<p>I'm thinking about considered going to CC and then transferring to a better undergrad school. So the better the undergrad school is, the better you will be hired by employers and/or grad programs right? </p>
<p>And if for some reason you weren't doing too well at a good undergrad school, is it a lot easier to transfer to a less competitive undergrad school? For example, if I went to UCB but dropped out, could I very easily enroll in UCD? I don't get how it works really. Please clarify this for me. Thanks.</p>
<p>Also, wouldn't it be a lot easier to go to a less-competitive CC or college to get your breadth requirements out of the way and then transfer to a better university for your major courses? Or is it just better to get in and do the breadth req at a good university?</p>
<p>The route you mention is a common one for many. You should speak clearly and concisely with your Guidance counselor about this. The main reasons people do so is 1) shore up on academic readiness (lots of marginally academic HS grads know they need to bulk up or else they'll do badly in traditional collegiate coursework), 2) save money and live at home -- maybe one needs to work many hours or there can be limiting family obligations or other situations.</p>
<p>Assuming you aren't one of those who only need to ready themselves academically (lots of recent HS grads who go to CC are really taking remedial classes -- among these, only 1/3 eventually finish CC and transfer to 4-yr programs -- no kidding), it's a reasonable route. Again, your GC and the transfer counselor at the CC can discuss fully what's needed.</p>
<p>The quality of the college -- does it make one more marketable? Depends what you do with it really. It's not the name of the college per se but what one achieves. That being said, the "quality" label is usually there because of HOW THE COLLEGE can deliver a quality experience and equip you for later. A 1st year calculus course at State School A will cover the same material as Liberal Arts college B, the pre-med requisite course Organic Chemistry at A will cover the same material as at school B too.</p>
<p>However, one school may have more cultural and social offerings than the other. More "prestigious" schools may also have more recruiters due to the fact of their density of qualified graduates versus other schools. </p>
<p>Grad programs' viability comes from what you can achieve. Some schools deliver more to the undergraduates in terms of research opportunities, better facilities and internship possibilities. Sometimes it's a simple as just having a Financial Aid office that gets all your paperwork processed well or a nearby cafeteria that gives good options or an environment where students enjoy themselves on the weekend. All these are real benefits that some schools can deliver while others can't.</p>
<p>If you aren't doing well academically at one school, it's probably not because of the school's perceived "prestige" or "quality" level. Academic tutoring and advising will be available. However, students do transfer schools for a variety of reasons. I doubt that academics or competitiveness is a common reason however. One could just alter one's course of study to a less strenuous bloc within that college.</p>
<p>Of course it would be easier to take basic classes at CC-- but there is a trade off. You need to weigh those things -- especially you should make sure that the CC classes are really going to transfer or really prepare you for upper level collegiate classes. </p>
<p>Again, your best source of advice will be your HS GC and the transfer counselor at the CC (but know that the latter will be biased in getting you to enroll too). Good luck to you.</p>
<p>If you're not going to grad school and you're really just interested in college for the money it will get you after, then the quality of the undergrad school matters very little. I don't mean this in a mean way either, some people have the wrong idea about college; that somehow the name of the school will get them a job. This is simply not true.</p>
<p>I was really shocked to find out that my niece's cousins both went to community college for 2 years to save money on basic college requirements before getting in to the state university. I never would have thought these 2 gifted boys would have to do that--the parents are professionals and both work.</p>
<p>The older one went on, after the state university, to Harvard, and MIT is trying to attract him. Brains and hard work and passion will out. The other one is a high school teacher.<br>
Because of the money they saved at the community college, one went to Russia for a semester, and met his future wife.</p>
<p>I had a certain mindset about community college attendence before undergrad school that just got exploded the day I learned about that.</p>
<p>So basically a more prestigious undergrad school will give you better chances to get into a grad program right? Is that the main reason of why people want to get into ivies and stuff?</p>
<p>No. You should go to an undergrad school that you will like. That's more important than the prestige. I think most people here want to go to the top schools because they think that they'll get a quality education there and be around a bunch of cool, motivated, and really smart people. Not everyone at big-name schools want to go to grad school. The purpose of undergrad shouldn't be to get to grad school. I don't think going to a certain school will give you better chances to get into a grad program--it depends on what you do in undergrad, not what the name of the school is.</p>
<p>of course it doesn't all boil down to just the name.
plus i think that's oversimplifying it</p>
<p>there is no guarantee that going to an ivy will get you into a good grad school...but going to a undergrad that is good in the field of your interest, you give yourself more opportunities (research, mentoring, etc)</p>
<p>how you use these resources is what effects what you do later.</p>