Community College or University?

[3823]

This question has been around for a while now, and I was wondering what do you guys think is better? Would you rather go to a Community college and then transfer, or transfer directly to a University after high school?

I personally don't know which one to pick. But I'm leaning towards community college because it's cheaper and it's kind of like a transition between High school and University. Going from High school to University might be overwhelming and expensive imo, unless you're really set on what you want to do in the future and are able to transition quickly.

But then again, when you get to University, you're basically set and don't need to worry about transferring.

Thoughts?

 

[yourpapoose]

I personally am going to try to go to University instead of half of my time at a community college. I know it is A LOT cheaper though. This is only out of convenience for me. I've been doing early admission applications so my choice is pretty set in stone. But do whatever you feel is the most beneficial. Depending on your major and how much money you except to make, doing the full time at a university might pay off! You should also take scholarships and your financial situation into account as well. I'm from a lower middle class household so I'm hoping that I can get scholarships. If you don't mind me asking, what grade are you in? I just started my senior year.

 

[InfiniteDream]

im choosing university mostly because of my surroundings, delaware is not a good state to live in so i wanna go somewhere else and also i wanna be more independent and have a dorm to live in

Im already set on studying software engineering when i go to college next year, its so stressful wondering if im picking the right one let alone getting in

 

[TheSpiritedWarrior]

Do the cheaper option. For the first year or 2, I recommend community college, then tranfering to a university. It saves you and your parents a lot of money. Of course, I am a minor so I do not know way too much about college so take my opinion with a grain of salt. But what type of university are you going to? If the cost of it is not too bad, than stay there for the full years, if its expensive, go to community college first than transfer.

 

[Killer B]

The community college you have a lot less debt. That helps a lot in your life. You'll still learn a lot, but you won't have the professors from the university. Which, is fine. There's not tons & tons to lose from community college, and its cheaper.

 

[dwikrid]

We don't have such a community college, so people just transfer to umiversity after graduating from high school...


Empty-headed. Many people choose the course by random or hype, then struggle with their own choice because of different expectation. Another usual case is that parents force their kiddos to take certain courses... If your dad/mom is a doctor, you should be one, too... Etc.

 

[DarkXorius]

I'm actually taking high school classes at a community college with some college classes on the side. It's alright, but the weekends aren't really relaxing when worrying about a test and/or a project when you come back.

 

[532]

Directly to university. For me, funds aren't a problem as I will be payed to go to University, rather than the other way around. I will get a nice salary, as well as housing on-campus, for no cost to me. I'd rather complete university then move on with my career, rather than waste a couple of years at a community college.

 

[Killer B]

Directly to university. For me, funds aren't a problem as I will be payed to go to University, rather than the other way around. I will get a nice salary, as well as housing on-campus, for no cost to me. I'd rather complete university then move on with my career, rather than waste a couple of years at a community college.

The difference is you don't have to pay for the University. Obviously, everyone would go to the Univerisity if it was free, rather then community college.

Also, you're not "wasting a couple years" at community college, you get knowledge & a degree there, too.

 

[Jack]

I just hope everyone realizes that a degree from a community college =/= a degree from a university.

The other day in physics I heard a group of seniors behind me talking about college, and one of them said he was planning going to community college, because "you go there for two years, and it's basically the same as going for four years." Like no. It really isn't like that. A two-year degree from a community college is not useless and it's certainly better than just a high school diploma, but don't be like the idiot in my physics class and assume it's equal to a four-year degree from a university. Because it's not.

As for myself, I plan on going directly to a university because my grades and test scores will hopefully be good enough to earn merit aid. I'll more than likely come out of college with some debt, but not a ridiculous amount. Also, my chances of getting into one of my top schools is probably better applying straight out of high school than it would be if I were transferring from a community college. I don't think I would be able to handle two years of community college honestly.

 

[Sephiran]

As for myself, I plan on going directly to a university because my grades and test scores will hopefully be good enough to earn merit aid.

Places seem to give very little money purely for a student's academic success these days. They prioritize other factors and the only actual meritocracy in handing out aid is generally just athletic talent now, which is unfortunate.
As a brilliant student I fully expect that you'd easily get accepted to top institutions (if you get your application in early it's pretty easy), but it's very possible they won't throw you a bone. I was accepted to everywhere I applied to, for instance, but some of the pretentious top universities cheerily reported that their contribution for me was a grand total of $0.

And this is someone from a tremendously lower-middle-class background.

Anyway, it's worth a shot regardless. I'd advise doing some extracurriculars, if you don't already.

In regards to the original topic: community college and then transferring credits into another institution is actually a pretty good idea, financially (as everyone else in this thread has said). Community colleges seem to have some kind of stigma attached to them, but the truth is a lot of great professors teach in CC today. In higher education, professors hold their position for life and never retire, so the easiest jobs to get are ones at CC.

 

[Jack]

Places seem to give very little money purely for a student's academic success these days. They prioritize other factors and the only actual meritocracy in handing out aid is generally just athletic talent now, which is unfortunate.
As a brilliant student I fully expect that you'd easily get accepted to top institutions (if you get your application in early it's pretty easy), but it's very possible they won't throw you a bone. I was accepted to everywhere I applied to, for instance, but some of the pretentious top universities cheerily reported that their contribution for me was a grand total of $0.

And this is someone from a tremendously lower-middle-class background.

Anyway, it's worth a shot regardless. I'd advise doing some extracurriculars, if you don't already.

Thanks for the advice but I'm comfortable with where I stand in terms of college admissions >_>

In regards to the original topic: community college and then transferring credits into another institution is actually a pretty good idea, financially (as everyone else in this thread has said). Community colleges seem to have some kind of stigma attached to them, but the truth is a lot of great professors teach in CC today. In higher education, professors hold their position for life and never retire, so the easiest jobs to get are ones at CC.

Let's not forget that, of the financial aid colleges do distribute, incoming freshmen tend to receive more assistance than transfer students. I'm don't think people should actively avoids community colleges, but millions of students go straight into four-year universities every year, and most of them turn out fine.

 

[Mistral]

I was originally planning on going to a university straight out of high school, but they rejected me.

Looking back at it, I'm incredibly grateful that they did reject me.

The cost of tuition at a university is much higher than that of a community college. Living off campus with my parents has helped alleviate the costs, but it's still not cheap. I ended up taking a semester off after graduating high school and starting at community college. I stayed the full two years, and I graduated this past May with an associate's in liberal arts; I'm now at the school that originally rejected me when I was a high school senior. It's not a four year degree, sure, but it's a start towards one, and I saved a heck of a lot of money by starting at community college rather than going straight into a university. I've actually been incredibly lucky in that my financial aid has covered the cost of my tuition and books for the whole time I've been in post secondary education, but not everyone is that lucky. (Except I paid a bit out of pocket for a summer class I took, but it wasn't a whole lot. I just had to pay a bit for the tuition and for the cost of a textbook, and that was only because I wasn't a full time student that semester.)

I'd definitely recommend community college if you're not set on what you want to do in life. Odds are, right out of high school, you probably aren't. I definitely wasn't, and I'm glad that I took the time to go to community college to figure that out. I've gone from the childhood dream of wanting to be a vet, to wanting to be a chef, to wanting to be a graphic designer, to being a translator, and now I've settled on journalism. I actually did my whole community college experience based on the fact that I was going to go on and be a translator and get a degree in international studies. Thankfully, I didn't screw myself completely over since my degree still allowed me to take the classes I'm in now, but I'm glad I changed majors transferring in, knowing that I would be fine where I was going than to have started at university and taken all these classes that may not have applied to my major at all and end up wasting a lot more money on classes I didn't need. I still wasted money on classes I didn't need, but it was a lot less money than I could have wasted. Also if you struggled academically in high school and don't have that great of a GPA, community college could help you boost that up. I didn't do so hot in high school and graduated with a 2.5 GPA, but I went to community college and graduated with a 3.5 GPA.

Starting at a community college would involve missing out on some of the university experience, but if it means saving money and figuring out your life, then do it. Do what's right for you, basically. You won't be wasting two years if you opt to go to community college; you're still getting the same education, just at a cheaper price. It's ultimately up to you what you decide to do.

 

[Frisk]

Hmm....I really could go either way, but I have 4 years to decide. Community college seems like somewhere you'd go if university is too hard for you, but you could miss out on a really cool job you'd like, but University seems like where you'd go if you like harder work than most, but you could get great job opportunities. Tough choice...

 

[Slayerpon Tatsu]

This question has been around for a while now, and I was wondering what do you guys think is better? Would you rather go to a Community college and then transfer, or transfer directly to a University after high school?

I personally don't know which one to pick. But I'm leaning towards community college because it's cheaper and it's kind of like a transition between High school and University. Going from High school to University might be overwhelming and expensive imo, unless you're really set on what you want to do in the future and are able to transition quickly.

But then again, when you get to University, you're basically set and don't need to worry about transferring.

Thoughts?

University. I don't wanna stay in my home town no more ;-(

 

[423]

Community college for a few years, then if I'm lucky - University. Community colleges get stereotyped as "the last resort" too much lol. They still give you college credits and a degree, which is still pretty good. xP

 

[NES]

I think both have some major advantages. On one hand, community college is smaller and gives you more individual attention, but on the other hand, a larger school has more activities and better sports facilities. For instance, someone who likes working out could enjoy a nearly 24-hour gym at a Univ and a person into music can get a real music degree at one.

Anyway, a university or just a 4-year college is simply more of what you'd think college should be. It's not just a high school with college professors. Nonetheless, though, I had a great time at a smaller branch of a larger university where I took most of my classes back in the late 1990s. It was just simply a situation where I was very popular - possibly cause of fallout from high school.