<p>The only Issue I can see with a CC for the one semester is that students must be careful they are only taking lower division GE transferable courses. Do not take and pre recs to your major with out checking with a counslor at USC. Some courses will not be regarded highly during the transfer process if you are considering med school. For example my son who was going to a CC for one semester then Spring Admit at USC was told not to take biology. The counselor at USC said its lab was felt to be an inferior one to USC’s .</p>
<p>Thats just your law school Seattle, and I doubt that you knew all your classmates to know that not a single one of them have attended a CC. I know two of my friends and my father’s friend went to Harvard for law school, and they transferred from a CC to a 4 year institution. </p>
<p>Also, throwing it out there that the 4-year institution didnt matter seeing as how my friend attended Arizona State. Top grad schools do not care, period, about where you come from. If you are producing excellent results, then they will want you.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s a good idea to ask the USC college admissions folks which courses will transfer. Our D was able to transfer credits for 3 semesters of CC plus two summer terms of foreign language to USC. Only one course D took (that she hadn’t Pre-checked with USC didn’t apply toward her degree). She’s graduating from USC with lots of extra credits and was able to explore a lot.</p>
<p>Her CC was in HI and had no articulation agreement with USC. </p>
<p>S took a statistics course from a college after 10th grade. It counted toward the 60 credits USC awarded him at enrollment, with all his many APs. He could have graduated early, but instead was able to devote time and energy to research, ECs, internships, etc.</p>
<p>Tak,</p>
<p>At least 25 of my classmates went to Princeton, which accepts no transfers. About the same went to Yale, again no transfers. The Harvard and Stanford and MIT folks, and 15 from Chicago, no transfers, Notre Dame and USC, no transfers…I’m sure there were a few but not from the top privates…</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T989 using CC</p>
<p>It still runs contradictory to your statement that a CC will stop you from attending a top grad school. Just look at how competitive medical schools are (more so then law schools by a long shot), yet almost over half the applicants have attended a CC at some point or another. </p>
<p>Point is, if you were “top grad school” material, where you attend does not matter for your success. My friend from Arizona State had top notch extracurriculars, leadership, and LSAT score to get into Harvard Law School, and he transferred from a CC to Arizona State as well.</p>
<p>For those out there that believe CC is “tainting” your academic record, I was a spring admit this year, and USC specifically recommended that we take classes at community college. Not another university, but CC. This is mostly for their own benefit, as they don’t want you committing to another university, loving it and then not continuing to USC.
Either way, I know so many pre-meds, engineers, and a ton of people in a variety of demanding and impressive majors that take CC courses during the summer or, if they are spring admits, during the fall. They get into some of the most competitive med schools, law schools, grad programs, etc. While most med schools/graduate programs would PREFER if you took their prerequisites at an accredited 4 year university, they still accept them, especially if it’s just one or two classes. What REALLY matters is your GPA and how constructively you spend your spare time.
My recommendation? Take the GEs at CC. Where you go is your personal decision, but as long as they are accepted at USC, you’ll be fine. It’s really difficult having to plan out a degree program when you’ve got 5-6 extra classes to take.
I studied abroad last semester in France, and got so many credits out of the way. It was rewarding and a little scary, but I have one GE left and WRIT 340. Plus I can tell everyone that I’ve lived in another country and spent that extra semester achieving fluency in another language. Being a spring admit turned out to be way more of a blessing than I thought it would be :)</p>
<p>My recommendation? Play tiddlywinks while reading all the Penguin classics. You’ll learn far more than anything the “illustrious” or “prestigious” lacc, Glendale, lavc, saddleback, smcc, de anza, elac, gold coast and countless other remedial institutions could ever teach you. </p>
<p>You can also join a Karaoke or bowling club, learn how to needlepoint, watch cooking channel reruns, sleep in daily, daydream, spend all day in your pajamas, visit all of the local coffee shops, download as many apps your smart phone can handle and do other far more useful things than hanging out with academic bottom dwellers…</p>
<p>Better yet, see Oz, The Great and Powerful, in 3d Imax a dozen times and blog about it weekly…</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T989 using CC</p>
<p>Is that how your elite law school taught you to argue your case, SeattleTW?</p>
<p>I suppose the message is that those who don’t come from privileged backgrounds should know their place in society and accept it.</p>
<p>I didn’t come from a privileged background but was fortunate to realize even then that taking ALL of my GEs at USC, given the opportunity, is the best route because of the quality of the classes and ability to attend USC as a freshman and sophomore. </p>
<p>In other words, I could have wasted two years at a JC, and saved money, and transferred to USC, when the admit rate exceeded 60%.</p>
<p>I chose not to take the easy route.</p>
<p>P.S.: I sat in at a cc English course and literally felt my IQ dropping while listening to the other students…</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T989 using CC</p>
<p>To everyone: don’t listen to SeattleTW. It really is the most practical option to take a few G.E.'s off your list at some CC if you do not have any other big plans such as volunteering internationally or holding down a full-time job. Whatever Seattle says is completely false, and he is just a big ■■■■■. There is absolutely nothing wrong in attending a few CC classes before you join us as trojans in the spring. It will not affect your successes in the future. SeattleTW is just full of bullcrap.</p>
<p>Well said @takmuieo. Ignore, Seattle TW, everyone else does. Others have good advice for you.</p>
<p>Seattle TW: I sent a PM to you.</p>
<p>SeattleTW You are an embarrassement to this thread.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.facebook.com/ThingsUscStudentsDontSay[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/ThingsUscStudentsDontSay</a></p>
<p>I am fairly certain of my choice to attend a cc or else i won’t be able to graduate in time with my workload. Thanks for the input though Seattle, i understand where you’re coming from. Being a spring admit strips me from a normal college experience and I’m frustrated about it but there’s nothing i can do but hope i get bumped up to fall. I love USC so i wouldn’t choose otherwise.</p>
<p>I’m going to be living in Carlsbad for the fall…should I choose Palomar or Mira Costa for CC?</p>
<p>Probably miracosta!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t ask about that on an online forum. Talk to the admissions office or an adviser from your prospective department (i.e. Dornsife, Marshall, etc.) and see what s/he has to say. Beyond the usual “My school is awesome” B.S. they’ll have a more informed opinion as to the rigor and quality of coursework at individual CCs as they can be just as up and down as K-12 public schools.</p>