I don’t think anyone has even given the indication that a community college background is taken negatively if an employer is looking for someone with the level of an Associate’s Degree. In fact, since many/most Universities don’t award Associate’s Degrees, someone who has an AS from a community college has more clearly completed a defined set of requirements, rather than just a random two years of college courses. And some fields are primarily covered at the level of the local cc (such as dental hygiene in our area).</p>
<p>I think one of the problems with discussing “community colleges” is forgetting that CCs, by design, serve several different audiences.</p>
<p>They serve the student who has the academic background to go straight from high school into a four-year program but who either cannot because of financial reasons or don’t want to because of other reasons (want or need to continue living at home, etc.). This student needs a selection of courses, equivalent in scope and rigor, to what they would get in the first two years at a four-year school.</p>
<p>They serve the student who, for whatever reason, does not have the academic credentials coming out of high school to go directly into a four-year program. This student needs remedial work - and then, if they show themselves ready, the same selection of courses that the more prepared student has.</p>
<p>They serve the student who needs a certification for a vocational career - some of which require an associate’s degree, others a shorter certificate program.</p>
<p>They serve the community through continuing education programs. For example, our local CC has a small business development center that offers a wide variety of noncredit management and technical job skills courses, often just a few sessions long.</p>
<p>There is no stigma to attending a CC - except among a very few people who should, but don’t, know any better, and among a certain population of overentitled and generally clueless high school students,</p>
<p>Sometimes, it is not the need for remedial work, but missing a deadline for taking needed standardized tests, or not meeting every requirement for admission (e.g. not having a full year of high school art or music course(s) for California public universities) as a freshman at a four year school.</p>
<p>So a student who has had no math beyond, say, Algebra I and geometry, who was taking the equivalent of Algebra II at a CC would not be be doing remedial work under your definition?</p>
<p>No, ucbalumnus is just giving another reason why a student might need to start at a CCC. If the specific coursework is not completed in HS, the student can’t apply to a UC.</p>
<p>Missing a standardized test or a high school art or music course is not the same as needing remedial course work (usually in English or math) in college. (Yes, colleges sometimes do have entrance requirements which are not prerequisites to their courses – although they sometimes do not have sufficient English or math entrance requirements that ensure that students will not need remedial course work.)</p>
<p>Our D took 3 semesters of CC. After the 1st semester, she applied to transfer to her dream private U. The CC was very supportive, offered quality, invidivualized attention, and instructors happy to write great recs for her. She was accepted to start her dream U (the only U she applied to) as soon as she completed 3 semesters. That worked great for her and us, saving a lot of money & allowing her to take courses she was interested in, commuting to & from school with free parking, great food, and close to home. She got most of her general education courses out of the way in CC so she was able to take courses in her intended majors after she transferred. None of us have any regrets about the path she took–it was great for her!</p>
<p>I agree, OP, that if you “want to go wild,” doing that while in school and possibly jeopardizing your grades and opportunities sounds like a very poor plan and will come back & bite you for a very, very long time. I saw quite a few kids crash & burn as freshman decades ago. It was painful to watch and I’m sure even tougher on the kids & families involved.</p>
<p>I too was very responsible & helped a lot with raising my sibblings. Opted not to go wild but enjoyed the opportunity to take on new and different challenges and meet all sorts of fascinating people. They are everywhere–at CC & in the community!</p>