Community College vs 4 year University

[Pin Wizard]

I have to agree with you on this as far as FL goes. I attended CC in FL, and the guidance counselors did ask where I intended to continue afterwards and checked into what's required for each separate school.

I don't know about Mass--but in Florida...the material is presented the same. There may be "better" classes at a University in some cases--but in most...XYZ 0000 at CC is the same as XYZ 0000 at the State level. So within our state--whether it is FCCJ or USF---the class is the same. It may be presented in a different style or manner that may make it more easy or difficult, but they are on paper exactly the same.

There is no qualifying process. Between public/private and private/public there maybe as course numbers may not be uniform....and definitley from out of state schools there may be a review.

I preferred the 4yr route as it is my preference, but I can appreciate the 2+2 route as many do in our state.

The student in the OP--needs to think more of long term impact while planning her spite--it could have unintended consequences.

Question for the OP--what state are you--is the University in question a public or private institution and does their action of not transferring any credits violate state law? If we are speaking of a state university and a regular community college--I just cannot see how what they are doing can be permitted at all.

ETA: This is assuming general educ requirements and maybe some pre-req work. I agree with others that Technical degrees do not fall under this umbrella.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I made the excellent decision of beginning at a community college - not only did it save me TONS of cash but it also allowed me to take small classes instead of classes with 800 plus students in them. I transferred to the private school of my choice 2 years later, transfered in all my classes, and already had my basics done and over wtih.

I went onto earn my masters degree as well at the school of my choice without a problem.

If she can't transfer her credits to a school of her choice then perhaps it's not the best decision. She won't be able to earn a bachelors degree at the community college but can earn an associates. I am surprised a university would not accept an associates degree as a transfer but I don't know what college she is interested in.

This was pretty much me too. I did one year at a local CC (the 2nd best in the nation, or at least that is the braging rights.) Then 2 years at a state school, then 2 years at private school (with 2 majors.) I also went on to grad school and got a master degree (in social work.)

In the case of the cc that my DH currenlty teaches at, the culinary arts program is outstanding and it is well known for it. (It is also a difficult program to get into.) The typical 4 year degree is not for everyone. If this young women disire is to go into resturant managment, that is a fine goal. My family is very big into education, most everyone has at least a masters degree. However, I never felt any presure to do this. One brother has a assocate degree, it took him 6 years to finish, going part time. He is a graphfic artist and runs a mainframe program at a major univeristy. A 4 year program wasn't for him. He is happy in his field.

My point is that it takes all kinds of people and carrers to run this world. If you excel in your feild, I don't see the college (or school) out attened being as important as the quailty of the work you do.

I can understand her father's feelings, but he is not this child. She should be free to make her own lives choices.

 

[minniecarousel]

In California, many students transfer to Universities after completing 2 years at the CC. This young lady sounds like she may be digging herself into a hole. Hopefully, someone can talk her into CC that will have transferrable credits. How many 18 year-olds know what they want to do? She should at least take transferrable courses.

 

[Puffy2]

Added... It may have to do with the course she wants to study...Restaurant management. The Univeristy doesn't offer this , but is a very highly rated Marine Biology Institution.

That's why the credits won't transfer - "Restaurant Management" is a technical school diploma - not a community college associate degree . Generally, the college courses taken at a community college would transfer to a 4 year college (but technical classes will not).

Keep in mind however that some schools are lowering the number of transfer students they admit. In Georgia, University of Georgia is one of these schools. Today, they accept very few transfer students.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Keep in mind however that some schools are lowering the number of transfer students they admit. In Georgia, University of Georgia is one of these schools. Today, they accept very few transfer students.

Wow. And in CA it's extremely hard to get into a University without transfering.

 

[What the Heck]

If I were her parent, I would try really hard to get her to do the transfer program at the community college instead of restaurant management.

From what I read, I believe that is the problem in a nutshell. Unless I read it wrong, this is her way of rebelling.

 

[sunnyshine]

Both my kids went to cc one has her nursing degree and has a great job in pediatrics that she loves....the other did one year at cc plus her ap classes in High scool and transfered into a State Un iversity in NY as a Junior and got a degree in Molecular Genetics. CC college is a great way for kids to start as both mine graduated at 17...I wasnt quite ready to send them away at 17. Now this may not be accurate but if she is going somwhere just to spite her parents is she really mature enough to be away at school on her own. Im not slamming anyone but at the cost of ANY college tuition Id hate to see her parents waste the $$$$ if she doesnt want to be there.

 

[Hillbeans]

Not trying to toot my own horn here, but I went to a local CC when I graduated from HS, and my HS, at the time, was ranked academically in the top 3 in the state of NJ.

CC was a lifesaver for me. I was able to transfer my credits to one of about 6 NJ schools because I received my Associates Degree first.

I knew I made the right choice for me even though others wondered why i'd "just" go to the community college. Funny thing was that each semester that went by, I'd see one or two of my former HS classmates at my community college who flunked out of their $20K a year schools while I was already on my way to my associates degree.

At a certain level or a certain career field, it only matters that you've got your college degree, not always what school you went to or what you majored in.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

From what I read, I believe that is the problem in a nutshell. Unless I read it wrong, this is her way of rebelling.

Sounds like her FAMILY has decided it's her way of rebelling. Maybe she really thinks she would like restaurant management!! But kids DO dig in their heels when their families pressure them.

DH went to community college to take his science prerequisites for a bachelors in Physical Therapy because the university would not allow him to take the pre-reqs there (he already had a bachelors in something else, and the University had a rule about not permitting post-bachs to take prereqs for another bachelors).

He was required to take a national exam to pre-qualify for entry into the PT program. The exam covered all the sciences he had taken as prereqs at the community college. He did just as well or better than the students who took the prereqs at the university (he was one of only 10 post-bachs admitted into the program).

A friend of mine who was getting his PhD in chemistry at the University told me that our local community college chemistry classes actually whent into MORE depth than the university chemistry courses (he knew, because he was teaching the university courses and doing private tutoring for the community college courses!). As another poster mentioned, course quality depends both on the school and the particular teacher.

Of course, our local community college also has technical certificate programs in carpentry, auto mechanics, etc., and these courses do not transfer to the university. Presumably Restaurant Management is considered a technical program rather than an academic program.

 

[crz4mm2]

I think alot of people don't think a community college is equal to a 4 year college. I don't know why certain people have that perception. DD just completed her first semester at college and a friend of mine said "she did very well for her first semester in a 'real' college". I thought that was a funny remark. When I asked what she meant by that she said that her stepson was going to the local community college and he was only getting Cs and Bs and he should be doing better considering he wasn't going to a 'real' college.....
WELL..... I went to CC and graduated with an ADN. I consider it every bit as much a REAL college as any 4 year institution...... I worked just as hard and took classes that ended up transfering (several years later) to a 4 year university where I earned my BSN and ultimately my MSN.
I hate it when people look down on CC......
I do understand that some programs are NOT a degree, and only a certificate and therefore not able to be transferred to a 4 year school, BUT, sometimes, that is what people need to do and WANT to do. Doesn't mean they are any less educated
Off my soapbox now.

 

[MrsPete]

Sorry, I don't know the Community College's name. The university is The University of North Carolina at Wilmington.There are many degrees there besides Marine Biology-it's just what the school excells at.

I'm well aquainted with this particular school, and I'm going to throw out two possibilities: As teacher of high school seniors, I hear who's accepted where, and I know that UNC-Wilmington is HIGHLY UNPREDICTABLE about who they choose and who they reject. I've had top honors students come in with rejections while mediocre students are accepted. The school is land-locked by the town of Wilmington, and they cannot expand their campus. Also, they reserve a certain % of their spaces for locals. They behave like a school that doesn't want to grow; while I don't get it, I guess they're entitled to do this. I can pretty well predict which of my students will be accepted to State, Carolina, and the other 15 UNC schools; not so with UNC-W. I always tell my students who express an interest in UNC-W to apply to several schools.

Anyway, here's my first possibility: Do you think she was rejected by UNC-W, and now she fears that other UNC schools will also reject her, so she's decided to go the community college route rather than tell people she was rejected?

My second possibility: Is it possible that she doesn't really want to go to college at all? Does she, perhaps, want to go into the military, go to beauty school, or do something else that doesn't require college? Since her father's a professor, I'm sure she's been told all her life that she's going to college. Perhaps this is a half-way way of saying NO. I know LOADS of students who don't really want to go to college, so they "try out" a semester of community college then quit. For these students, it's much less of a commitment: they usually are living at home with mom and dad, they're still pretty much in the same routine that they were in during high school. For a student who doesn't really want to go away to college, this can be appealing.

In answer to your first question, community college is less stringent than a 4-year university. It's a good choice for people who weren't strong students in high school, for people who've been out of school for a couple years, for people who can't afford to to to a 4-year university, or for people who are seeking a career that requires only a certification or an associate's degree.

In general, community colleges are poor choices for people who intend to pursue a 4-year degree; even if all the courses transfer, very few are able to complete a 4-year degree in four years if community college is step #1.

One more question, is there a boy involved? Perhaps a younger boyfriend who's still going to be in high school next year? Or an older boyfriend who is working in town and isn't going away to school? While we adults will all say that a teenaged romance is a poor reason to choose one college over another, I know MANY teenaged girls who choose a college that's convenient for their love lives!

 

[MrsPete]

At a certain level or a certain career field, it only matters that you've got your college degree, not always what school you went to or what you majored in.

Yes and no.

For some careers -- an entry level job in business, perhaps -- having a degree is just the foot-in-the-door. Having a degree proves that you know how to learn, and the employer doesn't really care where you went to school or what subjects you studied. Most, however, DO care whether that degree is an Associate's degree (2 year degree) or a Bachelor's degree (4 year degree).

For some jobs, a bachelor's degree from a university won't help you at all. For example, if you want to be a dental hygenist or an EMT, you need a community college -- those classes aren't taught at 4-year schools.

For other jobs -- mine, for example -- you cannot be hired without a 4-year bachelor's degree. A person with a 2-year degree might be infinitely well qualified, but it doesn't matter; that person will never be hired. It'd be illegal.

For still other jobs, either degree might be acceptable. For example, the same company might hire two people with different accounting backgrounds; however, the person with the 4-year degree will go farther. The person with a 2-year accounting degree would start out as a book keeper, while the person with a 4-year degree would probably be hired as a full-fledged accountant and would be eligible to take the CPA exam.

I wouldn't say that a 4-year degree is right for everyone, but I also wouldn't say that a 2-year degree is equal to a 4-year degree (if that were true, why would anyone put in the extra two years?). The best advice is that the student should choose the educational path that suits his needs /finances /interest level and the educational path that'll lead him towards the career he wants to pursue.

 

[MrsPete]

So many state school systems now have programs in place that allow them to work with community colleges so that transfer students will have an easier time moving credits . . . (But, yes, I know that the quality of the classes at community colleges has been, in the past, quite a concern--sometimes transfering was just setting yourself up for a VERY hard road the last 2 years of your degree.)

My husband admits that he wasn't a very dedicated student in high school, and after a couple years driving a forklift he went to community college. He did very well in community college and says it was a perfect fit for him.

After earning his Associate's degree, he transferred to a 4-year university. He says it was a rude awakening. He was used to earning As and Bs with moderate effort, and suddenly he found himself on academic probation after one semester at the university. This happened for two reasons: 1) most university classes are taught at a higher level than community college classes and 2) he'd knocked out all the basket-weaving type stuff in his first two years, which left the more difficult, technical classes to be crammed into the last years.

For several reasons, he says it was the right route for him; however, he did spend FIVE YEARS total earning a 4-year degree. Transferring schools almost always means adding time; that means more years of paying tuition (although some of those years are at a lower rate, if we're talking community college) and more years of NOT earning a professional salary.

 

[Aimeedyan]

My husband admits that he wasn't a very dedicated student in high school, and after a couple years driving a forklift he went to community college. He did very well in community college and says it was a perfect fit for him.

After earning his Associate's degree, he transferred to a 4-year university. He says it was a rude awakening. He was used to earning As and Bs with moderate effort, and suddenly he found himself on academic probation after one semester at the university. This happened for two reasons: 1) most university classes are taught at a higher level than community college classes and 2) he'd knocked out all the basket-weaving type stuff in his first two years, which left the more difficult, technical classes to be crammed into the last years.

For several reasons, he says it was the right route for him; however, he did spend FIVE YEARS total earning a 4-year degree. Transferring schools almost always means adding time; that means more years of paying tuition (although some of those years are at a lower rate, if we're talking community college) and more years of NOT earning a professional salary.

I found the opposite to be true. The science and english classes at my 4 year university were a joke compared to the community college courses I took. My profs at community college WERE university professors from a nearby top rated state school - they flat out told us that they desired to have a smaller class size so they taught evening classes at the local community college so they could have more interaction in the classroom. They couldn't do that with 800 freshman in a lecture hall like at their university.

Perhaps at some schools that is the case but not at ALL and it's unfair to paint them with such a broad brush. If that were that much easier, few universities would be so willing to accept them as credit.

Transferring to a university did not add any hours to my degree, and the other friends that went to CC with me didn't either. We all graduated within 4 years from start to finish. I saved a ton of money doing it this way. TON.

 

[barkley]

another californian here who believes community colleges are great (at least the ones i've had experience with). i had some top notch profs. at community college who opted to teach there because of the smaller class size (they pref. to work with their students vs. having a t.a. grade all the papers). i also had the opportunity to learn from profs. who taught part time because they continued to work in their topic area (so our learning was up to date and current). dh (like myself started at a community college and finished up at a university for the bachelors) opts to take systems classes at our local community college over using the nationaly ranked university (closer to home) because the classes go into much greater detail and have greater instructor-student interaction.

restaurant managment is not a bad path. if she's truly interested in this field it will give her insight into what it truly entails. if she finds it's not for her, the managment classes (likely the first ones she will take in the curriculum) while not transferable credit wise will serve her well in whatever career path she chooses.

 

[eeyore kelly]

My CC classes are not easier than a 4 year University

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

In general, community colleges are poor choices for people who intend to pursue a 4-year degree; even if all the courses transfer, very few are able to complete a 4-year degree in four years if community college is step #1.

I strongly disagree with that statement. Some of my cc classes were tougher then classes I took at the UC. Granted I went to cc in the bay area so I took classes at cc that were also taught by Prof also teaching at Stanford at the time. And transferring in as a junior I did BETTER in most of my classes then kids who had been there 2 years already. My brother just transferred to UC Berkeley last semester after 2 years at cc and he has fantastic grades for his first semester there and thats at a school consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation!! And he'll be out in exactly 4 years (total) which is less then average nowdays for a 4yr degree. In CA most state colleges and universities recommend taking 2 yrs at cc first and have excellent transfer programs encouraging this. I had guaranteed admission to UC from cc and a eighth of the student loans of the other kids.

At a certain level or a certain career field, it only matters that you've got your college degree, not always what school you went to or what you majored in.

For some careers -- an entry level job in business, perhaps -- having a degree is just the foot-in-the-door. Having a degree proves that you know how to learn, and the employer doesn't really care where you went to school or what subjects you studied. Most, however, DO care whether that degree is an Associate's degree (2 year degree) or a Bachelor's degree (4 year degree).

I think if you reread the quote you will see that the OP wasn't comparing a 2yr degree to a 4yr, she was saying it doesn't matter where you get your bachelors as long as you have it. Your boss is not going to care if you spent all 4 yrs at the University or just 2 (preceded by 2 at cc), so long as you got a bachelors from said University.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I'm not sure why CC's have such a negative reputation. There are so many advantages of going to a CC:

You can attend school while remaining close to home. Some people have to enter the job market right out of high school and attending a CC is an easier and more logical choice.

A degree or certificate from a CC can be a step directly into the job market, or it can be a starting point for a bachelor's degree from a university. You can attend a CC for far less tuition and fees than at a university, and you can transfer later without going into debt for years.

Most CC instructors are paid to teach, not do research and publish articles, which is what most university instructors aim for. Because classes aren't taught in a hall with up to a few hundred students, instructors can work more closely and interact more with their students.

Our local CC's have articulation agreements that state that any courses you take and degrees you earn will transfer to any of the University of California, Cal State and other universities. You have to make sure that the courses you take are appropriate for the major you plan to enter later on.

My dh attended a CC and became a firefighter/paramedic. He is currently taking distance learning classes from a CC with plans to transfer to a university later. It's the easiest way for him to earn his BS so that he can promote later down the road. I have friends who have graduated from trade schools, CC's and universities. I have to say that the the majority of those who earned their degrees or certificates from non-universities are the most successful, and some friends who earned their degrees from universities aren't even working in a field that has anything to do with what they majored in. So it's all depends on what you're goals are and what you want to do in life.

 

[barkley]

My CC classes are not easier than a 4 year University

amen! my sociology prof. taught the same class (identical curriculum and requirements) at both my cc and u.c. berkeley, bsns. law prof the same at cc and u.c. davis, comparative religions prof the same at cc and berkeley theological college (they had part time teaching jobs at both).

 

[Hillbeans]

Yes and no.

For some careers -- an entry level job in business, perhaps -- having a degree is just the foot-in-the-door. Having a degree proves that you know how to learn, and the employer doesn't really care where you went to school or what subjects you studied. Most, however, DO care whether that degree is an Associate's degree (2 year degree) or a Bachelor's degree (4 year degree).

For some jobs, a bachelor's degree from a university won't help you at all. For example, if you want to be a dental hygenist or an EMT, you need a community college -- those classes aren't taught at 4-year schools.

For other jobs -- mine, for example -- you cannot be hired without a 4-year bachelor's degree. A person with a 2-year degree might be infinitely well qualified, but it doesn't matter; that person will never be hired. It'd be illegal.

For still other jobs, either degree might be acceptable. For example, the same company might hire two people with different accounting backgrounds; however, the person with the 4-year degree will go farther. The person with a 2-year accounting degree would start out as a book keeper, while the person with a 4-year degree would probably be hired as a full-fledged accountant and would be eligible to take the CPA exam.

I wouldn't say that a 4-year degree is right for everyone, but I also wouldn't say that a 2-year degree is equal to a 4-year degree (if that were true, why would anyone put in the extra two years?). The best advice is that the student should choose the educational path that suits his needs /finances /interest level and the educational path that'll lead him towards the career he wants to pursue.

I'm sorry if I misspoke - I do not think a 2 year degree is equal to a 4 year degree. I was able to "graduate" from my 4 year college with my BA just like everyone else who went to that school for 4 years and I only went there 2 years because they took all of my credits in from my AA degree. I can still say i'm a graduate of "X" college even though I was only there 2 of my 4 years - that's what I meant but not what I said I guess