<p>I am a senior in high school and a lot of my friends are trying hard to get accepted in to good universities and the such. I have heard that Local Colleges such as Lone Star College (Kingwood TX) are good too and are usually MUCH cheaper and easier to get into plus they are local. So (I'll use Texas as an example since I live here) why does everyone want to go to A&M University or the University of Texas if they could go somewhere close to home for at least the first two years of basics and save a lot of money. I never really understood that but it may be that I am ill-informed or just not knowledgeable enough in this matter. I don't know to much about all the college stuff. Thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>There are many who just want the “full college experience” and be at one U for all 4 years. If you have great grades & test scores so you are eligible for merit awards, Us often offer more merit awards to freshmen than anyone else.</p>
<p>That said, my D and many other students DO start at CC and then transfer after taking basic requirements that transfer to their 4-year U. It IS a way to trim costs and still get a degree from a good U, as well as a good to great education. One other advantage is that many CCs have smaller class sizes than the Us, especially for lower division and intro courses.</p>
<p>I see so your saying that Universities may offer more scholarships or financial aid for better grades then a local CC might. </p>
<p>How could I see who would give me more financial aid (if any). I guess I could apply to both and they would let me know???
I’m not really sure how that works. </p>
<p>Thanks for the reply!</p>
<p>The idea of going to a CC to save money is a good one, and students have made that choice.
There are net price calculators which help determine financial aid, but one way to know for certain is to apply.
Since you are a senior, I would suggest applying to both types of schools. This is because it will keep your options open, you don’t know where you will get accepted, and the cost may not be known exactly.
Rather than choose theoretically now, if you apply to colleges that interest you, you will then be able to choose between your choices when you know what they are.
The time between applying and choosing is several months. During this time, you can further explore your options while keeping them open to you.</p>
<p>That sounds like a great idea. Being able to see the options in front of me would be a great help. Thanks for the tip!</p>
<p>Community colleges sometimes make the most sense financially or for other personal reasons (e.g. I had a couple friends who went to community college to stay home and take care of their parents). However, you can only reap the benefits of a community college if you transfer to a 4-year school after a couple years. That way, you save a lot of money and still end up with a bachelor’s degree. The fact of the matter is that only around 15% of students who go to community college end up getting a bachelor’s degree within 6 years. Community college is only a good idea if you’ve planned out what you want to do afterwards and really think through the whole process.</p>
<p>
It can be more difficult to get financial aid as a transfer as well, as private colleges are often not need-blind for transfer students even if they are for freshman applicants. </p>
<p>Even getting in as a transfer can be more difficult. Many colleges, especially liberal arts colleges, have transfer admit rates that are much lower than their freshman admit rates. </p>
<p>
Other reasons why a student might choose a four year college:
[ul][<em>]With AP/IB/A-level/etc. credit, you can jump right into advanced classes.
[</em>]Many colleges have only very loose graduation requirements (if any at all), allowing you to spend most of your courses on your major(s) and electives.
[<em>]Many students are interested in areas that are usually not offered at community colleges. Exceedingly few CCs offer degrees in geology and philosophy, for example.
[</em>]Students interested in graduate school would prefer research opportunities for 3-4 years rather than 1 or 2. It’s easier to build rapport with professors over a long period of time, which can be crucial for recommendations.
[*]Some specialized programs, like Brown PLME and Northwestern HPME, are open only to freshman applicants. Note that Plan II honors at UT Austin is one such program.[/ul] </p>
<p>"transfer to a 4-year school after a couple years. That way, you save a lot of money and still end up with a bachelor’s degree. The fact of the matter is that only around 15% of students who go to community college end up getting a bachelor’s degree within 6 years. " </p>
<p>I know that this may be a dumb question but I just wanted to make sure. If I want a bachelors degree and I go for two years at a local community college and get my associates degree then transfer to a university I can get the bachelors in 2 years right. So that the total time I spend in college for a bachelors degree would be four years? </p>
<p>Thanks warblersrule your answer was really informative too!</p>
<p>Most people want the full college experience. This combined with the fact that a majority of community colleges aren’t nearly as serious academically as 4-year colleges will usually dissuade students from going 2-year</p>
<p>Check the articulation agreements your local community colleges have to see which schools they have transfer agreements with and what requirements (GPA, etc) you need to transfer. Many people start out at cc’s and transfer to schools like NYU. There’s nothing wrong with starting at a cc unless you qualify for merit at a 4-year school. Transfers don’t get as much financial aid as freshmen.</p>
<p>For non-academic reasons, but for reasons of adjustment, transfer students often take an extra semester to graduate. So it would be 4 years in theory, but may be 4-1/2 to 5 in actuality (or not). Just be aware and vigilant. It really can be a great option, but it takes extra discipline to do right.</p>
<p>Why go to a 4-year instead of thru a CC?</p>
<p>CC’s tend to serve several populations, all of whom are enrolled in the same classes. You have retired people (and sometimes working people in evening classes) who take classes for general interest. You have students who due to financial or other constraints intend on getting a 4-year degree but start in a CC. You have some students who finally got serious about education after HS when they realized they weren’t working hard enough in HS to get into a 4-year college, and our country can be proud that there’s a way for these people to get back on track (in contrast to a country like France, where a one-time placement exam in HS determines whether you can go to college, and which one).</p>
<p>And finally you have the students that people often have in mind when they 'dis CCs, those who maybe don’t belong there. These days its somewhat frowned upon to finish HS with no intention of college. Many parents expect their kids to go to college, even if Johnny has no interest in doing so. The CC plays the role of bridge between HS and the “real world” for these students, allowing them to at least give a show of attending college before quitting.</p>
<p>And there are lots of these students! Stats show that about 2/3 HS graduates enroll in college, and that 42% of all students in college are at 2-year schools. The outcome stats that follow kids over 6-8 years clearly show this “CC bridge-out effect”. In a US Gov’t study of traditional CC students (kids who went to CC right after HS) 63% reported they intended to eventually get a 4-year degree and another 18% said they were aiming for an AA degree. The outcome 8 years later? Out of those students, only 21% got a 4-year degree and another 18% got an AA. In other words, 81% of those entering a CC said they were going to get a degree but only 31% actually did<img src=“Source:%20The%20Education%20Statistics%20Quarterly:%20Vol.%205” alt="/u"></p>
<p>Peer effects play a big role in how people do in life; in HS, in college, at work. There is a fair amount of social pressure to conform to what the community standards are if you want to get along and make friends. So if only 1 out of 5 of the more traditional kids at a CC are going to end up with a 4-year degree, 80%+ of your peers are probably not going to be setting good examples of how to study, attitude towards academics, or be good to get together with to figure out homework and study. Ask too many questions in class, complain the instructor is going at too slow a pace or is just checking off the homework was turned in and not bothering to actually correct them, and someone is likely to set you straight as to school norms (perhaps with their fists).</p>
<p>Keep in mind, too, that CC students tend to come from the local area and live at home. So social opportunities are going to be different, as well as the sense of getting away from home and taking part in the college experience. And it can be harder to make friends at a new school after you xfer from a CC. When the frosh show up, everyone is in the same boat – nervous & knowing few if any people on campus. One of the easiest time to make new acquaintances (some of which will turn into friends) is the early period of frosh year. By junior year the continuing students have had a lot of their friends 2 years, sharing a history with them. It’s not impossible to make new friends as a junior xfer, and the more outgoing you are the easier it is, but a lot of xfers can tell you what it feels like to go into a classroom of 25 people and it seems like 24 of the other people in there already know each other.</p>
<p>Time is also compressed for CC xfer students. It might take a semester to really feel at home at a college – learning about the clubs, what leisure time activities are around, finding good hangouts, getting to know the rep of different classes and profs so you can make better choices when signing up for classes, just generally finding your way around. As a frosh you have 7 semesters after that to go; as a junior xfer you have 3. If you think about applying to grad school which is commonly done senior year, kids that have been at the school since frosh year have had 3 years to get to know faculty members for recs. Those interested in research have had 3 years to build up responsibilities in the lab so they have something significant to list.</p>
<p>I’m not saying not to do it; for many students a CC turns out to be the best choice for a number of reasons. And there are CC’s that do much better than average; often ones located near a major U since kids enroll their with intent to xfer such as Santa Monica CC near UCLA, or in suburbs with high average incomes such as DeAnza CC in Silicon Valley.</p>
<p>My brother did 2 years at a local CC and then transferred to a prestigious 4 year college for his Junior and Senior years. He integrated very well into the social scene despite transferring so late. He was the head of a student organization and even met his future wife at the school. He saved a ton of money, still got a degree from a top college and then went on to medical school. </p>
<p>Many CCs have arrangements with 4 year schools that allows students with high GPAs to be automatically accepted into the 4 year school as a transfer student. If you choose to go the CC route, then look for one of these schools. Even if you don’t do this, its good to have in mind which school you’d like to transfer to. This way you can make sure you meet all their requirements for admission and transfer. </p>
<p>My older D started at our CC and after a year transferred to a state university for her BSN. The CC was free so she was able to cut college costs by 25%. Mikemac is exactly right about the different populations at a CC. Also, the classes are usually smaller than a state flagship or other state public. If cost is a big issue, then a CC is a great way to cut costs for a 4-year degree. </p>
<p>What is your GPA? Have you taken the SAT/ACT or are you planning to take it tomorrow or in December? If you’ve already taken it, what were your scores? Are most of your classes college prep or honors? Have you taken any AP class?
Do you know what you’d like to study (nursing, engineering, philosophy, Spanish, communication, economics, computer science…? Or a field: “probably a science”, “probably humanities”…?)</p>
<p>Starting at a community college makes it less likely that you’ll have your BA than if you start at a 4year college. Mikemac explained it well.
The issue of “losing out on scholarships” because you start at a community college (big scholarships are offered to freshmen, who typically keep them for 4 years) is another problem to consider - you may want to search for the thread titled “Did I really cost myself thousands of dollars”, from a good student who enrolled in community college instead of his state flagship where he could have gone for almost free. (And when you calculate the costs of community college, keep in mind that you have to add CC at full cost + university at full cost, then compare to 4 years at reduced/discounted cost.)</p>
<p>Right now, about 40 % students apply to 8 universities or more, about 40% apply to 4-7, and the rest apply to fewer. I would suggest you apply to 4 universities plus one community college. If you give us your stats (GPA, scores…) we’ll be able to suggest quite a few. Then you run the Net Price Calculator on each college website to have an idea of how much each would cost, and yu keep the 4 likely to be cheapest. Look also at graduation dates: a college where 70 or 80% students fail to get their degree in 4 years (or, worse, in 6 years!!!) may not be the best choice.
This way, in the Spring, you’ll be able to compare what they offer and at what cost (“value” = you want good value - something cheap that doesn’t lead you anywhere isn’t a good value, a college that’s expensive but doesn’t have anything special isn’t a good value…)</p>
<p>I may be wrong, but I think classroom discussion in a traditional college may be different from in a CC…15 people of widely differing ages and experiences vs 15 teenagers. This would be more evident in humanities type classes though</p>
<p>I’ve taken classes at my local CC, and yes the discussions are very different from places where all of the students are essentially the same age - especially for the evening sections of courses that are most likely to attract working adults and career changers like myself.</p>
<p>As for the question about graduating on time: If you plan your CC classes with an eye to the place you will transfer to, and if you keep your focus on your studies through all four years so that you don’t need to repeat a failed class, it is entirely possible to graduate in 4 years. I know plenty of people who have done just that.</p>