Community College the gateway to higher education?

[jackfaire]

When I finally have my PhD in psychology it will be because no matter how many times I have to take a break from college I can always go back there and work on my schooling.

90% of the professors have been PhD's. To me this means they are as qualified to teach me as any professor at any other school also possessing a phd in their field.

The University in my town is only a 2 year offereing Junior and Senior year. It is a branch of one of our biggest Univeristies in my state and yes Accredited it is where I will go. I cannot afford to do classes at the Uni across the river it's expensive and like my dad before me I am a working student.

Arugments for this arrangment? Against?

Are community colleges bad? Good? or just plain ugly?

[Aethian]

If you can gain the knowledge, use the knowledge, and apply the knowledge properly, who cares where you gained the knowledge?

[AdminAssistant]

Community colleges work differently than the university system. In some instances, they are good. Nursing programs are an example. If you want to be a LPN, then there's no reason to go to a 4-year institution. However, if you're going for RN, which will likely take 4 years anyway, why not get a bachelors in nursing at the same time?

Select community colleges are good institutions. The majority are not. They lie to students to take their general ed requirements there, and then transfer to a 4-year college to finish their degree. Then the 4-year college won't accept the credits and the student is up a certain creek with no paddle. Not to mention that many degree programs are designed for students to start taking classes in that major in their freshman or sophomore year.

As far as cost, yes, a 4-year college can be expensive. Which is why you need to bust ass in high school, get a good score on the SAT or ACT, and get a scholarship. Worked for me. I'm no genius, but I didn't pay a penny for my undergraduate. I took a summer course and made a high score on the ACT. Done. There are, of course, other ways. Pell Grants, federal loans, private scholarships, etc. YOU are responsible for going out there and finding a way to pay for your education. A small land grant college will offer better opportunities than most community colleges. Of course, I also believe that when you start college, if you can afford it at all, move at least 30 minutes away from home and at least out of your parents' house. Go home on weekends or for the summer, but get the experience of living on your own. Even if it is just a dorm.

It is harder for non-traditional students, but there are programs and scholarships especially designed for adult students trying to go back to school. More and more places are offering night classes, too.

Jack, I don't know of any community college that offers a Ph.D. program. You will likely have to, eventually, go to a 4 year institution...especially to get a degree that (quite frankly) is worth a damn. Because people DO care where you gain the knowledge. I will have a degree from a fairly nice R-1 state institution. However, I will never be able to teach at, say, NYU. Or Yale. Or any other huge fancy college. I'll wind up, likely, at a smaller state university or liberal arts college. Nobody at Harvard is going to say, "KU?!?! We must have her!"

[protege]

Locally, we have CCAC--the Community College of Allegheny County. To put it nicely, the place is a joke. It sucks! Not only do most credits *not* transfer to "real schools," but CCAC has a well-deserved reputation for taking everyone. Sorry, but if I have to choose between someone from say, Penn State, or CCAC...who do you think I'm going to pick?

CCAC is good for the occasional art class, but that's about it. Nobody takes it seriously.

[Aethian]

See I'm blessed with one of the top ten community colleges in the country and they have partnered up with several four year colleges/universities so that all credits can transfer.

[jackfaire]

They lie to students to take their general ed requirements there, and then transfer to a 4-year college to finish their degree.

Most of the community colleges in my area work hand in hand with the universities in this area to help students get an education.

Nobody at Harvard is going to say, "KU?!?! We must have her!"

Then they are morons. I don't judge a person's abilities, knowledge or even intelligence on where they graduated school.

Some students regurgitate while others learn.

I would rather be taught by someone who learned at a no name school that actually knows their stuff and continues their education than someone who went to an Ivy League School and just regurgitates what they were taught without any real understanding or knowledge.

This is why I like to find out about professors before signing up for classes.

As for the how to get in college thing. That is what I should have done. Instead I slacked off and screwed around. I am 29 and going back to school as an adult. A community college gives me an opportunity I would not have otherwise.

I have no desire to wake up in 20 years having only lived half the life I could have.

[smileyeagle1021]

Community colleges work differently than the university system.

Not always true.
In Utah every single school (that receives state funding) must pass the same accreditation and have the same class standards. When I get to the end of my Math 1050 course the final I will take will be identical to the final taken by a student at the University of Utah, or Weber State College, or Utah Valley University or (well, you get the idea). The course descriptions are identical, the requirements are identical... the only difference is the price and how many students are in the class. In Utah there are only two reasons to go straight to university... first prestige, second if the major you want is one that you can't take the first two years in a community college (eg pre-med).
There are some slight degree requirements differences between SLCC and the other colleges... SLCC requires one less elective than the other schools... somehow I doubt that slight difference means I'm getting less education at the CC.

[Rageaholic]

See I'm blessed with one of the top ten community colleges in the country and they have partnered up with several four year colleges/universities so that all credits can transfer.

Me too. They have a program that allows you to take the GE requirements for the CC to transfer to the majority of the U's. So far, I have to say it's working out for me. I won't get a degree at the CC alone, but I can get these damn GE courses out of the way AND save money (yes, my parents pay for my education, doesn't mean I'm a spoiled entitlement whore). Also, since I don't plan on living in a dorm and the CC is not that far of a drive, it's a lot more conveinient than a U (smaller campus, easier to navigate).

[linguist]

Nursing programs are an example. If you want to be a LPN, then there's no reason to go to a 4-year institution. However, if you're going for RN, which will likely take 4 years anyway, why not get a bachelors in nursing at the same time?

when i decided to go into nursing, i had my choice of several nursing programs offered by local 4-year universities and the local community college. in making my decision, i turned local doctors and hospitals and asked as many as i could who they would rather hire: an rn from one of the universities or one from the cc. without exception they all said they'd rather hire an rn trained by the community college. the reason? most bsn programs (at least around here) focus on the management aspect of nursing, while the community college program focuses on patient care.

another reason to go the community college route to get an rn certification is that, once hired, if you then choose to go on to complete a bsn, many hospitals will cover most if not all of the educational expenses associated with doing so, along with getting an msn if one so chooses.

[McDreidel09]

It really depends on the person.

For instance, I could have gone to the CC near me. Even though it is one of the top five CCs in the United States, I didn't feel it was for me. Why?

I wanted to get away from home and from the old crap from high school. I am the type of person who likes independence and going to CC would not have been that experience for me because I would still be living with my mom and that would drive me nuts. I just go home on certain weekends and on breaks.

For other people, they would prefer going to CC because they pay less. However, I am paying around the same amount as them going to a University because of federal aid.

[AdminAssistant]

To put it nicely, the place is a joke. It sucks! Not only do most credits *not* transfer to "real schools," but CCAC has a well-deserved reputation for taking everyone.

See, those are the community colleges back home. There are people there teaching with an associate's degree. There is apparently a good one in JoCo...but why would anyone go there when they could spend a similar amount of money at Emporia, Washburn, UMKC, or KU?

The most important thing is to do tons of research on where you want to go. Oh, and if you're wanting to do post-graduate work (Masters, Ph.D., etc.), don't do it unless they're going to pay you somehow. Fellowship, GRA, GTA, something. Unless they offer to at least waive tuition, don't do it. The market is too flooded to put yourself into that much debt. Also ask about placement rates for your particular degree.

[guywithashovel]

I currently work at a small technical college. It's not a community college, but it's sort of along the same lines. Honestly, this college is kind of in the same category as DeVry and ITT Tech. There are lots of campus scattered throughout Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. Most of the programs offered are diplomas and associate's degrees, though there are some campuses that offer bachelor's degrees, and there are a few that even have a master's degree (I think it's an MBA).

Most of our instructors are pretty good. A few even have doctorates. One even taught at Ohio State before coming here (she wanted to get into a smaller environment). Most of the students are pretty good, too. Granted, some of them are a little bit behind most other college students. I'm the librarian, and I've helped a few students who couldn't use a web browser, who couldn't save a file in Windows, and who have tried to turn off the computers with the power button while Windows is still running. Also, when giving placement tests, I've seen a few students who couldn't identify the verb in a sentence.

Now, I'm *not* saying that these students are stupid. I'm just saying that they probably are a little bit behind students at other schools that require certain ACT and SAT scores. But there are many exceptions, and many of these students come from lower income backgrounds, which sadly has influence over the quality of many people's educational levels.

[Giggle Goose]

I went with a CC mostly because school is NOT cheap. Even after the CC I had to take out loans for the next 2 years for my BA...I didn't have many options since I'm not a minority, I didn't have high school extracurriculars, my high school grades were mediocre, and my mom made too much money to qualify for a lot. But I got a federal loan and the past two tax years I've been getting the interest back in my pocket through taxes.

It's up to you, however, to weigh the pros and cons for your specific situation. In general, my advice is: Don't be tempted by the brand name and shell out big money for the same gen ed classes, but if you anticipate having a difficult time transferring credits or getting into a particular program, then consider the 4 year. Good luck!

[crashhelmet]

The CC system in California is confusing. The public Universities are split between what they call the UC System and the Cal State System. The UC System is all of the University of California schools (UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, etc) The Cal State System is, naturally, all of the Cal State Schools (Cal State Long beach, San Jose State, San Diego State, etc). Each system has their own requirements for what they will and will not accept as a CC transfer.

It becomes a pain in the ass when trying to make a schedule for a lot of students. Do you load up on classes accepted by one, pretty much eliminating your chances of transferring to another? Or do you hope and pray you can find a class that's accept by both and still has room left in it?

Here in Nevada, they still have the same regulations as far as what classes are transferable and which aren't, but at least here there is only one university system, so there is no extra confusion.

CH

[AdminAssistant]

The CC system in California is confusing. The public Universities are split between what they call the UC System and the Cal State System.

I have barely concealed contempt for the UC system, who during the economic crisis, decided they could save money by not paying their graduate teaching assistants. Who went on strike, and everyone acted soooo surprised. I mean, they were paying for their education, so that should be enough right? GTA's provide a vital labor source to large universities but are usually ridiculously underpaid. (The sole exception to this being the hard sciences. Chem 100 lab GTA's make twice as much as I do.)