Community college ——-> University path

[Anonymous]

For a variety of reasons, it’s looking as if going to community college then transferring to a four-year university may be the best path for my child. If your kid has done this, could you share your experiences, tips, advice? (Please only your own family’s experiences, not what you’ve heard from or observed in others.)

[Anonymous]

Disregarding your request because these are 2 coworkers but something they didn’t know but I found interesting. Even when following a transfer friendly path, there is a leap between the 2 types of schools and you are joining the 4 year college class as a junior or a 2nd semester sophomore so you’re in class with people who have been at the 4 year school for 2 years and have adjusted to the workload and culture of the 4 year school. You can do it but give yourself time to make the transition. They said taking 3 instead of 4 or 5 classes would have helped that 1st semester at the 4 year.

There may be a supportive program at the 4 year your child ultimately attends but many 4 year school overlook the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disregarding your request because these are 2 coworkers but something they didn’t know but I found interesting. Even when following a transfer friendly path, there is a leap between the 2 types of schools and you are joining the 4 year college class as a junior or a 2nd semester sophomore so you’re in class with people who have been at the 4 year school for 2 years and have adjusted to the workload and culture of the 4 year school. You can do it but give yourself time to make the transition. They said taking 3 instead of 4 or 5 classes would have helped that 1st semester at the 4 year.

There may be a supportive program at the 4 year your child ultimately attends but many 4 year school overlook the above.

JFC. People on the board are insufferable.

OP, I hope you get the first-hand info you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

OP. Hope you get the feedback you want. You should also try college confidential.

Most DCUMers would rather hang themselves than send their kids through this path so don't expect a lot of feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. Hope you get the feedback you want. You should also try college confidential.

Most DCUMers would rather hang themselves than send their kids through this path so don't expect a lot of feedback.

True. And sad.

[Anonymous]

The primary suggestion I would give is to avoid taking community college courses as prerequisites for more advanced classes in a major area. Depending on the community college, classes sometimes are less rigorous tha their counterparts at a four year university.

Community college is great for taking care of “distributive requirements” or whatever they may be called at a given university. A person who plans to major in literature, for example, probably could take care of math and science requirements at the community college.

[Anonymous]

I wrote the above because I saw it as a hidden gap in the 2 to 4 year experience and I factored in that this board doesn't usually write a whole lot on this subject and would rather debate if Cornell is still relevant. I know both young women really well and this came as a surprise to them. Both are organized ambitious smart students who felt gobsmacked initially so I wanted to get it out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the above because I saw it as a hidden gap in the 2 to 4 year experience and I factored in that this board doesn't usually write a whole lot on this subject and would rather debate if Cornell is still relevant. I know both young women really well and this came as a surprise to them. Both are organized ambitious smart students who felt gobsmacked initially so I wanted to get it out there.

'

Thank you for posting this information. I'm not the OP but it is immensely helpful. Some people are just rude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the above because I saw it as a hidden gap in the 2 to 4 year experience and I factored in that this board doesn't usually write a whole lot on this subject and would rather debate if Cornell is still relevant. I know both young women really well and this came as a surprise to them. Both are organized ambitious smart students who felt gobsmacked initially so I wanted to get it out there.

Would it make sense then to enter as a Sophomore (after completing 2 years at CC)? Sure, you are giving up one year but you get to spend 3 years at a regular college. Of course, if cost is a constraint this will be a problem.

[Anonymous]

I actually attended community college for two years then attended UC Berkeley. I graduated with honors and went on to top 20 law school. I did it so save money, but I think I received a better education at community college rather than if I had started at UCB because the classes were smaller and actually more rigorous in the sense that I had papers due every work, more tests, etc. than my friends at UCB. Also I was actually taught by the teachers and not TAs. Perhaps it was easier to get an "A" at CC, but that works also to your advantage at CC as you won't have lower grades from the first 2 years dragging down your GPA. You graduate from university with just the gpa of the last two years at university. Hope that makes sense!

Also, two of my teachers were retired from UCB and were fantastic!! They would host parties at their homes for students and we'd get to know their families. It was a friendly "community".

I feel like Californians are FAR more comfortable with the community college to university path than DMV folk. Perhaps there is a good reason for this-- perhaps the community colleges just aren't as good as the ones in CA?


TL/DR-- I attended CC prior to university in California and have no regrets.

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the above because I saw it as a hidden gap in the 2 to 4 year experience and I factored in that this board doesn't usually write a whole lot on this subject and would rather debate if Cornell is still relevant. I know both young women really well and this came as a surprise to them. Both are organized ambitious smart students who felt gobsmacked initially so I wanted to get it out there.

Would it make sense then to enter as a Sophomore (after completing 2 years at CC)? Sure, you are giving up one year but you get to spend 3 years at a regular college. Of course, if cost is a constraint this will be a problem.

College doesn't work that way. The school assigns you a level based on the number of credits. Financial aid is limited to 8 semesters.

[Anonymous]

Does UVA accept CC credits for their new gen ed program? I thought I read somewhere that all gen eds must be taken at UVA on Grounds to count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually attended community college for two years then attended UC Berkeley. I graduated with honors and went on to top 20 law school. I did it so save money, but I think I received a better education at community college rather than if I had started at UCB because the classes were smaller and actually more rigorous in the sense that I had papers due every work, more tests, etc. than my friends at UCB. Also I was actually taught by the teachers and not TAs. Perhaps it was easier to get an "A" at CC, but that works also to your advantage at CC as you won't have lower grades from the first 2 years dragging down your GPA. You graduate from university with just the gpa of the last two years at university. Hope that makes sense!

Also, two of my teachers were retired from UCB and were fantastic!! They would host parties at their homes for students and we'd get to know their families. It was a friendly "community".

I feel like Californians are FAR more comfortable with the community college to university path than DMV folk. Perhaps there is a good reason for this-- perhaps the community colleges just aren't as good as the ones in CA?


TL/DR-- I attended CC prior to university in California and have no regrets.

Hope that helps!

Thank you for posting this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does UVA accept CC credits for their new gen ed program? I thought I read somewhere that all gen eds must be taken at UVA on Grounds to count.

Yes, they accept Gen Ed transfer credits.

What you can’t do is enroll at UVA and then take Gen Ed credits elsewhere. For instance, a UVA kid can’t come home for the summer and take courses at NVCC and then have those courses count towards their UVA degree.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the cc and the 4 year school. Some transfer all credits, some don’t. Do your research. Some 4 years schools won’t accept/count classes that are REQUIRED for your major if you take the class somewhere else. I would recommend you talk to a student who went thru this process in the last few years. They can tell you about their roadblocks.

For reference, my DS went to medical school. CC prerequisites were not accepted to the schools that he applied to.