<p>As I understand, when you transfer, in a community college you should take per-requisites that can transfer to your university.
What is the reason for taking credits that will go towards an associate's degree in a CC, but will not count for transfer, and earning that degree in a CC?</p>
<p>My wanted major is computer science (programming), and the universities I want to transfer to (out-of-state) have certain per-requisites for my major that include tons of science, math, biology (Idk why?) classes.
I am in an honors program in a CC, and my adviser wants me to earn Liberal Arts with honors degree with a bunch of humanities, sociology, English classes. But they are not the per-requisites for the computer science degree in universities I want to transfer to! She says that my chances to be accepted will rise, but I don't think so? What's the purpose of that Liberal Arts degree in a CC? Should I just take classes that are the per-requisites for computer science?
I am very confused with the college transfer system..</p>
<p>You need to sit down with the transfer advisor at your CC and show that person your list. Find out if the advisor knows anything in particular about transfer admissions at those places. If the advisor isn’t familiar with transfer admissions requirements at those institutions, ask the advisor to help you come up with a list of questions to ask when you do communicate with their admissions officers.</p>
<p>Many colleges and universities will accept the gen ed coursework required to complete a full Associates degree as fulfilling the gen ed requirements for graduation at that receiving university even if there is no one-to-one match up for those gen eds. This can save you a lot of time because you will only need to take courses required for your major once you have transferred.</p>
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<p>happymomof1, When I go to the transfer center, they say that they don’t work with out-of-state transfers… So should I contact the admissions office in the universities I want to transfer to?</p>
<p>“Many colleges and universities will accept the gen ed coursework required to complete a full Associates degree as fulfilling the gen ed requirements” - shouldn’t that associate’s degree be “general studies” then? Because if it’s computer science, it’s too specific I think…</p>
<p>Also, if I don’t complete all per-requisites, I will not be accepted as a junior?</p>
<p>Most colleges and universities have some gen ed requirements (sometimes they use another term like “distribution requirements”) that you have to meet in order to graduate. Often these include one year of a foreign language, one year of math, one year of writing, one year of science, one year of physical education, and one year of social sciences. Of course if you are a Comp Sci major, you already have to take a bunch of math and science, so some of the courses needed for your major would also fulfill some of the gen eds. </p>
<p>If you have specific places that are out-of-state that you plan to apply to, you should carefully read the information on their websites for both the general degree requirements, and for your major. Contact the transfer admissions office and ask specifically about which courses you should be taking now to fulfill the institution’s gen ed requirements, and which you should take to fulfill the pre-requisites for your major. Find out if completing a full Associates degree will guarantee you Junior status when you enroll, or if that is only determined by the number of credits that are accepted for transfer.</p>
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<p>Hey man, I study computer science too and I take one year General Education at community college then transfer to the University, the reason is if you plan to get a bachelor degree at the University then your associate degree that you have earn in Community College is useless. Trust me you will never use it again when you have a Bachelor.</p>
<p>Two reasons for earning an AA rather than just concentrating on taking gen ed courses to prepare for transferring:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You plan for the AA to be your terminal degree.</p></li>
<li><p>Some public 4-yr colleges have special transfer policies for IS students with an AA.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Otherwise, just take prerequisites for transferring (gen ed requirements for the college as well as those for your specific major).</p>
<p>The real benefits come in getting prerequisite coursework and gened courses completed. CC’s are substantially cheaper than universities are, which is big perk for many. At my CC, tuition costs about $100 per credit hour…versus $400+ per credit hour at a university. When I transfer, I’ll have my entire gened core completed, for a fourth of the price. I’ll have like two upper level gened courses to take after transferring, but aside from that I will be able to focus entirely on my major.</p>
<p>Many state schools have matriculation agreements with people who complete an associates at a CC. Some state schools offer guaranteed admission for students who have completed an associates in state. Many states also have articulation agreements regarding gened courses. Illinois has the IAA (Illinois Articulation Agreement) that guarantees that the geneds at a CC will transfer, and will take care of all of the lower level gened requirements at Illinois universities. </p>
<p>Additionally, people who have completed an associates usually don’t have to submit ACT/SAT scores, and their high school transcripts are usually almost irrelevant because the universities admissions board is more concerned about academic performance in college.</p>
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