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Which is better for starting out and then transferring to a college or state university? Is there any difference between a junior college and a community college?
I think of them as being the same thing.... And I wouldn't think there would be a difference in transferring credits.
At least in Wyoming, all community colleges are 2-year colleges, sometimes with a few upper level courses offered and bachelors and masters degrees offered through state colleges or universities that have worked out special agreements with the community colleges, but those degrees don't come from the community colleges.
Whenever you're planning out a college career and considering attending a 2 year college with the intent to transfer to a 4 year college, it's best to plan out all four years. You should contact the schools and work with them to identify a good plan for you.
You don't want to be in a situation where you are ready to transfer to the 4-year school and find out that you cannot. I can't tell you how many students try to transfer into my school from another school only to learn that they cannot.
Just about all junior college courses are transferable to a 4 year university. This is not the case for community colleges. Many community colleges offer remedial classes to go students up to snuff to take regular college courses. It is the students responsibility to make sure the courses they are taking are transferable. Any counselor at the school should be able to tell you what is transferable and what is not.
Just about all junior college courses are transferable to a 4 year university. This is not the case for community colleges. Many community colleges offer remedial classes to go students up to snuff to take regular college courses. It is the students responsibility to make sure the courses they are taking are transferable. Any counselor at the school should be able to tell you what is transferable and what is not.
Reggie
Not all 4 year universities accept courses from junior colleges.
Just about all junior college courses are transferable to a 4 year university. This is not the case for community colleges. Many community colleges offer remedial classes to go students up to snuff to take regular college courses. It is the students responsibility to make sure the courses they are taking are transferable. Any counselor at the school should be able to tell you what is transferable and what is not.
Reggie
What do you mean by "junior college"? I know of few private two year colleges. There were some when I graduated from HS in the late 60s, but they've all, to the best of my knowledge, become 4 year schools. Even then, if you took say, nursing at a two year college, not all your credits transferred to a 4 year nursing program.
In general, a two-year college can be called a junior college or a community college. Most are public but there are some private ones. In general, up to 60 credits from the public junior or community college will transfer to a public 4-year state college. A private 4-year college may or may not accept credits from the c.c.
A technical college might not be certified by the same body that certifies the c.c. and there may be problems with credits transferring to a state 4-year college. In Ohio, all of the public technical colleges were upgraded to community colleges (there's a certification issue among instructors, plus hours in class, blah, blah, blah.) plus put on the semester system. But that solved a lot of the prior transfer problems. One could take classes at a c.c. in Toledo and transfer them to Bowling Green State U or Ohio State without losing hours by transferring classes between quarters and semesters. That's not true in other states, although many are going that way.
More than you probably need to know!
Two Tips:
1) Try to attend a community/junior college that has a 2 + 2 or preferred pathway agreement with a local 4-year college that you want to attend. All the heavy lifting is done for you by trained advisors who have a financial interest in students succeeding. There will be organized grid sheets that list the classes you'll take each semester at both colleges. There is no arguing or guessing about what will transfer, and if you maintain the required grade point, you will get into that college and into the program, unless they tell you otherwise that it is "highly selective" and wait listing is possible.
2) Second best: work closely with knowledge advisors (use department coordinators when possible!) to insure that the credits taken at the 2-year school will transfer to the 4-year school. Know ahead of time (and get it in writing!) what will and won't transfer.
Obviously, this assumes you know the program you want, such as nursing, pre-vet, etc. but it can still work if you want a "general associate degree" for some reason, although I don't recommend that! Get in a program that teaches marketable skills.
Contact the schools for the exact details and current information.
Check it out carefully. I have heard of situations where 100% of the credits transferred and also situations where none of the credits transferred.
Also, what some people call a "community college" or "junior college" in their area is what is called a "technical school" in other parts of the country. When you attend some, but not all, "technical schools" the programs are designed so differently that very few, if any credits transfer to a four year college. The type of schools and their connections to four year colleges or Universities vary dramatically from state to state. I have learned that something that is "common practice" and "common knowledge" about how CCs work in their state may be totally different in a different state. So check it out carefully in your state.
In some post high school training programs the academic level is no where near the level of skill required for a four year college so colleges obviously can not accept any transfer credits. In fact, a few schools are designed more as an extra year of two of HS level classes, but focused on specific skill development to land a job. Whereas, that is completely different for other programs and schools.
So, my advice is to carefully check out the school, and the program within that school, that you want to attend for two years to see what, if any credits transfer to the four year college that you want to attend later on.
A friend of my daughter, attended a local community college/technical school in their two year academic program and every single credit transferred to a nearby four year college. She told my daughter that some of her classmates, who took programs to become a welder or to learn how to take blood from patients or to become cooks, had very few if any credits that transferred to a four year college.
PS. Especially check out "for profit" schools, VERY carefully. Some can be great, but others can be a giant scam.
Last edited by germaine2626; 08-24-2014 at 09:43 AM..
Different name, same thing. I once called and elementary school a "grammer school" and nobody knew what I was talking about.
In my experience they are not always the "same thing".
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