Community College Differences?

Gattz · 10-22-2008, 10:27 PM

Are there any huge difference between community colleges and universities/larger campuses besides living on campus? I know that even in universities people go back home when they live close enough.

jasoninpines · 10-22-2008, 11:05 PM

Community Colleges are incredibly easy in almost any subject. The only class I had ANY trouble with for my entire degree from a CC was Spanish, and that's because it required an ounce of studying, heh.

0rganicGreenTea · 10-22-2008, 11:06 PM

^hurray for sweeping generalizations based on anecdotal evidence

Student35 · 10-23-2008, 12:03 AM

Are you asking about the physical size of campuses? Universities will often be larger in acreage. And there will be several buildings rather than just one or two that you would find at a community college. College/universities will have separate buildings for academics/administration/etc. while CC's will have everything under one roof.

As for academics, CC's only offer freshman and sophomore level courses, therefore the highest degree you can get is an associate's. You would need to go to a college or university for a bachelor's degree or higher. CC professors can be employed with master's degrees, whereas most university positions require a Ph.D. And colleges and universities will ofter a larger variety of majors/fields of study, whereas at CC's you usually get the basics.

mephist0 · 10-23-2008, 07:55 AM

Community colleges are basically high school for 2 more years

Student35 · 10-23-2008, 08:37 AM

That is incorrect.

Fowora · 10-23-2008, 09:53 AM

student35 is absolutely right, CC isn't just high school for 2 more years, its high school for another 4.....gosh get it right

haha

jasoninpines · 10-23-2008, 02:13 PM

I'm sorry, but if you have trouble in community college, I don't see how you could possibly make it in a real university. I said the curriculum is cake because it is. It is an extension of high school as mentioned. I'm not saying that it isn't a good opportunity, however, it is kindergarden compared to "real" college

crs1909 · 10-23-2008, 03:12 PM

I went to a 4-year for 3 semesters and then decided that I wanted to transfer to a better college, so I've spent the past 2, and will spend the next semester, at my CC completing GE Core Requirements, plus a few classes I'm interested in.

CC is a completely different animal than a 4 year. In my opinion, CC is easier but not by leaps and bounds like some of the other posters have suggested. The main difference I've noticed is that almost all of my CC classes have had homework, quiz and test grades, which makes it very similar to high school, whereas many of my 4 year classes just had a few quizzes and like 3-4 tests. Also, at my CC there were a lot of opportunities to drop low grades, whereas at the 4 year if you got a bad grade, tough. Deal with it.

Also, I think some people say CCs are really easy because they take one really easy liberal arts class over the summer, like psychology or geography, and just assume that all of the other CC classes are equally easy, which isn't always the case. Don't get me wrong, most of my CC classes have been pretty easy, but not all of them->I'm not good at math, so Calculus has been kinda hard even though I know I'm gonna pull off either a high B or low A. Microeconomics was hard with my first teacher, but incredibly easy with my second teacher (probably had the highest grade in the class)

Gattz · 10-23-2008, 08:46 PM

I'm going to a CC for a semester and I don't agree with some of the posters. I'm taking a 101 class and I can see why some people say it isn't much different from High School, but I was also placed in higher level classes that are much different/harder. I do think it is different from HS because the pace is much quicker. I took AP classes in HS, so don't just say that I was taking the easy route during my four years. Maybe you guys took the easy courses, but I opted for getting more work, not just going to get credits.

The CC I go to is also actually pretty big compared to the one building CCs someone mentioned. It actually has several buildings much like a university. The only difference I see from universities' buildings I have visited and the CC I go to is on campus housing and dining halls.

Believe me when I say I was one of the people that thought CC was going to be a walk in the park, but I was only accepted for Spring semester for my top choice. Little did I know that some courses aren't as easy as the rumors say.

Well I posted the topic because I couldn't see any huge differences besides what I mentioned, so I guess some people just haven't gone to a CC before, or the CCs they attended are much different from the one I am attending.

bucknut · 10-24-2008, 07:45 PM

I went to a CC for 1 year, after high school, the school wasnt small by any means, 30,000 kids go to this CC. I know go to a State uni and most of the teachers at the CC used to teach at the state school but retired and teach their part time. I couldn't say diffidently thats was a cake walk, sure some classes are, but the non 101 classes can get tough.

Little_Duck · 10-27-2008, 09:58 PM

1st semester at a CCC and there are about 20,000 kids at the school. tons of buildings, places, etc. It all depends where it is. i get very little homework and the stuff i do get, it's worth like 4% of the grade. i'm taking all science+math courses so it's a bit tough, but if you take social science classes they'll be easy anywhere.

davidcb13 · 10-28-2008, 02:25 PM

Im at a CC now and I know that many of my professors teach both here and at 4 year colleges... they teach the same material same tests etc... to say CC is dramatically different that 4 years I find hard to believe.....Im not sure if it makes any difference but maybe NJ county colelges are more difficult because of the stars program in NJ where if your top 20% of your high school and get your associates you can go to a NJ university for free.

mikemac · 10-29-2008, 02:13 PM

Gattz, there are many differences between U's and CC's. Before I go into that, let me say that for some people going to a CC is the right choice given their particular circumstances. And we can be proud that in this country the CC system offers people of any age and previous academic experience a way to get back into the higher educational system.

Ok, what's different? For one, the atmosphere. Most U's provide a host of activities outside the classroom. There are plays, speakers, movies, bands, and so on. Many CC's also provide this to some extent but have much less money to spend. The facilities offered students (gym, student store, etc) are often much larger at the U than the CC. Atmosphere also extends to the social life. At a college where kids live for 4 years you have a stronger sense of connection and belonging. There may be frats and sororities, a strong intramural sports program, many clubs and activities. When kids shuffle out every 2 years its harder to build these programs; furthermore since many students live at home they just don't stay on campus as late as kids that live on/near the U; walk around a CC at 7pm and its deserted, while the U and surrounding area are quite active.

Atmosphere leads into the college experience. At many CC's they have a strong career program that can help you over 4 years prepare for a career, land internships, etc. This is hard to do at a CC because you're not ready for a career at the end of your sophomore year of college. So you don't have the firms recruiting on campus, the alums willing to lend a hand to current students etc.

And the focus of the college experience ought to be academics. Here the differences are stark. Truth is, many kids aren't willing to say after HS "I've had enough with school; I'm going to get a job". While the CC's with their open admission policies are a godsend if they later change their mind, what happens after HS is that a truckload of unmotivated and uncaring kids enter the CC system nominally claiming they want to earn a degree. These are your classmates. If you think that classes taught to kids who don't care and aren't prepared are the same as the ones offered in the U, you're just kidding yourself. The stats speak for themselves.

Quote:

A new report by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) finds that six in 10 students who enter the California community college system as freshmen with high school diplomas and aspirations to transfer to four-year institutions drop out or lower their academic sights after just one semester.

... overall, 32.5 percent of these students ultimately transferred to four-year schools that included public and private institutions.

Jman2306 · 10-29-2008, 10:56 PM

community college is in no way an extension of high school...you have got to be kidding. the only reason it would be easier is because you take general ed classes. there is not a big difference in workload. a lot of the professors have taught at 4 year universities. they don't just "dumb" down the material and workload.

Quote:

While the CC's with their open admission policies are a godsend if they later change their mind, what happens after HS is that a truckload of unmotivated and uncaring kids enter the CC system nominally claiming they want to earn a degree.

what a bunch of ****. a truckload of very intelligent students go to CCs because they are cheaper. i know plenty. it is not a bunch of unmotivated, lazy students. you will find those students at four year unis, too.

this has just been my experience. i am a senior in high school and take all my classes at the nearby CC because my high school ran out of AP classes for me to take.