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Difference between Community College and a University

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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
I'm currently a freshman at a Community College and its really not that difficult. Just a lot of homework. The only reason why i went to Community College rather than a university is because my generals would be cheaper to get done their.

Now my question is how much different is Community College compared to a university? Like difficulty, atmosphere, and types of people. I'll probably be transferring to a university in about a semester or two and i kind of just wanted to prepare myself if it is quite a different change.
Sep 23 2012 8:50PM
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FuckAllOfYou
Posts: 3864 - Karma: 2,518
what cc/uni you planning on going to? sometimes the credits don't transfer...

and I'm guessing the obvious. university = better
Sep 23 2012 8:52PM
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
Classes will probably be harder, and there is a lot more partying. Definitely one of the biggest challenges of college is to balance those two aspects. Once you do and develop some time management skills, its so much fun.
Sep 23 2012 8:52PM
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Randy_Quench
Posts: 5447 - Karma: 4,343
I am a transfer sophomore from community college into a state school.
Community college was a joke.. Classes were once maybe twice a week and homework load was minimal.
The move into a state school was a major change. Workload is much more intense, but nothing crazy or that you cant handle. Atmosphere is 100 times better at state school vs community college. Community college at least for me was a unsocial prison. The people were locked in little shells and barely socialized.
I saved roughly $18,000 by taking a year at community college, so id say its def worth it.
Sep 23 2012 8:54PM
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Funkadelic
Posts: 1967 - Karma: 391
I took a community college psychology class the summer after my freshman year of college just to add a few more credits so I'd have an earlier class pick/housing pick time. And that class was literally a joke compared to my university classes. Like you can't even compare the two. But it could vary from school to school. The community college class I took was even easier than my high school classes were.
Sep 23 2012 8:56PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
right now i'm taking fifteen credit hours in five classes.

To be honest some of my classes like english and psych are a joke. While others like math 143 or College algebra, comm 101, and music apprciaition are bit more difficult, mainly because i'm taking them online so it blows. I learned my lesson and i'm not taking anymore online classes. They suck and they are a lot more work than actually taking the class in school.

If they are more difficult, what makes them more difficult? Is it the work load, or the actually knowing the shit in the class?


And those asking i'm in idaho so Its the College of Western Idaho community college, and they do transfer to any university in the state.
Sep 23 2012 9:02PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
Also was it a bad mistake on my behalf to go to a Community College first before a University? I did pretty well in High School, just kinda wanted to save money.
Sep 23 2012 9:10PM
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
Does your current school have dorms?

I went to a university for my first year of school, came home and commuted to community college my second year.

From my experience

Community college has a bunch of older people. Half of my classes had people in their 30s - 50s (with families). There wasn't any partying with people from school, because people were coming from up to an hour away. It's not as convenient when you have to drive (far) too and from the party.

The rest of the people who are within a few years of graduating high school are all there with their friends from high school. The social life was really clique-y.

At university, chances are you're living in a dorm if you're there first or second year. If you're coming in first year, chances are you will know pretty much no one. But that is the same with EVERYONE else there. Solution? everyone in your dorm gets drunk together and you make friends quickly. Within the first month or so your group of friends will probably totally change. But the social life, in general, is much more fun and diverse. I feel like half of the college experience is the social aspect, and just getting out of home on your own in general.

I honestly didn't find the classes to be THAT much easier. At the school I went to, there was no curve for tests so that actually ended up making my grades worse. Then again, the community college I went to had a pretty good program for what I was studying.

The teachers all spoke English as their FIRST language, as opposed to university where I couldn't understand half of my teachers.

In university, I had lecture and then recitation for all my bigger classes. Lecture consisted of the instructor, well, lecturing us. No questions and 250 kids/room. Recitation was broken down into groups of 20 or so, and one of the grad students that the teacher liked would explain our questions. At community college, my classes only had a max of 30 or so kids in it, so it was much like high school where things were explained better as they went, and help was provided during class as needed.

College is what you make of it. Meet people, learn stuff. Just because the material is easy, doesn't mean you need to skimp out on doing any of it. This is especially important because you are planning on transferring into a university.
Sep 23 2012 9:15PM
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PJS.
Posts: 11943 - Karma: 895
you don't say?
Sep 23 2012 9:17PM
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
Another thing I forgot to mention, when you're away at school, you're immersed into the school environment 24/7. when you're out of class, you're still at school. There are times (depending on your major) where everyone is doing homework. This helps a lot to get into the groove of things as opposed to home life where you just do whatever the hell you want. It helps to have some positive influence.

Going to community college freshman year wasn't really a mistake, but freshman year is a once-in-a-lifetime kinda thing.... A whole bunch of 18 year old kids, living on their own for the first time in their life with a bunch of joke classes, living in the same buildings. Everyone wants to get shitfaced and fuck something. So they do. I would suggest not going to college with a girlfriend. It pretty much ruined my freshman year. Well that, it I let it ruin my freshman year.
Sep 23 2012 9:20PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
I think this kind of summerizes my thoughts on comuninity college as well.

A lot of the people there are either people comeing back to college, people who are my age trying save money like myself, or people who more or less rejects from a university and are too dumb to go. At least at my college. There isn't any dorms so its really hard to meet new people and most people i don't relate to at all.

i have 3 classes online and 2 in class. It really feels like high school. and for example my college alegebra i'm the youngest person in my class by a long shot and i'm 19. I think when i go to a university, i may not live in the dorms would that change the experience at all?
Sep 23 2012 9:34PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
Good thinking on that. I'm probably going to be a sophomore by the time i get to go to a university. I'm currently single because for that same reason of not wanting a girlfriend for going into college.

Will going into the college experieience and not living in the dorms totally kill the experience? I mean coming in later into the game, and probably going to get my own apartment to save money. I just don't want to have it ruin all the fun times with interacting with other people.
Sep 23 2012 9:37PM
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
I would say community college is a big part people who are going back to school for a second degree or just people who have been out of school for a while. It's much easier to get back into things through community college.

You'll be fine not living in the dorms. You won't be missing out on everything by not doing it, especially if you live in an area that is mostly college kids.

I went back to visit a bunch of my friends from university a couple weeks ago. They live in a town house that is owned by the school, but not a dorm. No RAs, no dining hall.

I think one of the bigger things that living in a dorm freshman year is making friends/figuring out who you are gonna live with in the coming years.

I know a TON of kids who came home from university to community college just because either their grades weren't up to par, it was too expensive, or they just hated the school they were at. University is generally more fun, but that fun comes with a high price tag. Don't feel like a loner because you made a smart decision from an economical standpoint. There are tons of people who do it.
Sep 23 2012 9:55PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
I mean that makes sense, you are going to have a lot more fun living with all those people on campus doing things for your first time. But living in the dorms is fucking expensive.

But yes, I'm glad to hear my choice to save money before going to a university was a smart one. And yeah i think for the most part it would be a house by the univsity or close to it.

If i decided to go out of state for this univesrity after going to a community college would this change at all in regards to meeting people in a new place where you've never been before?
Sep 23 2012 11:32PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,510
No its not talk to anyone paying for school themselves. Its worth saving money im doing the same thing and i just go to my friends school on the weekends to party. best part is i have a 4.0 being that right now i have one class right now world history. my other 4 don't start till October. Bottom line talk to anyone in a 4 year school they will be so jelly you don't have loans.
Sep 23 2012 11:39PM
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1337
Posts: 31061 - Karma: 29,366
I'm in my second semester at community college. It's been a really great help in transitioning me back into a 4 year uni. Unfortunately, it does have its downfalls along with some benefits

Community College
>Cheap
>Local
>Not well respected
>Does not offer a decent degree for anything
>Usually crappy student base

Uni
>Expensive
>Some offer great programs with a degree in a field that will get you a well paying job
Sep 23 2012 11:44PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
Thanks for this advice, i think that the greatest thing about all of this is i'm able to afford paying for my tuition and books with my job i have while going to school. I feel as soon as i go to a university i'll be taking out loans to be able to afford it.

I mean are loans as bad as they sound? For someone like me who is going to be going to Physician Assisting school its going to be a hefty some of money and i hear all these horror stories of people going to school then not being able to pay off these loans and i really don't want to end up like that.

However i'm going to run myself ragged if i keep trying to pay for college by useing my job to pay for most of it.
Sep 23 2012 11:44PM
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,462
I would say the biggest downside of a community college is the horrible social atmosphere. You're not going to meet a whole lot of new people, make a bunch of new friends, or party hard every weekend. But you can always do that after you transfer to a university
Sep 23 2012 11:44PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
I think this is the biggest part i'm missing and i can tell it.I mean i work, then i come home and do homework and school work and thats it. All my friends moved to different colleges and shit, so i'm just with a bunch of older people in my classes or people who are barely getting through and doing community college as way to cope.

And when i transfer to a univesrsity does it matter if i live on or off campus do you think? I mean i'm thinking that i'll be living on my own with some roomies in an aparment close by my school because i think it'd be cheaper than paying for dorms.
Sep 23 2012 11:47PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,510
well yeah man loans are loans, i know kids from my home town in ny taking out 200,000+$ to go to cu to party and ski. they'll be paying it off for 20+ years. in their defense it will be the best 4 years of there lives boulder is really sick. I took a year off so i could live in breck ski and not have to pay 55,000 a year for school. i now go to North country college in saranac ny.
Sep 23 2012 11:52PM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
Thats a valid point, but i think that all that college and partying sounds like a fucking grand ol' time, (literally in some cases) but to me, its not worth how much of your life will be spent to cleaning up that mess. Like almost literally the rest of your life will be spent paying that off. And to me, it'd be way more fun in my books to have all these nice things later in life than to have 4 years of amazing times.
Sep 24 2012 12:01AM
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,462
If it's your first time being on campus i would recommend a dorm, just because it helps you meet a lot of people. Once you know a solid group I'd say living off campus is a valid idea. Anything but commuting.
Sep 24 2012 12:18AM
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DADDYlongLEGS
Posts: 1574 - Karma: 48
That is a very mature decision and I'm sure the people the people the poster above knows will (most likely) be completely fucked assuming they are really 200k in the hole.

Student loan debt isn't like most other debt, it is extremely difficult to discharge in bankruptcy. If I found myself in a situation where my only "university" option was financing the full cost of attendance with student loans I would have to go the community college route (or a different University that is less expensive through scholarships/lower tuition). Of course this depends on the your total cost (including cost of living and other expenses), the program you're planning on enrolling in, etc.

The bottom line is that the debt loads that a few people I know and probably some of the people reading this thread are on the hook for is downright scary. You need to do some careful analysis about the expected loan balance when you graduate versus some kind of realistic expected salary and THEN think about the relative chances you can't get the kind of work you are aiming at.

People will continue to roll the dice but I urge everyone to look carefully at the risk you are taking that can be mitigated to some degree. Good luck to you and all you other young ins.
Sep 24 2012 12:33AM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
This is some solid advice and i apprciate this comment.

This is pretty much the reason why i'm going to Community college to mitiage some of the damage that will come from all the finacial costs for me later in the future as i'm looking to go to physician assisting school and its going to cost me a shit ton of money. This decision isn't something i haven't thought out overnight either, and i'm very much a goal oreiented person so i'll have a very good shot at achieving it.
But i still get worried about how much its going to cost me
Sep 24 2012 12:38AM
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Ye_ol_wild_Koala
Posts: 270 - Karma: 121
The difference between CC and university is this...

CC only gives associate degrees and such, Universities give masters and doctorates.

There is nothing wrong with going to a CC, I did.

Im currently a senior in dental school. Saved money Like A Boss.

Dont you want to be like me!?!?
Sep 24 2012 5:26PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
i had a great experience with community college. I went to CC before transferring to University for my bachelor's and master's degrees, and honestly I feel the level of education that I received at my CC was on par with what I received at Uni...and I didn't go to a bullshit uni.

the guy up above with the long post did a really good job of summarizing it. a lot of the difference is the environment. CC kind of feels like High School with ashtrays, but you shouldn't turn your nose at it. obviously it will vary from CC to CC, but it is possible to get a quality education.

i saved close to $60k by going to CC and I would do it all over again. the main thing you miss out on is the "college experience". it's going to be harder to make friends when you transfer in as a junior as opposed to going in as a freshman and living in the dorms with a bunch of kids in the same position as you. it'll hurt you from a social standpoint, but not necessarily from an educational standpoint.
Sep 24 2012 5:41PM
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El_Barto.
Posts: 11661 - Karma: 24,348
What school do you go to? I just started o-chem today and am taking the DAT next summer.
Sep 24 2012 6:22PM
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NotoriousT.S.E
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 439
Currently in my fourth semester of CC becuase A) I did shitty in highschool and B) I therefore went to terrible college and realized i had to get my shit together so i transferred to CC for the second semester of freshman year. Going to be transferring into the state school in the spring, still not entirely sure where I will be living or what i want to major in, but it will work out. Also transferring in as 20 years old being a Junior or second semester sophomore I really cant fuck up this time, or transfer elsewhere if i dont like like it. And i need to find some time to study abroad because thats also something i really want to do. Life rant.
Sep 24 2012 6:55PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51916 - Karma: 165,709
It's like high school. Once you get there it's no big deal. Well I never really did any of the school aspect but still. I mean it all depends on what classes you're taking I guess
Sep 24 2012 6:59PM
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Ye_ol_wild_Koala
Posts: 270 - Karma: 121
Uni at Buffalo
Sep 24 2012 8:05PM
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Ye_ol_wild_Koala
Posts: 270 - Karma: 121
well put
Sep 24 2012 8:07PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,150
It all depends on your major, your choice of school and the program within the university/CC. You will get a better education at the local CC for history where I am at than the university, but the university has one of the leading pharmacy and engineering programs in the country.
Sep 24 2012 8:12PM
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Jib-Ninja
Posts: 2819 - Karma: 20
How does it hurt your social life by transferring in as a junior rather than being a freshman?
Sep 25 2012 12:41PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
by junior year a lot of people have formed their groups of friends, and are living off campus in a house, apt, etc. whereas when you come in as a freshman, everyone lives in dorms and for the most part, doesn't know anyone either, so that's where a lot of your friendships begin to form.

i'm not saying it's impossible to make friends if you come in as a transfer student, but it's easier to do as a freshman.
Sep 25 2012 1:01PM
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El_Barto.
Posts: 11661 - Karma: 24,348
what did you do for ochem? im taking it at a university right now but I know some universities will accept ochem from cc as upper division if you score above 50th % on the ACS ochem test.
Sep 25 2012 2:27PM
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Errl
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 451
Community College represent! Yeah I basically sit around between classes with a bunch of kids from my HS because that's all anyone does. It makes it much harder to find random friends.
Sep 25 2012 4:03PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Why do people even consider the 'party aspect' of their schooling? Is that really worth the extra thousands of dollars a year? You a can party anywhere, anytime if you want too.
Sep 25 2012 4:11PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
The differences between community college and university for freshman and sophomore year are the luxuries. Community college is a crappy campus comprised largely of Asian immigrants, curious old people, "alternative" kids, high schoolers getting AP credits, college-age kids who are only going to school because their parents are making them if they want to keep living at home, and last but not least, transfer students. Guess what half your university tuition is paying for? Resort costs: brick walkways, modern furniture in spacious study halls, sports complexes, and other academically non-essential things.

It would've been nice to experience freshman year at a university, but considering the extra cost of what is an identical education at the nearby community college, it's only a novelty. You decide if an extra $2,400+ per credit plus room/board cost are worth the non-academic attractions.
Sep 25 2012 5:06PM
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
Hah my freshman year was at UB. I was just out there two weeks ago.
Sep 25 2012 10:35PM
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Ye_ol_wild_Koala
Posts: 270 - Karma: 121
took it at CC, tutored it for 3 years, scored 24 on DAT o chem section. ACS books are a good way to study for g chem and o chem for dat. keep that in mind
Sep 26 2012 9:08AM
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Jib-Ninja
Posts: 2819 - Karma: 20
can you still live in the dorms as a junior?
Sep 26 2012 5:33PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
i'm sure you can, but you're surrounded by a lot of freshmen. pretty rare in my experience.
Sep 26 2012 5:36PM
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ILLinoisance
Posts: 3527 - Karma: 5,398
I transferred from a joke of a community college to Illinois Institute of Technology this semester. It's so much different. Classes are much more difficult and in depth. That being said, I do not regret going to the community college. It was actually one of the best decisions I've made. I got done with some courses at the community college that are the equivalency to some of the courses that freshmen are taking at the university, and I hear them complaining about how hard they are. The night classes and adjunct professors I had at the community colleges were a joke. Super easy classes with credits that transferred over just fine.
Sep 26 2012 5:41PM
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