NVCC + guaranteed UVA transfer, or go to a less preferred 4-year?

[Anonymous]

UVA has guaranteed transfer for students who attend community college and do well in classes.

This seems like a low-stress and lower cost way to earn a UVA degree, vs going into contortions to get a UVA first-year admit or going to a less preferred 4-year university.

Who has been there, done that? How are the tradeoffs?

Even if it's not for you, why isn't UVA flooded with people going this route? It's looks like an amazing side-door option. Is succeeding in community college harder than a UVA-wannago expects?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA has guaranteed transfer for students who attend community college and do well in classes.

This seems like a low-stress and lower cost way to earn a UVA degree, vs going into contortions to get a UVA first-year admit or going to a less preferred 4-year university.

Who has been there, done that? How are the tradeoffs?

Even if it's not for you, why isn't UVA flooded with people going this route? It's looks like an amazing side-door option. Is succeeding in community college harder than a UVA-wannago expects?

I teach at Nova and it is a great program, but UVA has many conditions in place that the other guaranteed transfers do not have. This means there is a lot of quality control, but it is difficult.

[Anonymous]

A) because for most UMC and wealthy families there is a stigma (though there should not be) about community college
B) the classes you have to take and get a 3.5 in to be eligible will likely be difficult, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get into a better 4 year college than you would have just going straight through
C) it’s not just about the name on the degree. College is also about finding a community and creating friends and learning to live independently. Community colleges are commuter.

[Anonymous]

Because many of us believe that college is an end in and of itself and not a means to an end. We want our kids to have the classic, full 4-year college experience. Not two years at home followed by two years at UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A) because for most UMC and wealthy families there is a stigma (though there should not be) about community college
B) the classes you have to take and get a 3.5 in to be eligible will likely be difficult, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get into a better 4 year college than you would have just going straight through
C) it’s not just about the name on the degree. College is also about finding a community and creating friends and learning to live independently. Community colleges are commuter.

This x 1000%.

[Anonymous]

Transferring was normal in the 80s and 90s around the country. Many people started at CC just to get the basic classes out of the way for less money. Maybe DCUM is full of people who grew up UMC. In the middle class, this was NBD. Paying extra for the social benefits is extremely privileged.

My kid didn’t get into UVA but did get into another top 10 public. It’s turned out to be cheaper than in state UVA but he is still considering coming closer to home. The unfortunate thing is that a 3.8 at a top 10 public has less of a chance getting in than a 3.8 from NVCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A) because for most UMC and wealthy families there is a stigma (though there should not be) about community college
B) the classes you have to take and get a 3.5 in to be eligible will likely be difficult, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get into a better 4 year college than you would have just going straight through
C) it’s not just about the name on the degree. College is also about finding a community and creating friends and learning to live independently. Community colleges are commuter.

All of this. My sister's family is in California where the CC->UC path has a better reputation but the other challenges apply. My nephew opted for CC when he didn't get into his preferred UCs and the options were Cal States or UCs he didn't want. He was a strong student in HS but hit with a bad illness junior year that derailed his grades. Started CC planning to transfer to UC Davis. And then blew his first year of CC because he wasn't really investing in school, he had a job he liked and spent way too much time focused on that + a girlfriend who didn't go to college. He eventually pulled it together but now can't meet the UC transfer requirements and will be transferring to a Cal State, after spending a fifth semester at the CC repeating some of the classes he did really badly in his first. His transfer school does have a good program for what he wants but he could have gone there straight from HS and would have spent those two years developing relationships with professors, getting involved in campus activities or research projects, building up his social network, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Transferring was normal in the 80s and 90s around the country. Many people started at CC just to get the basic classes out of the way for less money. Maybe DCUM is full of people who grew up UMC. In the middle class, this was NBD. Paying extra for the social benefits is extremely privileged.

My kid didn’t get into UVA but did get into another top 10 public. It’s turned out to be cheaper than in state UVA but he is still considering coming closer to home. The unfortunate thing is that a 3.8 at a top 10 public has less of a chance getting in than a 3.8 from NVCC.

I don't think so. I grew up very middle class near Philadelphia and I can't think of anyone from my class (1992) who did this. Those of us who attended college all went to 4 year colleges out of high school--not super elite schools but 4 year schools. My husband grew up in North Jersey and this wasn't the norm at his high school either. Kids did not go to elite colleges but they went to 4 year colleges.

[Anonymous]

My DS has a friend from HS who planned to do the guarantees transfer form NVCC. He applied after just one year and got in even without the guarantee. He is a very smart kid (4.1 gpa in hs) just didn’t apply himself as much in high school so he knew he wouldn’t get in as a first year but ended up saving some money and getting into UVA no problem. For him UVA was always the goal. He is pre med so saving money in CC was also a plus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because many of us believe that college is an end in and of itself and not a means to an end. We want our kids to have the classic, full 4-year college experience. Not two years at home followed by two years at UVA.

In other words, obsessed with your kids and obsessed with prestige.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Transferring was normal in the 80s and 90s around the country. Many people started at CC just to get the basic classes out of the way for less money. Maybe DCUM is full of people who grew up UMC. In the middle class, this was NBD. Paying extra for the social benefits is extremely privileged.

My kid didn’t get into UVA but did get into another top 10 public. It’s turned out to be cheaper than in state UVA but he is still considering coming closer to home. The unfortunate thing is that a 3.8 at a top 10 public has less of a chance getting in than a 3.8 from NVCC.

I don't think so. I grew up very middle class near Philadelphia and I can't think of anyone from my class (1992) who did this. Those of us who attended college all went to 4 year colleges out of high school--not super elite schools but 4 year schools. My husband grew up in North Jersey and this wasn't the norm at his high school either. Kids did not go to elite colleges but they went to 4 year colleges.

Maybe you didn’t have a big CC where you grew up. But if you were in PA, you know lots of kids who went to a PSU branch campus then transferred. Same idea. In the 80s and 90s those branch campuses were basically CC level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A) because for most UMC and wealthy families there is a stigma (though there should not be) about community college
B) the classes you have to take and get a 3.5 in to be eligible will likely be difficult, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get into a better 4 year college than you would have just going straight through
C) it’s not just about the name on the degree. College is also about finding a community and creating friends and learning to live independently. Community colleges are commuter.

A. Who cares? Nobody will ever know after you graduate from UVA
B. If community college classes are "too difficult" then you are not UVA material anyway
C. You will "find your community" in your final two years at UVA

[Anonymous]

Financial aid is often better if you start as a first year first time freshman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because many of us believe that college is an end in and of itself and not a means to an end. We want our kids to have the classic, full 4-year college experience. Not two years at home followed by two years at UVA.

I went to a four year college, flunked out sophomore year, went to community college for a year, then went to Big State School while living at home (sort of like living in the DMV and commuting to GMU).

I did not have the "classic" experience.

Still I had fun, learned a lot, made friends, and went on to grad school and a successful career.

Your kid will not suffer if they do two years at CC then two years at UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A) because for most UMC and wealthy families there is a stigma (though there should not be) about community college
B) the classes you have to take and get a 3.5 in to be eligible will likely be difficult, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get into a better 4 year college than you would have just going straight through
C) it’s not just about the name on the degree. College is also about finding a community and creating friends and learning to live independently. Community colleges are commuter.

All of this. My sister's family is in California where the CC->UC path has a better reputation but the other challenges apply. My nephew opted for CC when he didn't get into his preferred UCs and the options were Cal States or UCs he didn't want. He was a strong student in HS but hit with a bad illness junior year that derailed his grades. Started CC planning to transfer to UC Davis. And then blew his first year of CC because he wasn't really investing in school, he had a job he liked and spent way too much time focused on that + a girlfriend who didn't go to college. He eventually pulled it together but now can't meet the UC transfer requirements and will be transferring to a Cal State, after spending a fifth semester at the CC repeating some of the classes he did really badly in his first. His transfer school does have a good program for what he wants but he could have gone there straight from HS and would have spent those two years developing relationships with professors, getting involved in campus activities or research projects, building up his social network, etc.

This kid would most likely also have crashed and burned if he'd done the "traditional" path of starting at Cal State or an "undesirable" UC. He is not a good example of why doing the community college to four year school path is not a good idea.