Thoughts/ opinions/ facts(if possible)...About community colleges.....?

Question

What are the pro's and con's? Financial? Careers that are offered? Time? What are the best community colleges in california, Northidge area? If your "poor" is it possible to go to a non- communtiy college? What are the best ways of doing that? I heard you could get financial aid and go to a non- community college but isn't that only for community colleges? I don't know...Please give me as much information as you can. Self experience and kowledge would also help too...Thank you so very much...

Answer 1

I attended a community college for 2.5 years, and it was a great experience. It makes the transition into a university later much easier as well plus it'll save you money. There are pros and cons to it however, and if you need any more information or have questions, feel free to ask me.

+Many people will tell you that its lower quality because anyone can get into a community college, however, you still have to take a placement test and it is an easy way to get around SAT's and ACT's. (If you transfer to a university, they don't need SAT or ACT scores). However, teaching wise, community college is education 1.5 (uni is 2.0). You'll have some good professors and some really bad ones. However, the material will be harder, but its a great way to get the 2 years of core classes out of the way.

Freshman and Sophmore years are basically just core classes, your english, math, science, history, foreign language classes etc. Community college is your first two years and at a university it would be the same thing. Just expect harder material and more work. Once you figure out your new study habits and get adjusted, making the Deans list is a piece of cake. (unless your terrible at math like me and get a C's in math..)

Its cheaper, and down the road you'll be in a better postition to pay back student loans (if you have any) because you'll have less than 4-year university students. Even here in Virginia where credits are pretty high, a semester of college is generally $1200 compared to a state university at $3,000 a semester or more.

Colleges want transfer students. The university I transferred to has numerous scholarships just for transfer students and they'll annual. However, keep in mind the colleges in your first year, that you want to transfer to and let them know you're interested. They can help you take the right path course wise.

Again, it makes the transition easier. You can still live at home, but you're far more independent. Also, you'll probably see a few friends up there and meet plenty of new ones. Its generally an easy atmosphere and introduces you to college life slowly instead of having it forced into you at a university.

Money really shouldn't matter...I've known people with lower incomes to get full scholarships (always, always sign up for FASFA and fill out scholarships). I recommend colleges to anyone to get either the first two college years out of the way, basic college, extra classes, an associates and to save money.

Answer 2

Lets start with the facts_ Fact 1 is Community Colleges are alot cheaper, Fact 2 the quality is the same, the quantity is not. So I guess that can contradict the fact which I previously stated that the quality is the same depending on the student. Fact 3 Community Colleges are funded less which can mean that the quality of the education can once again be in jeopardy. The fact is if you go to a top college where its ranked on one of the top ten colleges, with the because education then I would do that depending on what they offer and the location and what you want. If you go to college go for the best, dont be content with what community colleges have to offer because the cons out weigh the pros. You talk about time that is a very interesting topic which I would like to speak about, you are totally bombarded day after day with different topics different subjects and its like waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to fast to spend a day our a couple of days on one thing our sometimes a multitude of things its very or I know community colleges for example is very unorganized, its a boat with out a paddle scenario. I am not sure what the best community colleges are in California that type of information is for the user or yourself to find out. You are obviously ignore of the College world by so was I at one point, you can do what you would like go to any school you want to if you have the determination to do so, nothing can stop you but yourself! Just do it! And do not let the naysayers influence your decisions or attuitude and remember to stay postive no matter what, that is one of the keys and never give up, good days are ahead take full advantage of the opportunity, you can do it, Believe in yourself!

Answer 3

Community colleges often have a lower tuition and the classes are sometimes easier but offer the same credit. Many people take their general education credits at the less expensive Community College and then transfer their credits to a 4 year college for their specialized or higher education. The careers that are offered vary depending on the school you attend.
You can get loans and grants for any accredited college wheather it is 2yr or 4 yr or graduate. Visit the colleges you are thinking about attending, even if you doubt that you will end up there. You will probably find some way to attend if you really love one.

To therealnapster- a two year degree is better than a high school diploma, so I think it is very worth it.

Answer 4

I go to a community college and have been for almost 2.5 years now. I think it is a great thing if you have no idea what it is that you want to become in life, however, if you do not chose a major and stick with it, you will be in a community college indefinately. I switched majors at least 4 times, and finally had enough credits to apply for an Associate in Science for General Studies, which just means that I can go to a university and be considered as a Junior now. It's great for saving money, figuring out your life goals, being close to home and having the ability to work while studying. It allows you to be flexible with your schedule while you attend college. Just make sure when you begin that you seriously have considered what your major is, or what your intentions are, before you end up in a community college for over 2 years like me. I also suggest that you go FULL TIME (12 or more credits per semester). Taking any less credits per semester will only defer you from graduating on time, and will definitly make you lazy and more confused. Go full time, save money and take the 2 years before earning your degree to decide where you will get your Bachelors at an accredited university. It is definitly worth it! Good luck :)

Answer 5

There are a lot of pros associated with community colleges -- cost, the ability to get an AA degree, and the ability to transfer to a four-year school are the primary pros. There are really no cons that I can think of.

I went to Pasadena City College, got my AA degree, and then transferred to Cal State Northridge as a Junior. I got a great start to my education at PCC, and it was very inexpensive (I went there 25 years ago; so I don't know how much it costs now). Closer to you is Pierce College in Woodland Hills (see links below).

You can get a job with an AA degree, but you'd be better off transferring to a four-year school and getting a Bachelor's. You can get financial aid at both community colleges and non-community colleges. Please see the link below for financial aid information for Cal State Northridge.

Furthering your education is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and the most cost-effective way to do that is the community college, Cal State route. I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 6

Financial aid is for any secondary education whether a university, college or trade school. Community colleges are generally schools which only offer a two year degree. Which is an associates degree a lot of civil service jobs and generalized lower level office jobs would be the result of said degree. So community colleges produce people with associates degrees and people who transfer on to a four college or university. These schools give Bachelors's (and some certifications such as for education) degrees which will provide you with education for most white collar jobs in the U.S. or allow you to continue you on for a variety of degrees (MD's, PHD's, MBA's, J.D's, etc.) and post-bac programs (the list goes on and on here). Trade or technical schools are schools that teach as specific job related skills (cosmotology, automotive repair, medical techs, medical asst., transciptionist, etc, etc.) generally with a job placement system as part of the tuition. Anyone can apply for financial aid to attend school. Being "poor" helps you qualify for grants and scholarship awards from the government, state and school to which your are attending. You can also look locally for extra money towards your education by applying for the awards given by local civic groups such as local churches, kiwanas, masons, etc.The only con I can give you about community colleges is that some of your credits may not be accepted at other universities and colleges if you are transferring schools.

Answer 7

I taught at a community college for three years. Many of our students simply got their AA/AS degree or the class or two which they needed.
However, a lot of them went on to get their BA/BS degrees; a high percentage of them went to the best schools in the state. The money they saved at the community college allowed them to afford these "better" schools.
The other point is that in most community colleges, the faculty are there just to teach. In many universities, freshmen are taught by graduate assistants and have little interaction with the faculty. The faculty at top schools are often only interested in their own research.

Answer 8

Dont even bother going to a community college. With the amount of people in Universities getting four year degrees, a two year degree is worthless.

Answer 9

Community colleges can be great. Many people get this misconception that they are only for the too-stupid-to-get-into-real-college or the too-poor-to-afford-real-college, but they really aren't. While it is true that a lot people attend community college to save money or because their grades weren't good enough for a traditional 4-year school (or they were afraid they couldn't handle it), plenty of people attend community college for other reasons such as the flexibility. Community colleges are much more flexible with their schedules and offer more night and weekend classes than a traditional college, which is great for those students who are full time employees or have families to take care of.

The pros of community colleges are that they are less expensive (and with the rising costs of education, electricity, gas, just about everything, finding ways to save is always good), when you transfer to another college or university only the credits transfer, not the GPA (so if you didn't do so well in math, don't worry), they are becoming more like traditional colleges with many of them offering tons of great extracurriculars (from student governments, to various clubs, student newspaper, even sports and recreation), they are usually very convient to travel to and a lot of community colleges are part of a 'district' which means you can attend one class at one campus and other class at another campus (this opens up a wider variety of classes and professors to choose from, as well as allowing for more flexibility in your schedule), and (one of the most important things to me) the standards at community colleges are going up (so you no longer are getting a "second-rate" education) and the rest of the academic and professional world is starting to realize that and not look at people who went to a community college as being dumb and having a bad education.

The cons of community colleges: the highest degree you can earn is an associates (which is fine, but if you want to go on to graduate degrees such as a masters-and a lot more careers require this now-you will have to go back to school at a 4-year university to get your bachelors first), you do miss out on some of the "college experience" by going to a community college, while a lot of community colleges are raising their academic standards in order to provide a higher quality education not all community colleges are, and because there are no dorms you do have to commute (although the commute is often extremely minimal).

These certainly aren't the only pros and cons, but they are the ones that come to mind when I think about community colleges. After I graduated from high school I attended a community college. My grades were excellent and I got accepted to every university I applied to. The problem was money; the amount of scholarships I earned only covered a fraction of the educational costs and I didn't want to be buried in student loans when I graduated, so I decided to go to a community college for 2 years and then transfer. I wanted to be a nurse, so I decided to do all the pre-nursing courses at my community college and then transfer to a nursing program. Well it took me 3 years instead of two (partly because I slacked off and only went part time for a while so that I could work more) and I earned my associates degree (Associate of Science), but I successfully transferred to a nursing program at a major university and start my first semester next monday. I really enjoyed going to community college. I've never really been one for extracurricular involvement, so I didn't get too involved, but my school made a huge effort to try and get everyone involved in something. I enjoyed the diversity at my school, there were a lot of older people who were going back to school to start a second career and I enjoyed getting to know them and learn from them. I had the flexibility I wanted and needed to design my school schedule around my work schedule so that I was able to work full time, go to school, and still have time for fun. I was able to pick and choose the best professors and the class times that worked for me (can you say no classes in the morning or fridays?). A lot of my friends from high school also went to community college (we were all smart just not rich) and after the first semester I started seeing students who had gone off to college show up at my community college (guess they couldn't handle school, my guess is that they partied too much and their rich parents decided to stop funding their education). I made excellent grades at school and was able to easily transfer to the university of my choice for nursing school. And to me, the best part was that I got a quality education that I was able to pay for all by myself (which makes it mean more to me). The joke around town is that the community college I went to is the Harvard of the community colleges in the area; the professors, deans, and everyone invovled in the school worked hard to provide a quality education that means something. I am proud to say I went to community college; I got a great education, have a degree, am going to be getting another degree in 2 years from one of the top 5 nursing schools in the country, and I won't be in debt from student loans.

If you really don't want to go to a community college (which is understandable) and rather attend a traditional 4-year college or university, there is financial aid out there. My suggestion is to go to your school counselor (if you have a college and career counselor that would be best) and ask about financial aid options; they can help you apply for scholarships and grants (free money) and can probably help you with the FAFSA and you may be eligble for low-rate federally subsidized student loans. Also talk to the financial aid departments at the schools you wish to apply to and find out what kind of aid they offer. There is aid out there, you just have to be willing to look a bit, and don't wait until the last minute (I did this which I why I couldn't afford to go to a university when I graduated high school). Also check out www.fastweb.com, which is a database of scholarships and colleges, fill out a profile and they'll let you know which scholarships you qualify for. And then start applying. Don't discard one because it is only $500 or you think everyone will apply and you don't have a chance; it takes no time at all to apply for most scholarships and even $500 can go a long way for covering educational costs.

Good luck to you. I hope this helps you some.