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originally posted in:Secular Sevens
Edited by Diplomat:
2/3/2013 10:00:26 PM
10
Should I spend my Freshman year enrolled in Community College?
Hi, so I'm currently a Junior in high school. Since I will be applying to colleges this fall, I've decided to start figuring out where I will be going. Given that I have a pretty competitive GPA, I have a good shot at going to Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, American University, or the University of Pittsburgh (all of these are among the best International Relations schools in the nation, with GWU and AU consistently ranking the top 10 for undergraduates).
However, with the exception of maybe UofP, all these schools have hefty price tags that run upwards to 40k-50k a year including room and board. Since I want to pursue a career in government after the military, it's pretty important that I go to a school in or around D.C. so that I can easily get internships at various agencies or think tanks. Since the fore mentioned Universities are so expensive, I have thought about just moving to D.C. and going to Community College for the first year to get my Gen Ed's out of the way.
Is it worth it, or is it a waste of time? For those who went to a 4 year institution straight away, do you wish that you just went to C.C. your first year? Or does your Freshman year at a Uni really matter that much?
- M.T.
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You should talk to counselors from said colleges and ask them how competitive transfers from Community Colleges are, and if many of their students take this route.
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1 ReplyEdited by Omega Travis: 2/4/2013 7:38:46 PMbefore you choose community college, remember you won't be able to chang your mind.
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If you do plan to take the CC route, you have to plan ahead and make sure that the college(s) you want to transfer to will take the transfer credits from the CC you are attending.
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12 RepliesYes. Going straight to a university is a waste of money. You can get the exact same quality of classes and the exact same classes for a fraction of the price in a community college.
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I'd suggest community college to mitigate costs, if that's important to you. Just make sure you do work in CC so you can transfer to a school you want to finish your undergrad at. Btw, living in D.C. is expensive so don't even think about doing that in the interest of saving money. For the record, I go to Univ. of Maryland and my sister did her masters at American University, so I at least have a basic understanding of these schools.
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The prestige of graduating from one of those univerisites is in no way diminished by collecting even an associates degree from the related community college. The credits should transfer as long as the community college is regionally accredited by the same or equivalent agencies as your prestigious university. The main thing to look for is a transfer program, where your 4.0 associates degree comes with a grant or scholarship to attend. To find this out, pick up the phone and dial your prestigious schools and ask about transfer students and any grants, scholarships, or other financial aid associated with academic excellence.
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2 RepliesNot a bad idea, but do your research and make sure you take credits that transfer so you dont get screwed over.
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yes, youre going to be taking the same courses for your first two years at college why wouldnt you take them cheaper at a community college
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5 RepliesEdited by HurtfulTurkey: 2/3/2013 10:16:26 PMIt's not a waste of time to get your gen eds out of the way more easily and for less money. Check the degree plan though; it's possible that you'll have degree-specific courses as early as your first semester, and you may want to consider part-time enrollment in your university. Also bear in mind that grades usually don't transfer, so you'll have less of a cushion when you start taking harder classes.You may transfer 40 credits, but then you'll only have around 80 to determine your GPA.
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If you do plan on taking the CC route, make sure that your credits will transfer to the college that you want to attend afterwards. I would also suggest taking a lot of AP/IB classes in high school (although you only have a year left) but those can help you get a lot of general education credits out of the way (provided you pass the exam) and they also look good on transcripts.
