<p>Someone once commented to me that community colleges should be more highly respected than the Ivies because they serve a much more diverse group of students (honors students, GED recipients, adult students, high-risk students, rich, poor, ethnically diverse students, etc.), they more dramatically change the lives of the students who graduate from them, and they are willing to accept the challenge of educating even the “academically riskiest” of students.</p>
<p>Which hospital would you have more respect for: The one that takes in only the healthiest of patients and consequently has a low mortality rate, or the one that is willing to take in the sickest patients, nurture them to good health, but perhaps lose some patients along the way?</p>
<p>If we looked at colleges in the same way as we look at hospitals, it could be argued that community colleges should deserve more respect than the Ivies.</p>
<p>By comparing community colleges with the Ivies, we certainly are not comparing apples to apples. CC’s and Ivies have much different missions, and both do an excellent job carrying out their respective missions.</p>
<p>All things considered, in terms of what CC’s and Ivies do on a day-to-day basis, which deserves more respect from our society at large…the community colleges or the Ivies?</p>
<p>A university isn’t just a degree factory. A university is also a place for the discovery and dissemination of knowledge. Since when did you read a book or research finding from Farmington Community College Press?</p>
<p>The real difference is that the Ivies have courses taught by full time faculty, who are top in their fields,The CCs usually have a lot of adjunct instructors</p>
<p>It seems that every thread you post is in some way bashing the ivy league or its policies. Perhaps you should do something better with your time.</p>
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The real difference is that the Ivies have courses taught by full time faculty, who are top in their fields,The CCs usually have a lot of adjunct instructors
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<p>So the quality of the students has no effect on the learning environment? CCs teach a wide range of students from new immigrants to working adults to people who cannot afford 4 year colleges to people who can’t get into a 4 year college. Ivys (aside from a few developmental admits) teach some of the best and brightest along with the hardest working and most accomplished students. IMO, students have a large effect on the quality of teaching because great students attract great teachers, great students motivate eachother, and students can teach eachother valuable lessons both in and out of the classrooms. Please don’t compare the quality of a top 100 college with a CC because you can’t.</p>
<p>There are multiple standards by which institutions may be judged. Many of the top colleges do things other than teaching (research, etc.). Community colleges do none of that.</p>
<p>Community colleges have a place in society, as do Ivies. Levels of respect depend on the individual.</p>
<p>However, I would contend that Ivies have a much higher prestige associated with them than their actual societal benefit. Big state schools and tech schools are vastly more important to the economy than Ivies. The production of engineers and scientists is something that Ivies are not great at.</p>
<p>Instead HYP insist on producing politicians that bicker all day long, or politicians that don’t have the intellectual ability to bicker (like Yale undergrad, HBS lol-yes I’m talking about George Dumbya Bush.)</p>