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I have several nieces & nephews who are engineers. All of them needed to start their sequence of required courses as first or second semester freshman. In addition, most started doing engineering internships after their freshman year. They would not have been able to do that at most, if not all community colleges.If they would have been able to join the engineering program as juniors at a 4 year college (very, very unlikely that they would have been accepted that late) they would have needed at least an extra year, and probably two extra years to get in all of their required courses. Plus they would have missed the chance to take early internships/paid experience.
There actually are many majors that have so many pre-requisites to senior level courses that you start out "in the major" or "in the sequence of classes" as second semester freshman or as first semester sophomores. Anyone transferring from a CC would be at a distinct disadvantage and probably have to go at least extra year if not more.
Please check out your possible major before you decide to start at a CC. It may or may not be a problem in your situation.
I don't have a choice anyway. My parents say they need to see responsibility in me and that I can prove it by start out this way, and its cheaper to start. And for some reason by principal STRONGLY pushes me to go there. Aren't principals and teachers supposed to push you to reach your FULL potential? And from what she says she thinks MANY other students should start out that way.
We found that after going to a community college for two years it usually takes another three years to finish a normal degree. It is much better to start at the college you plan to finish at.
Who is we? Can you link to any data that backs up your claim?
Even if there is a correlation, it may have nothing to do with attending community college. It could very likely have more to do with the type of student attending CC or their backgrounds.
If finishing in 4 years is a strict requirement for some of you then by all means go to the university right off the bat.
For others, that extra semester, year or two doesn't matter.
I have several nieces & nephews who are engineers. All of them needed to start their sequence of required courses as first or second semester freshman. In addition, most started doing engineering internships after their freshman year. They would not have been able to do that at most, if not all community colleges.If they would have been able to join the engineering program as juniors at a 4 year college (very, very unlikely that theay would have been accepted that late) they would have needed at least an extra year, and probably two extra years to get in all of their required courses. Plus they would have missed the chance to take early internships/paid experience.
There actually are many majors that have so many pre-requisites to senior level courses that you start out "in the major" or "in the sequence of classes" as second semester freshman or as first semester sophomores. Anyone transferring from a CC would be at a distinct disadvantage and probably have to go at least extra year if not more.
Please check out your possible major before you decide to start at a CC. It may or may not be a problem in your situation.
Very well said, much better than what i was trying to say lol. Since starting school I've taken a mix of foundation courses in addition to my major courses bc i have to take 11 teach and methods courses i would have fallen behind at least a little bit if I had taken the CC route
I don't have a choice anyway. My parents say they need to see responsibility in me and that I can prove it by start out this way, and its cheaper to start. And for some reason by principal STRONGLY pushes me to go there. Aren't principals and teachers supposed to push you to reach your FULL potential? And from what she says she thinks MANY other students should start out that way.
I think in your case, the principal as well as your parents are taking your anxiety disorder into account, and feel the best way for you to reach your full potential is to go out into the world in steps, while still having the safety net of home and familiarity. How are your grades in high school? Are you self-motivated and able to problem-solve life situations independently, or do you need a push/assistance to complete your work and manage your life to the best of your ability? Didn't you say on another thread that you are emotionally unstable right now? Do you really think leaving home and going out on your own in that circumstance is going to be healthy for you?
I have a total of 116 credits from previous community college courses...I started a 4-year college in September, 2012 because I was unable to attend the other 4-year college of my choice in 2010 due to financial reasons. (Although for fun I applied again and they accepted me for this upcoming Fall semester...not sure if I should go now though, but that's another topic.)
My current 4-year college told me that even though I completed 27 credits since attending, I still have 8 more courses to take. They accepted 70 credits and I need a total of 120 credits to earn my Bachelor Degree. Please DO NOT go to a community college first if you can help it! You will end up re-taking courses, your education will be extended. I have been a college student since 2007 and i'm tired!
I'm still attending college and was told I will not be able to have those 8 courses completed until 2016. The reason is they only allow a student to take a certain amount of major specific courses (Fine Arts in my case) per semester. The other reason is 4-year colleges only accept a certain amount of credits, so many students have to take courses over again. By this time many students feel burnt out over the years. Some quit, some keep attending until they complete their degree.
These colleges should be more flexible but they are not.
Are you saying basics after high school are not always required?
Yes, you will need basics but they may not be the right basics for your specific major.
Here are some made up examples. You may need three history or social studies classes. So you take three basic history classes that look interesting at CC (Ancient History of Greece, Ancient African History, and Early Roman History) . But, you get to the four year college and you decide to major in Political Science or European Government or Contemporary History (if there is such a major) and they have a list of 25 possible history classes that fulfill the basic freshman/sophomore requirement and none of the classes that you already took count. So, you need to take an extra 9 credits.
Often there are math classes specifically for different majors such as math for engineers, math for science majors, math for math majors, math for pre-med students, etc. at 4 year colleges. A general math class at CC may not count for your major.
Another problem is that for some majors you have a very strict sequence of classes. Pretend that you are a Biology Major. You need Biology 101 before you can take Biology 201. Then you need to take Biology 255 or 260 before you can take Biology 301 or 305, then you need to take 355 or 360 and then you need to take four or five level 400 to 500 biology classes. If they did not offer Biology 101, 201, 255/260 at your CC you would be starting your freshman Biology class as a junior.
There is a HUGE difference in the amount and quality of classes at Community Colleges. Sometimes, you can get your prerequisites and sometimes not. That is why it is very important to check out what happens at your CC. I know someone who took 2 years at a CC and easily graduated in just 2 more years at a 4 year college. I know someone else, the very same age, who went to a different CC in the same city and when they transferred to the same 4 year college had to retake many classes. It took her 5 years to graduate. The first student was extremely happy with his experience at his CC. The second student was extremely unhappy with her experience at her CC and really regrets that she didn't immediately start at the 4 year college.
So it is important to check it out and to do your research on what works best for you.
Good luck.
Last edited by germaine2626; 04-09-2014 at 01:38 PM..
I think in your case, the principal as well as your parents are taking your anxiety disorder into account, and feel the best way for you to reach your full potential is to go out into the world in steps, while still having the safety net of home and familiarity. How are your grades in high school? Are you self-motivated and able to problem-solve life situations independently, or do you need a push/assistance to complete your work and manage your life to the best of your ability? Didn't you say on another thread that you are emotionally unstable right now? Do you really think leaving home and going out on your own in that circumstance is going to be healthy for you?
They don't even seem to understand how bad my anxiety really is. My mom now says I need to start driving every single day. She thinks me being nervous is normal. Some people don't understand people.
If I could go straight to a university there'd be transit, going to the cc driving is neccessary, unless you have someone to drive you around. There's dorms but I'm not staying in it cause I'm 99% I'll get stuck with bad people. Its my town. If it were about her town I'd worry about that less. Plus my parents would rather me stay at home and commute cause they don't wanna pay for the dorms. There's dorms that don't require having a roommate but of course they cost more.
I have a total of 116 credits from previous community college courses...I started a 4-year college in September, 2012 because I was unable to attend the other 4-year college of my choice in 2010 due to financial reasons. (Although for fun I applied again and they accepted me for this upcoming Fall semester...not sure if I should go now though, but that's another topic.)
My current 4-year college told me that even though I completed 27 credits since attending, I still have 8 more courses to take. They accepted 70 credits and I need a total of 120 credits to earn my Bachelor Degree. Please DO NOT go to a community college first if you can help it! You will end up re-taking courses, your education will be extended. I have been a college student since 2007 and i'm tired!
I'm still attending college and was told I will not be able to have those 8 courses completed until 2016. The reason is they only allow a student to take a certain amount of major specific courses (Fine Arts in my case) per semester. The other reason is 4-year colleges only accept a certain amount of credits, so many students have to take courses over again. By this time many students feel burnt out over the years. Some quit, some keep attending until they complete their degree.
These colleges should be more flexible but they are not.
I can't go straight to a four year. I have a low GPA and my parents want me to go to cc first and they're willing to pay for it. I was deviststed when my dad said I couldn't even take the SAT because I have to go to cc first to prove myself. I don't want to think about too much or else I'll get all depressed. I wish I would of tried harder in school. I regret being a slacker. I could of done better even with problems I had. There's no second chance, I have to suffer the consequence cause its too late. It's also to late to apply to get into a university this fall. I'll be stuck where I am for AT LEAST another year and due to my anxiety problems it'll be harder. There's no transit where I live. So its not better for me to study here. There's other reasons it'd be better for me to go straight to four year, but my life (probably) has to be paused first. It'll be worse (ill use Peter as my name) Dad: Peter stop being a little wuss and get your damn license your 18 (or 19). You are irresponsible for not driving yourself, you don't have anxiety problems you're just being a wuss. I'd be embarrassed and ashamed, its pathetic that you're not driving yet. Most teens get theirs at 16 (even though they don't anymore). Mom: Peter you need to drive yourself, how are you gonna have a life if you don't drive? Why would you wanna rely on others to drive you (including transit, I'd prefer transit). You need to get your license Peter.
Going to straight to a university and having transit, I could avoid this. I could also be one less polluter to the environment (why are we still using gasoline, its harmful to the environment, how bout another fuel alternative?) My parents have been sad that I don't have alot of friends, yet they don't encourage living in college in general (cause it costs more). I can't live at home forever, that's what bums do (usually bums). Being at home is going to trigger me alot. I would love to get out of the house this fall and live somewhere else, but there's like a less than 1% chance of that happening. I feel like my parents are trying to hold me back. It's not easy to just go out with zero support when you're only 18.
Last edited by MynameisnotPeter; 04-09-2014 at 06:48 PM..
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