Hey OP
I think that NVCC is a fantastic option for any student who is college bound. The professors are great, they have a well established path to local universities etc.
CC is especially great if you have a highly motivated, organized student who is able to develop and stick to an academic plan.
It can also be a good option for students who are still figuring out what they want to study as long as they and you understand that exploration might come at the cost of spending more time to finish and runs the risk of a student losing focus or going off track.
If your child is more like the latter than the former, you should have an honest discussion with them about how you will remain involved in decision making etc.
you will not be able to talk to their counselors etc to make sure they are staying on track.
It is great to use the first year of CC to figure out where your passion and interests lie but it is ideal if they are committed to picking a path and sticking to it beyond that point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't get a real college experience going the CC route. By the time you transfer to a four-year school — assuming you make it that far; the percentage of CC kids who drop out their first or second year is astronomical — your peers will have settled into friend groups and routines, moved off campus, and started preparing for post-college life. Freshman year is something every kid should get to experience, and unfortunately, you can't recreate it as a junior CC transfer.

Do you have first-hand experience with this happening?

No, I went to a four-year school and still have fond memories of freshman year. It was an unforgettable time, and I'd hate for my kid not to be able to experience it. Junior and senior year were great, and yes, I did continue to make new friends as an upperclassman. But that first weekend in the freshman dorm was lit! I couldn't have imagined being back at home in my high school bedroom.

Some people lose their virginity before the first week of college, you know.

One more thread of an S21 senior's journey..

https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/s21-not-an-easy-path-happy-to-get-some-input-at-this-stage/2085796/240

OP. I came across this post on CC (thread and specific post below). You should check out the links for a broader discussion. Hope this helps.

Thread - https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/hs-senior-denied-by-every-instate-school-what-do-i-do-next/3515597/157

Post:
As someone who has spent 4 years in CC, I can 100% say that yes a lot of CC students are not focused. The truth is, CC is an amazing way for students to complete a degree who cannot cut it at a 4 year at that moment. Whether the issue is monetary concerns, the need to work and provide, time needed to grow up as a person, soul-searching, or the student is legitimately behind and needs time to catch-up, CC is an AMAZING tool to bring college education and a chance to transfer to many students who simply would not be able to attend a 4-year right out of the gate.

However, it is absolutely true that a large portion, and in many CCs, and the system overall, a majority, of the student body are unmotivated, and CC was not the option, but the forced choice for them. There are a great many students going who do not care, who have no goals, and no idea on where to go for the future. There are many who are not disciplined enough or don’t have the capabilities to finish an education, and have no desire to fix these issues.

I have personally seen that the majority of peers in classes are unmotivated and contribute to an unproductive classroom atmosphere of apathy. Unless you have or make dedicated CC friends, you can often-times feel very alone in your CC journey if you care, and find yourself surrounded by people who don’t care at all.

That said, I love CC, will always support people going, and do not regret it one bit. But facts are facts and it is wrongful to ignore them.

If you do not stay focused in CC, it is VERY easy to get absolutely nowhere and waste all of your time and money. It has happened to numerous of my friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and almost to me.

https://www.communitycollegereview.com/blog/new-study-70-of-california-community-college-students-fail 1

https://www.communitycollegereview.com/blog/why-60-of-community-college-students-never-transfer#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20according%20to%20the,the%20state’s%20four%2Dyear%20universities.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-kirp-california-community-college-graduation-rates-20180822-story.html 2

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who doesn't at least consider CC for the first year is a fool. Undergraduate education is not worth $200,000-$300,000 that the universities are charging these days. It's simply not.

You can get a good college education, in 4 year schools, for less than that. Given that the best financial aid goes to freshmen, starting at CC is often not the least expensive choice. It can be the right choice for some people, but certainly not for "anyone".

I agree that you can get your 4 year education for less than that. However, this whole threat started with OP lamenting that her kid isn’t getting accepted despite a fairly good GPA which tells me he applied to schools that cost about what I said.

Also, I agree that CC is not for everyone. I was more responding to people who never even consider it.

I’m the OP and respectfully, wtf are you talking about? My kid is a junior. He hasn’t applied anywhere. As I said in the original post, we are considering CC for a number of reasons. I never said what they are.

My apologies (sincere). DCUM fatigue is real. I was confusing your thread which I totally agree with with another one where a parent was lamenting about her son not getting into any schools he applied to. The mistake is on me.

I'm OP. It's all good. I wasn't sure if you were trolling or mistaken. Glad to hear it's just the latter. DCUM fatigue is indeed real. I'm logging off and headed to bed now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP also with a second child who is very bright but can’t manage the homework organization during virtual learning and junior year gpa is going to sink him.

No surprise that these are boys who are not doing well in distance learning. I think there are a lot more out there.

This year has been brutal for kids (and adults, really) with any executive functioning issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I'm asuming money is not an issue. If it is, ignore my post.

We have kid that is not putting in the work necessary in HS. I suspect he will end up with a lower overall GPA. Anything that comes to him naturally, he gets As (Math, music).

We were thinking of sending him (when the time comes, in a couple of years) to a small LAC so there's someone to make sure he gets his work done as opposed to a CC where no one is going to care. Did you consider that?

Hi, I’m OP. Money is consideration only in that what we save we can spent on grad school if he chooses that route. And honest question: who at a LAC is going to make sure he gets his work done? Do professors chase down missing work? Is that something a counselor does?

If your child has an identified disability, such as ADHD, there are absolutely LAC's here students can get support in executive functionin and organization.

I am the one who posted early about a family member. That family member is at McDaniel and is getting excellent support services there. McDaniel is not a particularly selective school, there are other schools that are more academically selective and also provide excellent services.

Thank you! We will ask his pediatrician for a recommendation to get an assessment done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I'm asuming money is not an issue. If it is, ignore my post.

We have kid that is not putting in the work necessary in HS. I suspect he will end up with a lower overall GPA. Anything that comes to him naturally, he gets As (Math, music).

We were thinking of sending him (when the time comes, in a couple of years) to a small LAC so there's someone to make sure he gets his work done as opposed to a CC where no one is going to care. Did you consider that?

Hi, I’m OP. Money is consideration only in that what we save we can spent on grad school if he chooses that route. And honest question: who at a LAC is going to make sure he gets his work done? Do professors chase down missing work? Is that something a counselor does?

If your child has an identified disability, such as ADHD, there are absolutely LAC's here students can get support in executive functionin and organization.

I am the one who posted early about a family member. That family member is at McDaniel and is getting excellent support services there. McDaniel is not a particularly selective school, there are other schools that are more academically selective and also provide excellent services.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who doesn't at least consider CC for the first year is a fool. Undergraduate education is not worth $200,000-$300,000 that the universities are charging these days. It's simply not.

You can get a good college education, in 4 year schools, for less than that. Given that the best financial aid goes to freshmen, starting at CC is often not the least expensive choice. It can be the right choice for some people, but certainly not for "anyone".

I agree that you can get your 4 year education for less than that. However, this whole threat started with OP lamenting that her kid isn’t getting accepted despite a fairly good GPA which tells me he applied to schools that cost about what I said.

Also, I agree that CC is not for everyone. I was more responding to people who never even consider it.

I’m the OP and respectfully, wtf are you talking about? My kid is a junior. He hasn’t applied anywhere. As I said in the original post, we are considering CC for a number of reasons. I never said what they are.

My apologies (sincere). DCUM fatigue is real. I was confusing your thread which I totally agree with with another one where a parent was lamenting about her son not getting into any schools he applied to. The mistake is on me.

Anonymous wrote:NP also with a second child who is very bright but can’t manage the homework organization during virtual learning and junior year gpa is going to sink him.

No surprise that these are boys who are not doing well in distance learning. I think there are a lot more out there.

NP also with a second child who is very bright but can’t manage the homework organization during virtual learning and junior year gpa is going to sink him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I'm asuming money is not an issue. If it is, ignore my post.

We have kid that is not putting in the work necessary in HS. I suspect he will end up with a lower overall GPA. Anything that comes to him naturally, he gets As (Math, music).

We were thinking of sending him (when the time comes, in a couple of years) to a small LAC so there's someone to make sure he gets his work done as opposed to a CC where no one is going to care. Did you consider that?

Hi, I’m OP. Money is consideration only in that what we save we can spent on grad school if he chooses that route. And honest question: who at a LAC is going to make sure he gets his work done? Do professors chase down missing work? Is that something a counselor does?

Unfortunately, I can't answer these questions. However, that seems to be the gist of several SLAC promoting posts that I've read over the years. DC1 is going to an OOS state flagship starting next year. We didn't think about grad school since she will be pursing a STEM degree. Grad school, if and when it happens, is on her (or us depending, on our financial big picture at that time). We are worried about DC2 as I explained above. He just doesn't care. Not sure how to get him to. I have no issues with his ability to get a great score on his SAT. It's the GPA, I'm worried about.

I’m OP.

I hope your DC2 can rally next year so you don’t have to worry. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I'm asuming money is not an issue. If it is, ignore my post.

We have kid that is not putting in the work necessary in HS. I suspect he will end up with a lower overall GPA. Anything that comes to him naturally, he gets As (Math, music).

We were thinking of sending him (when the time comes, in a couple of years) to a small LAC so there's someone to make sure he gets his work done as opposed to a CC where no one is going to care. Did you consider that?

Hi, I’m OP. Money is consideration only in that what we save we can spent on grad school if he chooses that route. And honest question: who at a LAC is going to make sure he gets his work done? Do professors chase down missing work? Is that something a counselor does?

Unfortunately, I can't answer these questions. However, that seems to be the gist of several SLAC promoting posts that I've read over the years. DC1 is going to an OOS state flagship starting next year. We didn't think about grad school since she will be pursing a STEM degree. Grad school, if and when it happens, is on her (or us depending, on our financial big picture at that time). We are worried about DC2 as I explained above. He just doesn't care. Not sure how to get him to. I have no issues with his ability to get a great score on his SAT. It's the GPA, I'm worried about.

Anonymous wrote:OP. I'm asuming money is not an issue. If it is, ignore my post.

We have kid that is not putting in the work necessary in HS. I suspect he will end up with a lower overall GPA. Anything that comes to him naturally, he gets As (Math, music).

We were thinking of sending him (when the time comes, in a couple of years) to a small LAC so there's someone to make sure he gets his work done as opposed to a CC where no one is going to care. Did you consider that?

Hi, I’m OP. Money is consideration only in that what we save we can spent on grad school if he chooses that route. And honest question: who at a LAC is going to make sure he gets his work done? Do professors chase down missing work? Is that something a counselor does?