Community College vs University

[Jodi1980]

Is there an advantage to attending a community college for two years and then on to a university to finish degree requirements?

 

[JC2]

I think there are advantages, Jodi.
My husband and I both got our degrees that way.

A community college is generally much less expensive.
The classes are much smaller.
It is generally much easier to get help from the teacher since there are fewer students in the classes.

 

[hercamore]

Yes, and you'll save big on housing expenses if your student can stay home and go to classes.

herc.

 

[bananiem]

I agree with JC2 that it can be less expensive and can be easier to live at home to save money.
I would caution that you should make sure all of your credits will count toward your degree once you get to the 4 year school. I had a high school classmate that was told all of the credits would TRANSFER but then when she got to the 4 year school she found out that they weren't the ones she needed toward her degree and ended up repeating a couple of business classes that would fulfill their requirement.
'Course that was several years ago and things may have changed.
I also think it can be hard to meet people if you show up on campus late. My college had a lot of stuff that was easy to join as a freshman and make friends, but it got harder as you got older. I guess it depends what you want from the college experience. I obviously wanted a degree but I wanted to be involved, like I was in high school, and be able to meet people, etc... My niece did 2 years at a cc and then went to 2 different universities. I'm not sure she feels a "connection" to any of them now that she's graduated. On the other hand, she just recieved her master's from the University of Pennsylvania so it certainly all worked out for her!
Also, only freshmen and sophomores lived in the dorms at my college. After that you got an apartment and people usually started hunting for potential room mates during their first two years on campus.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[FOJMO]

Try telling that to my DD (17). She won't even THINK of it. AND, she wants to attend an out-of-state college, to boot.

We're still trying to get her to weigh ALL options. But their so opinionated...

 

[mrsv98]

That's what I did! I was not a very good HS student, my parents were getting divorced and I was way stressed, so I went to Nanny school and got a great job. Then when I was 22, I started going to Oakton Community College and discovered I was a good student! I really think that you appreciate a college education when you are older, then I wanted to go, I didn't have to go. I was careful to make sure my classes transferred and when I was 24, I started at a local university. Because I had done so well at OCC, I received full scholarships to university. From there, I ended up at Cambridge in Englad for my Master's degree. Unless you have a disciplined student who wants to follow a specific career path, ie medicine, then I think community college is great!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

If the student has a specific career path in mind, (as a previous poster mentioned), such as pharmacy, medicine, law, etc.... then there are advantages to entering the four year school of their choice as a freshman.

Not only would you meet the people you will be in classes with for the next several years, but you would also get a taste of the "toughness" of the discipline.

This way you have an established support system/study group - and know the campus, registration process, etc. when you enter professional school and I see that as a HUGE advantage.

Going to a community college and then transferring can certainly work, but I would recommend if a student already has an idea what they want to do they probably should just dive right in.

Just MO.

 

[mrsmom]

, I know how you feel ,My dd who is 16 and will graduate next wants to go to florida state, i want her to go to Ohio state, or University of cincinnati, which would be alot cheaper. she is going for journalism.
mrsmom

 

[FOJMO]

Originally posted by mrsmom
, I know how you feel ,My dd who is 16 and will graduate next wants to go to florida state

And my DD wants to go anywhere BUT Florida State! She says all it is is a "party school."

 

[mrsmom]

FOMJO,
My dd wants to go to Florida state because it's not in Ohio and near Disney and hot weather and no snow. Wanta trade?LOL!
Kim

 

[Pin Wizard]

As a single parent, I'm in a community college right now. I LOVE it!

Classes are smaller...more personalized attention.
(My professors actually know my name!) And they're a great support for the most part.

Tuition is less...HUGE plus!

I've met some great students who I actually run into again once classes have changed!

I was just in the guidance office yesterday speaking with the director about careers. When I expressed an interest in being a college counselor, he mentioned that he makes more money at our CC then he would at the university! Amazing. The cap there is lower. Interesting!

And another big plus...when I graduate, I'm GUARANTEED admission to ANY state university in FL! Wooooo hooooo!

 

[safetymom]

As a counselor told my daughter when she went to the University after completing her first two years at a community college, It is not where you start but where you finish that matters.

So she went to the local communtity college and then graduated with honors from the Univ. of Pitt.

 

[DVC-Don]

My wife and I both went through CC first and then transfered.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by safetymom
It is not where you start but where you finish that matters.

That's the same thing my sister told me. She started at a community college in VA. Then to George Mason, and then graduated from Marymount. She told me to be sure I'm in a good school for my last year.

 

[Fire14]

I like my parents went to CC. I'm shy by nature and tend to stick to myself a lot. I knew I wanted to be a nurse or Vet. I chose to go to CC b/c it was CHEAPER, Closer to home per si, I could still transfer if I wanted. I made sure Nursing was right career for me. I heard and feel same way myself that I got a better more experienced Nursing Education by going to CC than I would have going to 4 yr schoool, I'm not saying this is always the case but for my area it was. I actually make more per hour than a lot of my my fellow nurses who went 4 yr route and have Assoc. degree.

Another thing that was brought up to me by a fellow nurse was that she went to a 4 yr. School and got a 4 yr degree, I went to a 2 yr. school and got 2 yr degree and Even though she has 2 more yrs behind her of school we would make same wage working in hosp.

 

[DonnaS]

My parents had a family rule that everyone had to go to a CC first. Some of my siblings stopped after an associate's degree and some of us went on.

I think there are definitely advantages to going to a CC for the first two years, but there are also disadvantages. On the whole, the advantages probably outweigh the disadvantages though.

 

[Sharon A.]

Having to pay for my college myself, I chose CC. As Donna said there are some disadvantages and advantages. It worked out really well for me, but you should consider these things: miss out on socializing at the dorms in 4 yr. school (almost only freshman and a few sophomores live on campus), teachers at CC can be really awful, other students can be much less motivated (doing it only to get out of getting a full time job), not all the credits will transfer so check them out thoroughly.

On the plus side, it's MUCH less expensive, you can still get a good education if you're motivated, you don't have the double whammy of adjusting to college and being out on your own and you still get the same degree from the 4 year as everyone else who paid a whole lot more money than you did.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.....................................Sorry, Just had to ask FOJMO and mrsmom, where thier children got all that money to pay for out of state tuition, sounds like they don't even need college! lol

 

[maleficent1959]

With the glut of PhDs entering academia, many of those newly minted PhD folks are teaching at community colleges and you can get a fine education for your first two years. You can find crummy professors anywhere, but the quality of instructors is not lacking at a community college.

I think it can be a terrific choice. In terms of transferring your credits, it helps to know what university and what program you plan to transfer to. Typically any non-remedial course that you get a C or better in will transfer, but you want to pay attention to the applicability of your coursework in meeting specific degree requirements. Often academic advisors at the university of your choice will see you before you transfer and help you plan your program and prepare for your eventual transfer.

 

[katerkat]

I think it depends -- DH's sister went to a CC first, because she really didn't know what she wanted to do in life when she graduated. She's now finishing up her degree in forest ranger-ing, and was much better off in getting started at the CC. And, honestly, I think the English courses and whatnot she took at CC are much better than the same courses at the forest-ranger college.
However, my little sister has always wanted to be a physical therapist, and had she chosen to go to a CC first, it would have been somewhat of a waste of time. She needed to be taking all the science courses at her chosen university, and wanted to do a 5-year BA/MA program, which she applied for in the beginning of her second year. If she was in a CC then, she wouldn't have been able to do it. IF she got into the program, she would end up with 6 years in school, thus not saving any money.
So, it depends on what you want to do and what the best way to go about it is.