Community College vs University

[MaryAnn B]

Yes, I would go to a CC for the first two years. Like everyone said before me, there are a great number of advantages. Just make sure the credits are transferable. I work for Community College of Denver and we have an unique campus. We have CCD , Metropolitan State College and University of Colorado at Denver on one campus. So with agreements made between the schools, our students are able to attend CCD and then transfer over. They are comfortable because we all share a library, gym and computer labs and this is an easier transition.

What is good about a CC is that when you first come out of high school not everyone is comfortable in a huge four yr. college and with smaller classes they get more attention and get a lot more confidence when they enter the four yr. colleges.

 

[maleficent1959]

Katerkat has a very good point. While in some programs you don't start taking courses in your major until your junior year (with the exception of introductory courses) other programs are very structured and you start your major coursework right away with general studies built in around them as you go. Sequencing is very important in this type of program, and sometimes the courses aren't offered at the CC. Physical therapy is definitely one, as is Clinical Lab Sciences and others.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

My mom was pushing for me to do two years at a Community College and then transfer. But when she went up to UF with me for a tour she totally changed her mind. I know that now at UF you have to declare a track right away and they monitor you to make sure you are on your degree track so there is an advantage to go there from the start. Also, there is so much more to college than just classes. I would have felt cheated to have spent two years at a CC. Plus I know A LOT of people that went to CC with the intention of transferring to a university and then quit after getting their AS or AA.

And mrsmom, you should tell your daughter she is better off going to the University of Florida than FSU. I'm not just saying that cuz of the rivalry but because the Journalism program is so much superior to FSU (plus it's closer to Disney).

 

[Hnymoon@Dixie]

They told me if I lived @ home & went to a community college for the first 2 years, they'd buy me a car.

IT WORKED!!!!!!

 

[mrsmom]

Her high school has recommended her to go to a 4 year college for Journalism, and she has already set back 14,000 to start. she is very good a writing , i have never seen a 16 year old write the way she does and so does the district that her school is in, so they are giving her a scholarship to help with journalism school.
Miss Jasmine,
Thanks for telling me about UF , she will be looking unto them too, i didn't even think of them.
Kim

 

[LuvTigger]

I find these posts interesting. Here in Hawaii, at least when it was time for me to go to college, it seemed the "right" thing to do was go straight to the university. However, my grades weren't great, so I went to a cc first. Now, I am a total advocate for going to cc's first, for many of the same reasons mentioned: (1) it's cheaper; (2) a lot of the professors at the cc's here also taught at the university, so the education is about the same; (3) smaller class sizes, and thus, more attention to each student; (4) easier adjustment from high school; and (5) you're not just a "number" at a cc. They actually had a file with my name on it, which was a huge difference from the university where the secretary would approve my classes saying there was no real need to see the advisor. (I ended up switching to a much smaller university, where I felt I got an equal education to the big university.)

Also, as someone else mentioned, just be sure that the courses taken at the cc transfer and count towards the degree at the university. Another benefit of the cc was I was able to get an associate's degree which universities don't offer, so at least after 2 years (well, 4 for me!), I had something to show for it.

 

[beachbunny]

I have taught at both the cc and university levels. I'm sooo in the minority here - cc is where you go when you're not quite ready for prime time - financially, emotionally, grades, basic education, non-traditional student, whatever. Yes, university is more expensive, scarier because it's bigger, etc. - but if you think you're ready, go for it. There are always scholarships for the deserving and/or needy. A four year degree with all four years spent at a university looks a lot better on a resume than a two year degree followed by a university year degree - believe me, I know many corporate recruiters. Finally, if you go to cc first, you may miss out on a lot of social bonding because by junior year cliques have already formed - and I'm not just talking about football games, dorm life and greek life - I'm talking business networking opportunities. Just thought I'd give you another perspective.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by beachbunny
I'm sooo in the minority here - cc is where you go when you're not quite ready for prime time - financially, emotionally, grades, basic education, non-traditional student, whatever.

Thank you for putting it into words for me, beachbunny... this is exactly how I see CC. Maybe it depends on your area of the country, but the ONLY kids that go to CC in our area are the ones who (for whatever reason) could not 'cut it' right away in a four year university. I have known many that said they would continue their education after two years at CC, but none of them have.

 

[DonnaS]

I think you have a lot of reasons lumped into not being able to "cut it" and your choice of words seems a tad judgemental to me.

I do wish I had been able to go to 4-year university right out of high school. I had the grades. I had scholarships, but not sufficient to fund going away to school and my father was retired by then and I had an elder sibling in college (at 4 year by then).

The networking/social aspects is the biggest reason why I wish I had been able to go straight to 4-year. But I know I had a first rate education and my field didn't use corporate head hunters so little worry there.

Another issue was having my first quarter away from home including heavy, heavy upper division courses. It would have been much easier to get used to that on a lower division course load. That is something for parents to think of...

I did find it helpful to know where I was planning to transfer so that my CC advisor and I could make sure all of my courses would transfer and met the exact requirements of my planned major. I didn't bother getting an AA/AS degree.

Oh, another interesting thing was that my Organic Chemistry teacher at the CC was from University of Chicago and he was using a text from UC Berkely. The author was upset that the text was being used at a CC. I was just "upset" that I had to take a more difficult O-Chem class than my peers where I transfered to as we didn't have different options at the CC-- only one choice for O-Chem. LOL

 

[katerkat]

Oh, I'd just like to add, my mom taught math at a CC for 25 years, so I think the professors there are AWESOME!

And Beachbunny and CJMM, I disagree. My SIL certainly could have "cut it" at a university when she graduated hih school. She chose CC because she really didn't know what she wanted to do, or what to major in. She would have wasted two years at a university, getting the same basic courses she got at the CC, before she did an internship in Yellowstone and found out she loved being a Ranger. She still would have had to transfer after two years, because very few universities have a forest ranger program. She's now at the best college for forest ranger degrees and her first two years weren't wasted.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by DonnaS

Another issue was having my first quarter away from home including heavy, heavy upper division courses. It would have been much easier to get used to that on a lower division course load. That is something for parents to think of...

I did find it helpful to know where I was planning to transfer so that my CC advisor and I could make sure all of my courses would transfer and met the exact requirements of my planned major. I didn't bother getting an AA/AS degree.

I think these are two great points. I guess it all depends on how high the student's sights are set for themselves.... and how hard they are willing to work and plan to reach their goals. If the student is able and the funds are there, IMO the four year school is the better choice. If there are circumstances that prevent it, or like in Katerkat's SIL's case.... if there is no plan in place, then CC can be a great solution.

I think it would be very hard to argue the fact that someone with their sights set on a professional degree would be better off starting at the school where they intend to finish their degree. Of course their plans may change, and adjustments are made accordingly. However, IMO, two years of CC (at least in our area) do not sufficiently prepare students to enter professional school.

 

[beachbunny]

Katerkat, I totally agree that some cc professors are excellent. One problem is that cc's can't keep the good ones because they're lured away by higher paying university positions. Another problem is that most cc's rely heavily on adjuncts who don't have doctorates and/or are not trained teachers in order to keep costs down -- with adjuncts, it's hit or miss.

"She chose CC because she really didn't know what she wanted to do, or what to major in. " I believe that falls into my catchall "whatever" reason for not being ready for a four year university.

 

[DonnaS]

My CC O-Chem teacher left the university because he got tired of the "publish or perish" environment and wanted to teach. He wanted to get to know his students instead of having his grad students get to know his undergrads.

 

[beachbunny]

DonnaS, wouldn't you have an excuse handy if one of your students asked? And they do. I've heard this one before.

Success at a university is just like success in corporate America. You have to work hard. I make an effort to know my students and I publish. That being said, more and more, the smaller colleges/universities are moving away from the publish/perish mentality.

 

[DonnaS]

This was 20 years ago. Nobody asked him, he volunteered. He was an excellent teacher.

 

[caitycaity]

beachbunny, i get the feeling from your post that you are in academia, and i'm a bit unsure where you live b/c the things you are posting as generalizations certainly aren't true in the land of academia i'm familiar with.

i'm starting my master's in the fall. my husband works at a university. my parents are both professors. i have a subscription to the chronicle. just so you know where i am coming from here.

now i certainly am not trying to tell you you are wrong in making those statements where you live (who am i to know that?) but in every place i have had experience with (and that's a lot) these generalizations don't hold water.

One problem is that cc's can't keep the good ones because they're lured away by higher paying university positions.

this may be true of a *very* small minority of academic superstars who were not even considering teaching at cc in the first place. these are the same people whose classes you may not even be able to get into if you attend a 4 year college. however, every major university these days is not offering starting salaries much better than large community colleges. even when compared to the smaller ones, the difference is not that great. to claim that, in general, universities hire away the good people from cc's is just not accurate. most major universities are choosing to rely more and more haevily on adjuncts as they face budget crunches... see point 2.

Another problem is that most cc's rely heavily on adjuncts who don't have doctorates and/or are not trained teachers in order to keep costs down -- with adjuncts, it's hit or miss.

while this may be true, adjuncts are a huge and increasing fact of life at even the best universities in this country. i went to a university that is ranked by us news and world report in the top 50 and almost 50-60% of my classes were adjuncts. the same is true of many of my friends that went to top schools, ivy league schools included. for many reasons i won't get into here, adjuncts are becoming a way of life in higher ed. going to a 4 year college to avoid adjuncts is just silly.

i hope i didn't offend you, but i just wanted to express my opinion.

regarding the op, i think community college is good for some people, not so good for others. for me, and what programs i was interested in community college would not have been good. otoh, for my sister it might have been a better choice. this doesn't mean my sister is less smart or something, just that different people have different needs.

i know cost is a factor for a lot of people, but if your child would really benefit from the opportunities (depending on your child and the program they are interested in) at a 4 year school i would urge you to try and come up with the money, even if it means your kids have to take out loans. jmho.

 

[katerkat]

One problem is that cc's can't keep the good ones because they're lured away by higher paying university positions.

My mom went back to Rutgers to get her doctorate when she was 40 -- and she stayed at the local CC with it. She was offered a position at Rutgers, but she loves knowing her students. We can't go ANYWHERE in our hometown without bumping into one of her former students. She also liked being 5 minutes from home and 10 minutes from any of our schools when we were kids.

Please, don't paint the "good ones" with a broad brush.

 

[ripleysmom]

I attended the local Community College and received an Associates Degree in Accounting.

Perhaps not all of the teachers were "professional teachers", however, some of my teachers were accountants working in the field. I feel as though I benefited much more from being taught by someone who had relevant experience in my field.

I was able to take that Associate Degree and go to work in my chosen field. I later returned to school and completed my Bachelors Degree. I was fortunate in that most of the credits that I took were able to be transferred.

For some fields I am sure that a 4 yr college is necessary, however, I don't believe that that is the case for them all. I also do not believe that the teachers that I had were any less than I would have found at a 4 yr school. Certainly I know that a grad student wasn't teaching me.

 

[DonnaS]

So much depends on the degree. DH is a licensed Professional Engineer and he did his general education requirements at a cc before going onto a 4-year university. He was putting himself through college without student loans and believe it or not some teachers, employers, etc. see that as kind of persistance as a plus.

It's interesting that for receiving such an "inferior" education that he was actually asked to be on a small peer review committee for the PE exam in the state of California.

If all state's community college's aren't as good as the ones around here, then I guess I would ask why mine wasn't? (BTW DH's CC education is more recent than mine).

 

[ripleysmom]

"However, IMO, two years of CC (at least in our area) do not sufficiently prepare students to enter professional school."

In your area, high school doesn't either according to you. Just because the schools in your area are inadequate does not mean that schools in other areas are.