<p>My daughter is going to be a junior in HS this year and we are trying to get an early start thinking about schools.</p>
<p>She is an excellent student having a 3.9+ wit hard course and AP classes. I think she is in the top 5% (top 10% for sure) in her class.</p>
<p>We are in Wisconsin where there is a “transfer gaurantee” into our 4 year system including UW Madison. She is thinking she want to go into Pyscology or Physciatry, which Madison has good programs in.</p>
<p>My question is 2 part;</p>
<p>Is there a disadvantage to starting at a 2 year and transfering, assuming that down the road she would want to get a masters or go to med school? Would this be considered a “lesser” education?</p>
<p>And from a social aspect, what are thoughts on “going away” to school, versus this which she would live at home?</p>
<p>The pricing is certainly attractive. I never went to college, so am new to all this and don’t quite know where to start.</p>
<p>Socially - this is a gigantic deal.
Academically - Madison will probably be better, and the junior year will be tough, but I think many will overstate the difference.</p>
<p>If you can reasonably afford it, I would send her off for 4 years. But it isn’t my money, so I can say that easier than you can.</p>
<p>I agree 100% with the above. It will be a gigantic deal socially (I cannot stress that enough) negatively but academically if she’s a good student she’d make it.</p>
<p>eh i’m not a big fan of the uw-college thing. it seems more than often, most of the people i see go and intend on transferring to madison then end up dropping out.</p>
<p>on a side not, a lot of people drop out from madison from partying too much.</p>
<p>if she wants to pursue in professional schools such as medical,law, or dental shcool in future, many schools do not accept credits from cc…so it might be beneficial to go directly to 4 year college…</p>
<p>If your child has the qualifications to get into UW, the only reason to do 2-yr and transfer would be if you truly don’t have the money. You don’t really want to be doing the social adjustment/living away from home thing when you have just entered all the hard courses for your major.</p>
<p>I think you answered your own question by calling it a 2 year institution. It is a community college, but ppl still call them 2 year institutions bc Community College is such a negative connotation. Is there a difference? I think not.</p>
<p>There’s a lot of students who go to a 2-year first in my area, mostly because it saves you a TON of money. It’s really not that big of a deal here. In fact, my sister started out at a 2-year and is there now, and it’s actually better for her because she’s able to alter her classes to fit her schedule (she works almost full-time).</p>
<p>It all depends on what your daughter wants. My sister and I are polar opposites and I’m planning on moving upstate (I’m in SoCal, just about 30 minutes out of LA depending on traffic) to go to college, just because I’d like to get away from home, but not too far. Especially with a nephew due to arrive soon and all the amazing friends I couldn’t bear to be too far away from.</p>
<p>Like I said, it all depends on what you want. </p>
<p>And I don’t think Community College is a horribly negative connotation. In fact, our City College has a better choir department than some of the larger state schools in the area. I’ll say it one more time, it all just depends.</p>
<p>I agree with some of the above sentiments. Community College is a fine option if finances are a concern or if the person in question is not motivated/mature enough to go away to a 4-year school that you will be paying more money to. </p>
<p>However, it seems in your daughters case that, finances permitted, it would be in her best interest to go to UW right off of the bat.</p>
<p>If you are having money troubles, there is no excuse. Money is not a consideration at many top need-blind schools. If you are not meritorious enough to make it there, and must go to a state school, then a CC is a viable option.</p>
<p>No matter what your future plans are, having a CC on your application will reflect negatively if you aspire to go anywhere after a bachelor degree.</p>
<p>Consider the OP though…her daughter is good enough to go to UW, so CC should not even be an option.</p>
<p>I know lots and lots of people who have started out at a JC (or community college, whatever you want to call it) and then transfered to a 4 year university. My neighbor is a corporate lawyer; she started at city college for 2 years (poly sci), then finished off her undergrad and law school at USC (a very reputable college, might I add). My cousin started at city college for her first two years (mostly because she was still too attached to home and didn’t know what she wanted to do), and is now at Cal Poly SLO majoring in computer engineering. She is absolutely in LOVE with SLO and is currently interning for intuit, and loving it. So it worked out fine for her too. Another family friend started at city college and just got accepted into UCLA as a transfer (don’t know her major, but she is financing her own education…no parent help…which is quite impressive, if you ask me).</p>
<p>I, personally, do not want to start at a city college because I think I’m ready to get out (and luckilly, my family can afford for me to go to a 4 year), but I think in many cases, it’s a good idea. It’s inexpensive, and gives you extra time to decide what you want to be (while you get your GEDs out of the way). And, most of the people I know who are attending city college are doing just fine on the social front :P</p>
I’ll be graduating there later this year, WOOOOOO.</p>