For some people it is an easier, more gradual transition, and a cheaper way to determine what you want to major in. It’s also intended more for kids who aren’t sure if they can make it 2 years, let alone 4. Instead of dropping out halfway through, they get a degree and then decide whether to move on.
It can also be a way to get college admissions for (often homeschooled) gifted kids who needed college level courses in high school but didn’t want to leave home at 14 or 15. I don’t quite understand the issues involved, but apparently some colleges (public ones???) won’t admit you as a freshman if you already have a degree. Or maybe the issue was getting scholarships. I’m still not clear entirely on the issues.
A bachelor doesn’t get you much these days, let alone an associate degree. I get it for the homeschooled kids or those who want more challenging courses but aren’t necessarily at that age level yet. However more often than not most kids go the community college route only if they can’t get into these universities right out of high school.
I hear you BUT… I think there is a large segment of first-gen college attendees who need this route. They may be working to support their family or pay for college as well, but getting thrown into a 4 year college setting with people who think like you and me is super uncomfortable for them, and they’re more likely to drop out.
I actually like renting to college students (graduate school). For some reason all of mine have been female. They tend to be pretty quiet and more often than not they are moving on after they graduate.
Frankly what surprises me more is that the UC system is accepting the courses for transfer credit. I guess that’s mandated by the state, but maybe it’s a more integrated system than we think. If the courses are all standardized, what does it matter if your first two years are at one “UC” and then finished at another “UC”?
CC doesn’t have that college vibe and doesn’t push kids hard. It’s very easy to fall into that easy life trap and just waste life away. Many kids just do one or two courses a semester and drag on for years. Many drop out.
And the question is if they can’t get CC to work, what’s to make a 4 year college work either?
I do think CC’s have a college vibe, though. Canada’s campus is pretty nice, and it felt like a small, college campus. Maybe that’s the other advantage–you’re a small fish in a small pond rather than a freaking huge one.
I don’t know what to believe from this article. On one hand, the admitted students are more than qualified. Yet at the same time, they are underprepared. Or does that mean CSU is turning qualified students away and admitting less qualified ones instead?
Hmmm, maybe some students got in based on other factors than strictly grades and test scores, but frankly they really shouldn’t have been. So, isn’t that a valid complaint coming from the Tiger Asian Moms? "How can my son/daughter with a 4.5 GPA not get in??? Why???
My guess is it’s all in the name of creating a more diverse student body. They are admitted unprepared kids of certain demographics to reach their target ratios. Meanwhile, they reject qualified kids of demographics where they don’t want more students.
