there’s no rule forbidding me from drumming one up on my own. If I want to learn more about a particular topic, the internet and my public library are full of information. Kids attend cc’s for all kinds of reasons; it doesn’t mean they weren’t smart enough to get admitted elsewhere or they can’t carry on stimulating conversations. </p>
<p>Since money is an important factor for you, check out the sticky thread in financial aid for automatic merit awards based on SAT scores & GPAs. Those are generally only for freshmen, so it’s important to know if you can qualify before you take classes somewhere else. If your choices are solely the cc and an expensive school with no aid, I’d pick the cc then transfer to an affordable 4-year school, but make sure schools have the courses you need and proper accreditation (ABET, etc.). Good luck.</p>