Community colleges?

[Vuk]

Nobody should look down on community colleges. They are much more efficient and cost-effective than the standard Uni.

Yeah, and you will actually learn something there...unlike the standard Uni. :P Seriously, the difference between the classes I took and am taking at my 4 year State Uni compared to the classes that two of my brothers and my sister took and are taking at a Technical school are outrageous.

A possibility as to why many people look down at CC is because of the caliber of some of the people attending.
2 people, IMO, who attend CC:

1)people who cant afford anywhere else
2)people who cant get in anywhere else

That is a pretty dumb assumption though I think, because the classes at a CC (IME) are general far more difficult then those you would pursue getting your bachelors degree. The regular Uni is just a joke.
Also, why look down on someone because they cannot afford anywhere else? Does that make them stupid? Evil? Any worse that someone with more money?

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

A possibility as to why many people look down at CC is because of the caliber of some of the people attending.
2 people, IMO, who attend CC:

1)people who cant afford anywhere else
2)people who cant get in anywhere else

That does not me stupid. I'm a very good student, but my family got financial problems,nothing I can do about it.

[Hooahguy]

Yeah, and you will actually learn something there...unlike the standard Uni. :P Seriously, the difference between the classes I took and am taking at my 4 year State Uni compared to the classes that two of my brothers and my sister took and are taking at a Technical school are outrageous.


That is a pretty dumb assumption though I think, because the classes at a CC (IME) are general far more difficult then those you would pursue getting your bachelors degree. The regular Uni is just a joke.
Also, why look down on someone because they cannot afford anywhere else? Does that make them stupid? Evil? Any worse that someone with more money?

I never meant for the two sections to be read together.
I meant to say 2 separate thoughts, which you clearly took to mean as one.

Also, the statement I underlined is just plain wrong. I took 2 classes in philosophy, one at my local CC, one at Emory University, a private college. It was the opposite of what you said. My class at the CC was a joke, no one wanted to be there, many people were texting and spacing out in class, and my class at Emory was much better, people attended and participated and actually cared.
Just pointing that out. University, whether CC or state or private, can be either a joke or very serious. It all depends on what you do with your time there.

That does not me stupid. I'm a very good student, but my family got financial problems,nothing I can do about it.

I never said that people who have financial problems were stupid. I do agree though that people who look down on people who attend CC because of financial problems are jerks.

[Vuk]

I never meant for the two sections to be read together.
I meant to say 2 separate thoughts, which you clearly took to mean as one.

Also, the statement I underlined is just plain wrong. I took 2 classes in philosophy, one at my local CC, one at Emory University, a private college. It was the opposite of what you said. My class at the CC was a joke, no one wanted to be there, many people were texting and spacing out in class, and my class at Emory was much better, people attended and participated and actually cared.
Just pointing that out. University, whether CC or state or private, can be either a joke or very serious. It all depends on what you do with your time there.


I never said that people who have financial problems were stupid. I do agree though that people who look down on people who attend CC because of financial problems are jerks.

Actually, I was referring to a state Uni. (I suspect that it is very different at a private Uni like Emory.) My sister studied first at a state Uni, then went in and got a degree at a technical college, and she told me that the classes there were a lot more accelerated, instead of the slow-paced ones at the Uni, and that they were a lot more serious and career oriented. From what my brothers (training in electric power engineering) and others have told me about technical colleges, they seem to be a lot more difficult than a regular state Uni, and you seem to learn a heck of a lot more. I am on my fifth year in a state Uni, and I have learned jackcrap. Maybe it is different at Emory, but to me, my Uni is just a big waste of time.


Let's put it like this, from my homeschooling I tested out of calculus and statistics, and had learned discreet mathematics, and studied game-theory. Literally, getting a math degree would have probably been a two year ordeal if I had wanted to go in for it. I have done NO math at all in the last four years that I have been here, and now would probably struggle in an advanced math course. I used to be reading a book every spare chance I could get, now I just drag myself through the boring BS I am forced to read and touch nothing else, because with classes and commute I have no time at all. My intellect has rotted since I have went to college. I thought that college was supposed to make you smarter and better educated! There are so many subjects that I used to know so much about, that I have forgotten so completely since college has pushed everything out. It has done very similar things to my physical health. Frankly, I think college is the worst thing that could have happened to me.

[Hooahguy]

Actually, I was referring to a state Uni. (I suspect that it is very different at a private Uni like Emory.) My sister studied first at a state Uni, then went in and got a degree at a technical college, and she told me that the classes there were a lot more accelerated, instead of the slow-paced ones at the Uni, and that they were a lot more serious and career oriented. From what my brothers (training in electric power engineering) and others have told me about technical colleges, they seem to be a lot more difficult than a regular state Uni, and you seem to learn a heck of a lot more. I am on my fifth year in a state Uni, and I have learned jackcrap. Maybe it is different at Emory, but to me, my Uni is just a big waste of time.


Let's put it like this, from my homeschooling I tested out of calculus and statistics, and had learned discreet mathematics, and studied game-theory. Literally, getting a math degree would have probably been a two year ordeal if I had wanted to go in for it. I have done NO math at all in the last four years that I have been here, and now would probably struggle in an advanced math course. I used to be reading a book every spare chance I could get, now I just drag myself through the boring BS I am forced to read and touch nothing else, because with classes and commute I have no time at all. My intellect has rotted since I have went to college. I thought that college was supposed to make you smarter and better educated! There are so many subjects that I used to know so much about, that I have forgotten so completely since college has pushed everything out. It has done very similar things to my physical health. Frankly, I think college is the worst thing that could have happened to me.

Also depends on which state school you go to. Some state schools are good, some are bad. For example, There are 2 state schools that are in GA: GA state University and Kennesaw State U. GSU is a good school, KSU is a joke.

[woad&fangs]

Vuk, I have to ask. Do you go to UW-Whitewater? I remember that you live in Wisconsin and I just get the vibe that you're a Whitewater person. Also, if you were an advanced home-schooled student than college SHOULD be easy for you. General education requirements are designed for the people from lousy schools who just barely got into college and if you're use to learning information on your own than the upper level classes should be a piece of cake as well. If classes are so easy for you than you should have taken advantage of things like research(I get to study snail parasites next year!), internships, or study abroad(you went to Hungary right?). Those are things you simply can't get from a CC. However, CCs have their places. In many cases, a CC degree is considered just as good as a bachelors degree. Biotech is a specific case of this. They'll accept either degree and it is not uncommon to hear of CC biotechs making 35-45k out of college. CCs are also a good way to graduate early, by taking their cheap classes over the summer. Going to a CC for the first two years and then transferring to a 4 year college isn't a bad idea either. It is a lot cheaper and gen eds are a waste of time wherever you take them.

[Megas Methuselah]

Let's put it like this, from my homeschooling I tested out of calculus and statistics, and had learned discreet mathematics, and studied game-theory. Literally, getting a math degree would have probably been a two year ordeal if I had wanted to go in for it. I have done NO math at all in the last four years that I have been here, and now would probably struggle in an advanced math course. I used to be reading a book every spare chance I could get, now I just drag myself through the boring BS I am forced to read and touch nothing else, because with classes and commute I have no time at all. My intellect has rotted since I have went to college. I thought that college was supposed to make you smarter and better educated! There are so many subjects that I used to know so much about, that I have forgotten so completely since college has pushed everything out. It has done very similar things to my physical health. Frankly, I think college is the worst thing that could have happened to me.

Bro, what the hell are you studying?

[Vuk]

Bro, what the hell are you studying?

History. Literally, there are two classes that you should need to get a history degree 300 and 489, but instead you have to spend 4+ years of learning nothing.

[Yaropolk]

Posters in this thread a mixing up 2 year vs 4 year colleges and public vs private.


A 2 year community college will give you an associates degree. This degree is not very marketable and limits your ability to apply for certain jobs. In IT it may mean a difference between tech support and programming. Having said that, a community college may be a cheap way to knock out 2 years of education and transfer to a 4 year university for the bachelors. In NJ, all community colleges have a transfer path to the state university.

In today's corporate culture a 4 year bachelor's degree is almost a must. According to the census, a holder of a bachelor's degree, earns approximately 36% more than an associate's holder. http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf

Some private universities such as Harvard are very prestigious, and will open many doors for you. However, for the vast majority of schools it's just a box to be checked off on your resume. A few years after graduation the distinction between universities fades, and your resume is driven by your work experience.

2 year private college (DeVry, Chub, etc): Don't even think about
Pros: NONE
Cons: Expensive, not marketable, credits don't transfer, very narrow education

2 year community college:
PROS: very cheap, can transfer credits towards a 4 year degree, some states provide upgrade path to state uni
Cons: Associate degree won't get you far, narrow education focused on major, smaller budgets means less experienced teachers, older equipment etc

4 year state university:
PROS: cheaper than a private school for in-state tuition, bachelor's degree, usually very large budgets, well recognized by employers regionally, wide availability of different subjects
CONS: Not recognized by employers nationally

4 year private university:
PROS: some are very well known (Harvard, etc), bachelor's degree, wide availability of different subjects, "best" national uni for a particular subject is usually private (e.g. MIT for computer science, Princeton for physics)
CONS: expensive, most are not well known, except select few budgets will be smaller than state schools

In my eyes, unless you can get into one of the nationally recognized Ivy League type private schools, the best value for your dollar is at your state school. The cost per credit is comparable to community college (for in-state residents), and often times admission gives preference to local applicants. Wide availability of federal loans and grants (www.fafsa.gov) makes it so even the poorest applicant can afford to go to a state school. Having to repay a $30-40k total loan (or less if you live at home) for an in-state bachelors is a hell of a lot less scary than borrowing $100-150k or so for a private school.

[Megas Methuselah]

History. Literally, there are two classes that you should need to get a history degree 300 and 489, but instead you have to spend 4+ years of learning nothing.

I study a bit of history on the side with the aim of getting a minor degree, but it definitely ain't my major. Be that as it may, by this point, you should be able to read and think critically, have skills in research, an excellent and developed writing style, and an understanding of the history academia. Is this an undergraduate degree, btw? Not much you can do with a undergraduate degree in history. You could use it for high school teaching, but usually people use it to go on and get masters+doctorates in history to study it and teach it at the university level, or perhaps use the undergrad to get into law school (which requires those skills which I mentioned are learned through the study of history). There's a few other paths, too, but an undergraduate degree alone in history isn't worth much.

You can't at all complain about not learning math or sciences. You know why? Because you're not studying that. You're studying history; by all means, you should be a very enlightened and scholarly individual with a great understanding of the world in its current form.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

History. Literally, there are two classes that you should need to get a history degree 300 and 489, but instead you have to spend 4+ years of learning nothing.

Good luck trying to get a job. My brother (King Jan III Sobieski) has a BA in History and a MA in Liberal Arts and he is working at Target. He's book about one of our local towns is coming out next year, but that's really the only History stuff he is able to do and get paid for it and stick it on his resume.

[TinCow]

History. Literally, there are two classes that you should need to get a history degree 300 and 489, but instead you have to spend 4+ years of learning nothing.

Speaking as a former History major, you can't come close to fully understanding the subject even from a single undergrad degree in it, let alone two classes. If you're learning nothing, you're not trying. Why are you even majoring in a subject that you don't care about?

Good luck trying to get a job. My brother (King Jan III Sobieski) has a BA in History and a MA in Liberal Arts and he is working at Target. He's book about one of our local towns is coming out next year, but that's really the only History stuff he is able to do and get paid for it and stick it on his resume.

On an employment level, History is like most of the other social sciences: it's a degree that demonstrates you can learn and have mental flexibility, it's not a door to a job in and of itself. Those majors are for people who want to go into other fields which focus on mental gymnastics and non-rigid production. These are things like journalism, education, psychology, law, and entertainment. Most of these do indeed require another degree after a BA, but the social sciences BA is a very good first step for them.