The stigma of community college: is it that bad?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Well, long story short, I'm senior from a lower income family, who had to constantly tend for his 3 younger siblings throughout high school. Because of that, I was not able to reach my academic potential (I only got a 3.5 GPA). I got denied from UCD, UCI, but accepted into UCSC and the lower tier UC's. I'm leaning towards CC, because of my family's economic stature, but more because I simply feel like I can do better and get into a higher tier UC like UCLA or UCB. I will also not be obligated to take care of my younger siblings anymore, now that my aunt is moving in with us.</p>

<p>However, I'm still thinking saying "screw it", and just going straight to UCSC, because of the "stigma" community college has. Though education is very important, something inside me still wants to go crazy and enjoy the college experience. I never really got to party or go out much during high school because of the sibling thing, so I just want to go wild in college haha. I feel like if I'm at CC, all my friends in UC's and universities will be having a blast and I'll be sitting in the dust... Anyone have any insight in this? Will you feel depressed and like you're missing out? And also, once you transfer to a university, will you be an outsider because you're joining in during your junior year of college (rather then the people who have been there since fresh. year)?</p>

<p>Any advice, insight would be well appreciated. Thx!!!</p>

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<p>What you get out of your college experience is mostly up to you. Happykid has friends who are miserable at their sleep-away universities, and she has friends who are as happy as she is with her community college at other sleep-away universities and 4-year commuter schools. I do hope you aren’t serious when you state “I just want to go wild in college” because frankly, no parent wants to read that. If you want to go wild, you should do that when you aren’t going in a position to mess up your grades.</p>

<p>In California you are blessed to have an extensive network of dirt-cheap community colleges that feed directly into the public university system. You can save a bunch of money by starting out at a CC and then transferring. And, you are correct, you would have a better chance of getting into one of the “higher tier” UCs if you transfer with good grades from a CCC. Right now lots of your friends may be saying that they are going to a UC, CSU, or another sleep-away institution, but come fall, many of them will be opting for the cheaper option. Another whole bunch will be home by Christmas (if not Thanksgiving) because they either ran out of money or flunked out or just plain decided that they hated the place.</p>

<p>Nationwide the single largest group of traditional aged college students is comprised of those who are attending their local community colleges. By some estimates more than 50% of traditional aged college students are doing this. If you end up at a CCC because it is your most affordable option, you will be in good company.</p>

<p>In the Transfer Forum, there is a whole sub-forum just for UC transfers, you might take a look there for more ideas. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>What stigma? As I’ve said before here on CC, one of my graduate school classmates transferred into UVirginia from community college, graduated with distinction from grad school and started out with a great job from a very reputable firm after graduate school.</p>

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<p>In the real world, meaning everywhere outside this forum’s little “prestige”-obsessed bubble, there is zero stigma. Absolutely nobody cares where you did the first two years of college.</p>

<p>I started at a California community college and graduated from a Western state flagship (U of Idaho). I now have a government job and will start a funded master’s program at Indiana U in the fall. My community college experience helped, not hindered, this journey.</p>

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<p>viet510,</p>

<p>There is no stigma attached to attending a cc. Your plan sounds smart and well planned out, not to mention responsible. If you go to cc, get stellar grades and then transfer later to a college of your choice, it seems to me that you’ll get to experience the best of everything. Once you transfer you’ll be amazed at how many others did the same thing and you’ll fit right in.</p>

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<p>Why go to a 4-year instead of thru a CC?</p>

<p>CC’s tend to serve several populations, all of whom are enrolled in the same classes. You have retired people (and sometimes working people in evening classes) who take classes for general interest. You have students who due to financial or other constraints intend on getting a 4-year degree but start in a CC. You have some students who finally got serious about education after HS when they realized they weren’t working hard enough in HS to get into a 4-year college, and our country can be proud that there’s a way for these people to get back on track (in contrast to a country like France, where a one-time placement exam in HS determines whether you can go to college, and which one).</p>

<p>And finally you have the students that people often have in mind when they 'dis CCs, those who maybe don’t belong there. These days its somewhat frowned upon to finish HS with no intention of college. Many parents expect their kids to go to college, even if Johnny has no interest in doing so. The CC plays the role of bridge between HS and the “real world” for these students, allowing them to at least give a show of attending college before quitting.</p>

<p>And there are lots of these students! Stats show that about 2/3 HS graduates enroll in college, and that 42% of all students in college are at 2-year schools. The outcome stats that follow kids over 6-8 years clearly show this “CC bridge-out effect”. In a US Gov’t study of traditional CC students (kids who went to CC right after HS) 63% reported they intended to eventually get a 4-year degree and another 18% said they were aiming for an AA degree. The outcome 8 years later? Out of those students, only 21% got a 4-year degree and another 18% got an AA. In other words, 81% of those entering a CC said they were going to get a degree but only 31% actually did<img src=“Source:%20The%20Education%20Statistics%20Quarterly:%20Vol.%205” alt=“/u”></p>

<p>Peer effects play a big role in how people do in life; in HS, in college, at work. There is a fair amount of social pressure to conform to what the community standards are if you want to get along and make friends. So if only 1 out of 5 of the more traditional kids at a CC are going to end up with a 4-year degree, 80%+ of your peers are probably not going to be setting good examples of how to study, attitude towards academics, or be good to get together with to figure out homework and study. Ask too many questions in class, complain the instructor is going at too slow a pace or is just checking off the homework was turned in and not bothering to actually correct them, and someone is likely to set you straight as to school norms (perhaps with their fists).</p>

<p>Keep in mind, too, that CC students tend to come from the local area and live at home. So social opportunities are going to be different, as well as the sense of getting away from home and taking part in the college experience. And it can be harder to make friends at a new school after you xfer from a CC. When the frosh show up, everyone is in the same boat – nervous & knowing few if any people on campus. One of the easiest time to make new acquaintances (some of which will turn into friends) is the early period of frosh year. By junior year the continuing students have had a lot of their friends 2 years, sharing a history with them. It’s not impossible to make new friends as a junior xfer, and the more outgoing you are the easier it is, but a lot of xfers can tell you what it feels like to go into a classroom of 25 people and it seems like 24 of the other people in there already know each other.</p>

<p>Time is also compressed for CC xfer students. It might take a semester to really feel at home at a college – learning about the clubs, what leisure time activities are around, finding good hangouts, getting to know the rep of different classes and profs so you can make better choices when signing up for classes, just generally finding your way around. As a frosh you have 7 semesters after that to go; as a junior xfer you have 3. If you think about applying to grad school which is commonly done senior year, kids that have been at the school since frosh year have had 3 years to get to know faculty members for recs. Those interested in research have had 3 years to build up responsibilities in the lab so they have something significant to list.</p>

<p>I’m not saying not to do it; for many students a CC turns out to be the best choice for a number of reasons. And there are CC’s that do much better than average; often ones located near a major U since kids enroll their with intent to xfer such as Santa Monica CC near UCLA, or in suburbs with high average incomes such as DeAnza CC in Silicon Valley.</p>

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<p>From an academic standpoint, going directly to a 4-year university as a freshman is most beneficial for those who will take junior/senior level courses or other specialty courses not available at community college in their first or second year. For other students, community college can be a way of getting the freshman/sophomore level courses done inexpensively before transferring to a 4-year university. Some students do end up taking an extra semester or quarter at the 4-year university after transferring, due to needed freshman/sophomore level course work that was not available at community college.</p>

<p>However, do note that staying in a 4-year university once enrolled as a freshman typically only requires a 2.0 GPA, while transferring from a community college to the same university typically requires a higher GPA, and often requires applying to transfer without knowing if your GPA will make it for admission this particular year.</p>

<p>If you decide to go to community college, take a look at [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) to match up community college courses to courses for your intended major at California public universities. Also, investigate the transfer acceptance programs / guarantees that some UCs offer.</p>

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<p>There are quite a few students in our area who, rather than attend Directional State U, live at home, save $, attend the local community college, and then go to State Flagship U (which is pretty good). I think it’s smart. Once they have a diploma from State Flagship U, no one will know or care if they spent 2 or 4 years there.</p>

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<p>I am sure that my response is too late for you but it might help another. I have interviewed hundreds of job candidates over the years for engineering and technician positions. I can tell you that those candidates coming with a degree or significant coursework from a community college are at a great disadvantage to those who come from a reputable university.</p>

<p>I am often shocked by the large disconnect between those who push and promote the community college systems and those who hire. Hiring managers have a good handle on the variance between the rigors of a reputable university and the much less challenging community college. Hiring managers are ‘brand’ conscience. UCLA has a better brand image than Imperial Valley College. Hiring managers know that the graduate of UCLA has been through a tougher program. That suggests that the graduate might be more apt to tackle the challenges of the business world better than the IVC graduate might. A Penn State education or a Drexel education is perceived as more valuable by the hiring manager than Harrisburg Area Community College education. A hiring manager is more likely to extend the offer to a graduate of Purdue University than Ivy Tech Community College. </p>

<p>Community Colleges just don’t open as many doors for their graduates.</p>

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<p>The question is not finishing CC and then stopping vs. going to a 4-year school for a bachelor’s degree. The question is doing two years at a CC then finishing at a 4-year vs. doing the whole thing at a 4-year. And while I’m sure you can find some hiring managers who turn up their noses at CC-to-4-year paths, I am certain they are in the minority - not to mention foolish, because research shows that there is essentially no difference in the quality of the education.</p>

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<p>Given the bad economic situation in Calif, and the impact of additional cutbacks in funding is likely to be felt more at the CC’s than at the UC’s, i think the OP would be wise to go to UCSC now, instead of hoping to have the classes need to transfer into a uC 2-3 years from now. Grab this opportunity now- while you have it…</p>

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<p>I actually know several people who went from a cc to an Ivy.</p>

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<p>

Are they typically applying for the same job? Sheesh.</p>

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<p>You know, when interviewing, you pay attention most to the person actually in front of you, not the line on the resume. An articulate, well spoken, insightful candidate will impress regardless of school.</p>

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<p>Unless they’re from NIU, and are thus unwelcome across vast swaths of Chicagoland, PizzaGirl?</p>

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<p>No, I didn’t say that at all. I said there are “some” doors in some certain industries that might be more firmly closed. Not “vast swathes.” In my particular profession, a bright person from NIU would do just fine.</p>

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<p>If someone has a BS from UCLA on their resume, how are you going to know if they did all 4 years there, or did their first 2 at a community college? Would an interviewer really ask that? And if they took all their major classes at UCLA, wouldn’t they be getting the education they needed for the job? Who cares where they took Freshman English?</p>

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<p>In my experience, no one would know or care. You’d say “BA from UCLA, graduated xx year”. In the real world, people understand that not everyone has the $ to go to “sleep-away” college the first year due to who-knows-what circumstance. It’s not uncommon in my neck of the woods for students to go to the local comm college for 2 years, then University of Illinois for the last 2, and then they have a U of I degree that will serve them perfectly well in the world. I’m glad I didn’t have to do that for my kids, but I can’t say I fault people for that strategy.</p>

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<p>Or just “BA/BS in English/history/electrical engineering/nursing,” and no one would care, because, believe it or not, most people realize that where you got your degree is a lot less important than what you learned and what you did while at college; that a great employee can come from almost any college; as can a dunderhead.</p>

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<p>Am I the only one to note that ljshipley has but one post, and this is it? None of the other self-identified hiring managers active at CC has given any indication that a community college background is taken negatively by their organization provided that the job applicant has subsequently graduated with a full BA/BS from a reputable institution. Perhaps there is something very specific about ljshipley’s work environment that has led that business to take this stand against potential employees who have studied at a community college.</p>

<p>My greater concern is that students who read through this thread may take ljshipley’s comments as evidence that only four full years at college/university X will lead to employment, and that these students (and their families) will neglect to consider affordability when they are college-hunting. Affordability is of critical importance to most students and their families, and very often only by starting at a community college can a student complete a four year degree without landing him/herself and his/her family up past their eyeballs in education debt. In my own family, it would have been all but impossible for Happykid to receive her education if it weren’t for the two years she has been able to do “on the cheap” at our local community college.</p>