<p>Along with many other people I know, I will be graduating from high school, and going to a CCC for at least the next two years. After being accepted by a UC or CSU, what would you like incoming college freshmen to know about the next two plus years?</p>
<ol>
<li>Finish your 2 English and 1 math ASAP! Don’t wait</li>
<li>Get good grades </li>
<li> Visit the campus</li>
</ol>
<p>what lawlking said + research your major and start taking pre-reqs (use assist.org)</p>
<p>if you don’t know what your major is going to be upon CCC arrival, then take the 2 english and math + just worry about all the other IGETC requirements.</p>
<p>I spent 4 yrs at CCC because I initially thought I would be a computer science major. CS majors don’t follow IGETC so when I switched to English, I had to pretty much start all over. I would make sure your pre-reqs become part of your course load by the 2nd or 3rd semester at CCC.</p>
<p>But of course, if you major in something that doesn’t require IGETC then be sure to follow the requirements on assist.org</p>
<p>Don’t come into CC hating the world and resentful because you didn’t get to go to the university that accepted you/you “deserved” to go to. Enter community college with an open mind ready to meet diverse people and learn a whole lot of things. You grow a lot from attending community college :-)</p>
<p>Also, some classes may seem really easy to you – so easy that you just might slack off and be like, “f it, we’ll do it live!” I’ve done that before for a couple of classes - and in the end missed a B just by a few inches. </p>
<p>Make sure you’re up to date with what classes you need for your major and to transfer - ASAP. Check in with your transfer counselor - Mine was really awesome, but I’ve heard others not have theirs as great - You wanna make sure that you are on track and not wasting your time taking classes you don’t need.</p>
<p>Sure, your CC isn’t your dream school - but work hard so you CAN get into that dream school (and hopefully win merit scholarships to it too!). Have fun, it’s still college :)</p>
<p>PAY ATTENTION ::::</p>
<p>hi, well, I go to a CC right now and Im a freshman. </p>
<p>THE NUMBER ONE THING you can do is:</p>
<p>INFORM YOURSELF…</p>
<p>most people i know at the CCC scene dont know why they are there, where they willgo, or what they will major in. </p>
<p>YOU NEED to answer all those questions, meet up with a councelor, look at your colleges MAJOR SHEET to find out what classes you take to transfer, what grades you need, and try to join your scholars program in college to get priority.</p>
<p>Informing yourself will set you aside from all the people who go there just so they can tell their parents theyre still going to school.</p>
<p>Its much cheaper to go to a CC which is good, and its a realllyy good way to transition into the university scene if you are having troubles adapting normally. </p>
<p>THE NEXT BEST THING:</p>
<p>Dont try to rack up on so many units per semester, try to do the minimum full time (12 units) at first, get used to it, take summer class if you want and get ahead, etc. </p>
<p>FINALLY: </p>
<p>visit campuses. it will motivate you greatly., and again, dont forget why youre going to CCC in the first place. YOu should aim to transfer our in 2 years. Dont listen to people telling you its not possible because of budget cuts, etc. My econ major doesnt require so many courses, and im 31 units in and done with my hard IGETC classes.</p>
<p>FINISH your basic igetc classes FIRST. do enlgish, math, history, etc. </p>
<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I haven’t started CC yet (will do this coming Fall), but the above is what I’ve been seeing as some of the best information in the last 6 months I’ve been lurking this site. Truly inform yourself. Do not rely solely on information from your CC counselors or other classmates. PLAN PLAN PLAN. It might start out hard, especially if you’re not organized, but planning in advance will save headaches, IMO.</p>
<p>I have poured over information from my CC website, schools I want to apply for transfer to, and Assist and have created a mapped out spreadsheet that shows which classes will complete which requirement, a timeline for when I anticipate taking the course, and other stuff. I will update it each year as I complete the classes and online information changes/is updated. I fully expect to walk into my counselor’s office and pretty much tell them I don’t want to waste their time and I don’t want them to waste mine - I will have it all laid out in front of me and I will be telling them which classes I need for what reasons. There are some outstanding counselors and school staff out there for sure, but do not rely on them only.</p>
<p>Add having a direction (knowing what you want to do, or something there of - like transfer to UC or CSU? Major selection? ECs or work?) and you have a foundation for success, IMO.</p>
<p>I’ve seen some great tips mentioned in this thread pertaining to transferring, organizing your courses for potential majors, etc., but I thought I could contribute a few basic fundamentals that haven’t been mentioned yet–</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Your syllabus is your best friend. Unlike high school where just get them signed by a parent for a grade, your syllabus is your guideline for the entire semester of coursework, deadlines, expectations, etc. I went straight into a university out of high school and this took me by surprise…I forgot to check it for the first week or so of classes. So get ready for this transition between CC to UC/CSU.</p></li>
<li><p>Reading a textbook isn’t unheard of. Again, this is something I felt ill prepared for coming out of high school. You can pretty much skate through high school without reading through the textbooks, but you WILL come across courses in college that require you read the material. If you’re lucky enough, you wont always need to buy the textbook (saves quite a bit of $$$) but there are some courses you just can’t get away with that behavior.</p></li>
<li><p>Studying is a necessary feat. Again, this is conditional being that it depends on the rigor of the course and what not, but don’t be surprised when you have a tough math/science class that you need to work problems for to understand. Likewise, there will be humanities and other sorts of classes that require you have memorized/understood reading material and lectures. While cramming can get you through here and there, some classes will require that you begin studying the material a week or so prior to the exam so that you can really master it.</p></li>
<li><p>Take good notes. Something that may be given in lecture notes on a power point may not always make sense the way the professor words it/shortens it. If you take articulate notes explaining exactly what they meant, when it comes test time, you’ll be able to remember/learn the material instead of questioning what the heck that powerpoint meant.</p></li>
<li><p>Ratemyprofessor.com is a lifeline for picking good professors. I have been lucky enough to never have experienced a bad professor. On this website, students rate their professors on things such as “hotness”, interest in material, clarity, ease of course, etc. While going through and registering for classes, I HIGHLY recommended looking these professors up before registering for a course. If they’ve got negative reviews by quite a few students, chances are that you want to run the other way. The reviews can also give you a good indication of whether or not you’ll truly need the textbook, and in my experience, that is a pretty good indicator of how easy/uneasy the class will be.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck incoming freshman! Some of these notes are what I experienced coming straight out of high school into a university before transferring to a CCC. You may find that a few of the recommendations seem a bit overkill for community college and indeed may end up rolling your eyes at how ridiculous this post is. HOWEVER, not all community courses are easy and you can expect these types of things out of your future university. If not, well then you have picked the wrong university to attend. ;)</p>
<p>Never trust CC counselors, always inform yourself and go directly to the source if you have questions. In other words, get in touch with admission officers at the university you hope to transfer to and if you ever have any serious questions about our courses ask them FIRST. Surprisingly, your community college’s counselors can be extremely misinformed and can end up only setting you back.</p>
<p>Just to re-iterate because it’s important: finish your MATH AND ENGLISH REQUIREMENT and as many MAJOR PRE-REQS ASAP. Those are the key to admission along with GPA. IGETC should be prioritized after finishing those courses. </p>
<p>Also I’m surprised no one mentioned it yet, but familiarize yourself with ASSIST.ORG, it’ll inform you of all the requirements offered at your cc for your major.</p>
<p>I think everyone else did a good job on touching on everything else so good luck. Study hard and keep your grades up and you’ll transfer in no time.</p>