it seems that community colleges got some kind of a bad reputation somewhere along the line. can anyone enlighten me on why?
@redenigma I think they're generally less selective than 4 year schools. When I was graduating HS the local CC was often referred to as '13th grade'.
@rpardee my dad always said where you get your undergrad degree doesn't matter. you can save money & go to CC for 2 years, then transfer to a degree program at a state school for example, then when/if you go for a master's &/or Phd, you can look into snotty, er expensive schools because where you get those matters more, as far as future payscale/ employment prospects
@redenigma oh man you got me crying in my beer over here. I made this exact argument to my youngest, who proceeded to get a BA at a spendy private school (aren't they all?).
She is right now as I write in her bio class at the local CC re-thinking the direction of her academic career... 🙄
@redenigma (I'm not really upset about this BTW--she got an excellent education & is a smart cookie. She'll be fine no matter what.)
@redenigma And relatedly, I am persuaded that if your HS offers both AP classes and running start, you're better off w/the latter. AP credits may or may not transfer to a 4-year school, but if you can manage to get an Associates degree, that's almost always going to be honored.
@rpardee my high school didn't have AP in the 70s, it was college track or laborer track, both of which sucked, not just because kids were tracked by what their parents were (white or blue collar) but because college track kids couldn't take shop, home ec, or even typing (!).
@redenigma oh dang--that's a heck of a straightjacket...
@rpardee i had a friend in the 90s that was getting his master's in chemistry at a pricey school. his final semester he took a good look at what his degree was going to get him for jobs, decided he wanted no part of that, & switched to architecture...
@redenigma yeah, and back then it wasn't financially ruinous to make those kinds of left turns. I hate how high the stakes are for kids these days. I cheer every time there's another wave of loan forgiveness...
@rpardee i think he was pushed into chemistry, & then the realization that he'd end up working for Monsanto or suchlike was just ... not anything he wanted.
@redenigma Which did not prevent me, nor my siblings from earning AA degrees from Nassau Community College. My bro & I both went on to earn Bachelors' and then advanced degrees (MA, JD in my case, MD, PhD in his).