Community college or 4 year university for ME?
I'm going to be a Senior this September. I had a 3.6 - 3.8 GPA, & even straight A's sophomore yr. Junior yr I only had a 3.4 GPA because I had tough classes. My SAT's were average. I only took them once though, and retaking in October. Answering all or even ONE question will help me A LOT. Counselors at my school are no help and I don't have an older sibling to help me. 1) How will going to a community college help me decide my major? (It's been years and I still have no clue what I want to major in.) 2) Will I still be able to improve my SATs when I'm in a community college? 3) My dream college is Pepperdine University, but only 28% got accepted. How can I improve my chances of getting in? 4) Is going to a community college the same as a Cal State? 5) How long should I stay in a junior college until I transfer? When I transfer to a 4-year, will I have to stay for another four years?? Credits to be transfered?
Community college then transfer or 4-year university?
Hey everybody :-) I just graduated high school and I chose my university. Its about 15min away from my house but I would dorm there. Lately i've been having second thoughts about whether to go to this university or go to community college and transfer. I got good grades in high school (3.6 GPA) and a good score on my ACT (27) so I think i could handle difficult course work. I would like to save money and going to the community college would save me near $10,000 a year. The thing is, I cant make up my mind. I'm not 100% happy about the university I picked and I don't really know my major yet. Universities are expensive and community college students miss out on the "college experience". My mom thinks I should try the university for at least a year but she said she's supporting me either way. My dad says no to community college because I already picked that university but I don't really count his opinion because he was only half listening. But I know they would struggle to pay for it and I don't want to waste time not knowing my major. I have friends who graduated a year before me who go to community college and they say its great and they're glad they made the decision but I also know ppl like my sister who graduated from Virgina State and went all four years and also said it was great. I just don't know what to do. I want to make my parents happy but I also want this to be what's best for me. I would probably prefer to go to community college because I feel like I need more time to decide on my major and the actual university I want to get my bachelor's degree from. But I don't want to be looked at differently by future employers because I didn't attend a university for 4 years. And i feel like im giving up on the university if i don't at least try it first. Advice please?
Should I start at a community college or at a 4-year college? I am worried about money, but don't want to miss out on the social aspect of freshman year.
I believe that you should consider what may happen if, in the quest for the “excitement” of social aspects, you are unable to continue at the four-year college. Having fun is a good experience, but it pales in comparison to being able to complete the requirements for a four-year degree.Like you, I had financial problems in college. I chose the route of working and attending a major institution. The “fun” of the first through fourth years, was drowned out by the noise of having to go to work at a full-time job. I managed to earn the degree, but my GPA suffered. However, by developing a sense of accomplishment, I was able to convince graduate schools of being able to contribute to their student body.You see, the key to all of this was to take a chance on working while attending a highly competitive university. Unlike many, I was lucky enough to find the discipline necessary to keep sight of my goal, a four-year degree. Unless you feel that you can work and maintain a credible GPA, I suggest that you consider the two-year option, earn high grades, and then transfer to a four-year institution. Doing this will help you reach career goals, but it will also cut down on parties, binge drinking, doing silly things to impress your friends, and missing out on what you may today consider valuable social aspects.
Is it better to go straight to a university or to community college, then transfer to a university, after high school?
Your question shows that you are already aware that you have some alternatives you can choose from as you anticipate continuing your education. They include considerations of readiness, ability to pay, need for additional preparation and so-on. If you have already been accepted at the university, feel ready to leave home to go to college, and can afford the complete four years (or have plenty of access to grants and loans) I’d say to go ahead an enroll at the university. Having the continuity of four years at the same institution can prove to be a great benefit.However, if you need a couple of years to strengthen you academic credentials, don’t feel ready to leave home, or think you can lessen the costs of the university of four year college by attending you local or regional community college, this can be a really good choice. Several programs in community colleges provide the first two years of general education to help you get used to college level work, manage your expenditures, and spend some time before going off more-or-less on your own. In this case, the development of community colleges as an integrated part of states’ multi-level higher education systems, community colleges represent an opportunity and substantial savings.Most community colleges have “articulation agreements” which guarantee a student completing their general education component, consisting of the first two years, with an acceptable GPA admission to the junior year of the upper division school. Most of these articulation agreements will specify at least some courses in the first two years that would be equivalent to required courses on their campuses. Successful completion of the program will give you an Associate Degree and get you accepted to the State University or universities in your state, or even region.One of the great things about the American system of education is its flexibility. There are numerous points of entry and many ways of adjusting your program to be able to meet your emerging concept of your needs. Deferring college attendance, dropping in and out, relative horizontal ease of transfer, and availability of alternative means of financing your education are all benefits you can use to your own advantage. Learn about them and learn to prosper.
IS GOING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE BEFORE UNIVERSITY WEIRD?
Going to a community college is not weird. I'm a freshmen at community college in my second semester. At first, I didn't want to go because I wanted to go straight to a University too since I didn't get into any of my choices. You can raise your GPA up! But once you get the feel for it you won't notice it. I was embarrassed to say that I was going to a CC when my history teacher in my Senior year asked me because they whole class had wanted to know where everyone is going. But near the end of the year I found out only a few of my friends were going and one of my friends who is really smart got accepted into her Dream school(only one she applied too) but she couldn't go because it was too expensive. However, the only reason you feel that way is because people make a big deal about how only slackers go too CC and that's NOT TRUE! Many people go to CC for different reasons. I happen to go because I wanted to raise my GPA up higher. It was a low B average. I recently changed my major. It does take a while. But don't worry. You have to ignore those people who say's but CC is where slackers go. One of my ex-friends who I stopped talking to always threw the fact that I went to CC in my face as if I didn't have good grades or took AP/Honors classes in H.S. Where she only took maybe 1 of 1 each. She told me her problems. So, she didn't have the right too tell me I was a lazy student. Anyways, IGNORE THOSE PEOPLE! Plus, You'll have an advantage of getting into a better college easier. Also, Please TAKE ASSOCIATES OF ARTS DEGREE! For your general education classes! DON'T PICK A SPECIFIC MAJOR IT WILL SCREW YOU OVER! So, yeah. It's not weird at all.
Transferring from community college to university...?
Hey there folks, I am in 11th grade, and currently studying to take my SAT in May. I am going through all the study books and SAT prep guides, and I'm noticing that this stuff is really hard. Now, I'm not trying to be a downer or anything, but just realistic, and reality here is that I am probably not going to do very good on the SAT. So I had some questions about Community College. First of all, do they check your SAT scores? Will they decline to accept me if I do bad on the SAT? I definitely want to transfer to a university after community college, so how does that work? Do I stay at community college for 1 year, study a little bit more, take the SAT again and apply for a university? A lot of people say that you will save a lot of money if you go to community college for 2 years, and then transfer after that. Is that true, and if it is, then why is that so? Also, if I do end up staying in a community college for 2 years and then transferring, will I still have to attend university for 4 years? Therefore having to do a total of 6 years of higher education after high school? Or will I be able to get a bachelors in 2 years from the university, because I had already finished 2 years that the community college? Arrrgh! This whole college business is really confusing!
Which path is more successful: transferring to a University after two years at community college or attending University for all four years?
Success is in the eye of the person (beholder). Do you mean more likely to come out in the end with a degree? Both avenues will get you there. Community colleges are for convenience (you can stay at home and almost walk to school) and cost. However, if neither of these are important or necessary for you, then why go through the hassle of transferring credits from the JC to the four year college when you "know" everything fits if you start out at the college of choice and finish there too. The four year college is the better bet. Consider the Community college like a bicycle with training wheels. Some need them some don't. Only you can answer that one.
Can I transfer into a university from a community college?
Community college is not bad at all. It's actually a very intelligent decision whenever you have to worry about paying off so much student loans. Many community colleges has transfer agreements with universities in a specific program so that the credits will transfer. So you will have to be sure about which university you choose to attend after community college. If you start out attending community college before university, you will only have to attend both a combination of two years at a community college and university. Attending community college before attending university comes with many advantages as well as some disadvantages. Attending community college before completing your bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution can save you a sizable chunk of change. Tuition and fees at public community colleges average less than half of those at public four-year colleges and about one-tenth of those at private four-year colleges, according to the American Association of Community Colleges. In fact, you will be more luckier than the undergraduates who start out at a four year institution because they will have to worry about paying off student loans after their post secondary education. I sure wouldn't want wages taken out of my salary. Either way it goes, your going to have to get your general education classes out of the way. Community colleges are VERY good ways to earn credits because it tends to focus more on research and have lower level classes. That means that you can get extra help on the subjects you struggle with and the student-to-teacher ratio is great because the classes are smaller. Some people attend community college first either because they do not want to take the SAT/ACT tests, money issues, grade issues, or has chosen a career that does not require further than a two year degree or no more than a certificate. Statistics shows that many students who transfers from two year institution (community college) to a four year institution (university) does slightly better than their peers who attended a four year university straight from high school. My cousin started out at community college. He later transferred to UW-Madison (one of the top colleges) and obtained his master's degree.