Community College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:then you're have an immature, scaredy cat, degree-less child forever living with you.

What are you talking about?
Lots of people start at Community College. They have guaranteed admissions with lots of universities as long as the grades are up (minimum 2.5 GPA).
My kid got into various universities (one with 20% admissions) but I am considering community college because of the age/maturity/saving money.

[Anonymous]

I heard from someone (works for a high end consulting co) that said going to community college will affect future employment prospects with high end companies that typically go as far back as the High school you went to when doing their due diligence. Is this true or was he pulling a fast one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard from someone (works for a high end consulting co) that said going to community college will affect future employment prospects with high end companies that typically go as far back as the High school you went to when doing their due diligence. Is this true or was he pulling a fast one?

This must be a joke.
I know several of my former high school students who went to community college, then transferred to UMD College park, then went to Medical School at John Hopkins, GW or Georgetown and are surgeons or department heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started out at a community college. This had less to do with grades, or maturity, and more to do with socialization. Almost everyone I knew went to a CC and then transferred to the local state university, except for a handful of wealthy kids, who went away to nice colleges.

I ended up dropping out after a few semesters and started working full-time in a customer support call center, for under $10 an hour (this about 20 years ago) because I wanted to move out of the house. This was before average people had access to so much information about applying for scholarships and financial aid. In hindsight, I wish I had applied because I had good grades and test scores, and probably would have gotten a decent deal from a good school.

I did eventually finish a master's degree at a decent public flagship, and even made Phi Beta Kappa at my undergrad, but I had to work my way through college, while holding down a stressful call center job. I also had basically no social life during this period because all of my time was either at work or school.

The main problem with community colleges is the dropout rates are sky high. This is due to a combination of dealing with kids from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and the general lack of personal attention. A less competitive, but nice, private might be a better choice to at least ensure that your child graduates before getting a $10/hour "full time job."

Do they consider transfers out to be "drop outs"? Or do the transfer outs fall into another category?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard from someone (works for a high end consulting co) that said going to community college will affect future employment prospects with high end companies that typically go as far back as the High school you went to when doing their due diligence. Is this true or was he pulling a fast one?

There are HS kids who take some of their classes at community college. They might continue at the community college upon graduation or go to a 4 year university, maybe even an ivy. Would an employer seriously consider not hiring them because they took CC courses back in HS or one or two years after graduation from HS? That doesn't sound right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they got into a 4 yr school, they should go - - they earned it.

Most 4 year colleges are de facto open door. Anyone can get into a university these days. Most are dropout factories.

[Anonymous]

This is a really strange question. She's been admitted to UMD. I assume you are a Maryland resident? If proximity to home is an issue, and UMD is an option, why wouldn't you send her there? Unless there are financial concerns, what would be the benefit of CC in this case?

[Anonymous]

Another CC grad here. I went because of $$. I got free tuition at my CC and was able to work PT, and then I finished my 4 year degree with no debt. I worked FT for awhile and then got an MA and now I make six figures.
CC isn't for everyone... my classmates were a diverse group, older students were common and some were very rough around the edges. I was a relatively sheltered kid and I think CC toughened me up and refined my street sense so that I was ahead of my peers entering the work world.

[Anonymous]

California has an amazing CC system. First, the schools are excellent and a certain GPA will guarantee you a spot in a State University. It is also like $35 a credit so a lot of California kids are choosing to go to CC and get their prerequisites out of the way at a fraction of the cost at a university.

[Anonymous]

I had an immature kid who went to a 4 year college but close to home if she needed/wanted to come home on the weekends or even weeknights. It worked wonderfully- she is graduating in a few weeks with a good GPA and will start grad school in physical therapy in the fall. Why not send her to UMDCP with coming home if necessary as an option? Your daughter clearly is academically successful if she can get into those schools.

I am not opposed to CCs per se, but I think the residential, on campus experience is really important if you can afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from someone (works for a high end consulting co) that said going to community college will affect future employment prospects with high end companies that typically go as far back as the High school you went to when doing their due diligence. Is this true or was he pulling a fast one?

This must be a joke.
I know several of my former high school students who went to community college, then transferred to UMD College park, then went to Medical School at John Hopkins, GW or Georgetown and are surgeons or department heads.

I've taught at community colleges. What you're sharing is basically 1 in 500,000 odds.

Community colleges are disgusting - full of degenerates, mentally unstable, druggies, flunkies, ex cons, terminally unmotivated.

Of course a savvy kid can navigate and make something out of nothing, but why would you want your child to waste one minute of their life in that environment? Life is way too short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from someone (works for a high end consulting co) that said going to community college will affect future employment prospects with high end companies that typically go as far back as the High school you went to when doing their due diligence. Is this true or was he pulling a fast one?

This must be a joke.
I know several of my former high school students who went to community college, then transferred to UMD College park, then went to Medical School at John Hopkins, GW or Georgetown and are surgeons or department heads.

I've taught at community colleges. What you're sharing is basically 1 in 500,000 odds.

Community colleges are disgusting - full of degenerates, mentally unstable, druggies, flunkies, ex cons, terminally unmotivated.

Of course a savvy kid can navigate and make something out of nothing, but why would you want your child to waste one minute of their life in that environment? Life is way too short.

Huge exaggeration.

When I went, there are tons of intelligent, lower middle class and working class kids. Maybe your observation is true in the northeast, where community colleges are stigmatized to the point that people will pay a fortune to go to a mediocre private before just doing the first two years at a CC and then transferring to a decent state school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I've taught at community colleges. What you're sharing is basically 1 in 500,000 odds.

Community colleges are disgusting - full of degenerates, mentally unstable, druggies, flunkies, ex cons, terminally unmotivated.

Of course a savvy kid can navigate and make something out of nothing, but why would you want your child to waste one minute of their life in that environment? Life is way too short.

Huge exaggeration.

When I went, there are tons of intelligent, lower middle class and working class kids. Maybe your observation is true in the northeast, where community colleges are stigmatized to the point that people will pay a fortune to go to a mediocre private before just doing the first two years at a CC and then transferring to a decent state school.

Sure, one in ten are scrappy lower middle and working class kids - handful of first-gen Asians transfer into the flagship public U. The other 80-90% are degenerate, going nowhere - completion rates back this up. Overall it's not a stimulating environment, classes are a joke, students are helpless. If you're desperate and it's your only option, do what you have to do. If you can avoid it, avoid it. That's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I've taught at community colleges. What you're sharing is basically 1 in 500,000 odds.

Community colleges are disgusting - full of degenerates, mentally unstable, druggies, flunkies, ex cons, terminally unmotivated.

Of course a savvy kid can navigate and make something out of nothing, but why would you want your child to waste one minute of their life in that environment? Life is way too short.

Huge exaggeration.

When I went, there are tons of intelligent, lower middle class and working class kids. Maybe your observation is true in the northeast, where community colleges are stigmatized to the point that people will pay a fortune to go to a mediocre private before just doing the first two years at a CC and then transferring to a decent state school.

Sure, one in ten are scrappy lower middle and working class kids - handful of first-gen Asians transfer into the flagship public U. The other 80-90% are degenerate, going nowhere - completion rates back this up. Overall it's not a stimulating environment, classes are a joke, students are helpless. If you're desperate and it's your only option, do what you have to do. If you can avoid it, avoid it. That's all.

Yikes. I'm sure each cc has its own population, but I have a DC at a CC in this area and that is not our experience at all.

[Anonymous]

I'm PP who went to community college for 2 years and transferred (and got into all my desired schools, including the Ivy). Every job application I've filled out has asked for my high school information, and what colleges I graduated from- not which ones I attended. They want to know where someone gets a diploma, not every single school/ class attended that got them there.