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Community college was one of the smartest moves of my life. The IGETC program ensured that my education was equivalent to what I would have gotten at a UC as a
by kaycebasques 8y ago
Community college was one of the smartest moves of my life.
The IGETC program ensured that my education was equivalent to what I would have gotten at a UC as a freshmen and sophomore.
My teachers were mostly Stanford and Berkeley PHDs. They were dedicated to teaching. Not trying to balance research and teaching. 30 people per class, maximum. Arguably, I got a better education than UC students.
And obviously, cost. My mom raised me and my brother. On paper, we were rather poor. The financial grants for students from low-income families essentially paid for all costs. If I had been really savvy with my money, I actually could have saved a few grand each year.
I transferred to UC Berkeley after 2 years, right on time.
- tehlike 8y agoCongratulations. Seeing this made me really happy.
- cedricium 8y agoCurrently going to a CC in the Bay Area and it's a huge relief seeing that my time in the junior college won't be a waste as some have made it out to be.
- pininja 8y agoJust wanted to say I also went to CC in the Bay Area, and a few years out I am still very satisfied with the education I got. I’m now at my 2nd job as a Software Engineer... it’s not a waste of time!
- drawnwren 8y agoI have the same story. Except, I'm attending Harvard instead of Berkeley in the fall. Guess what, the credits still transfer. It's pretty jaw-dropping that the credits that cost me about $2k a semester will be used as a replacement for credits that cost $38k a semester.
- ha99 8y agoWould you mind sharing some insight on what elite schools are looking for in transfer students? I'll be starting community college this fall and it's hard to picture what the criteria are for these schools with 1-2% transfer rates.
- drawnwren 8y agoTo be honest, I'm a vet and got lucky on that. The best way to think about transfer to an elite school is that you can only disqualify yourself with academic work. You should have a compelling essay about what you bring to their community, and apply to at least 4-5 schools. If you took time between high school and now, what did you do? If nothing, do you have a compelling reason to be back in school? If so, can you support this with evidence. Keep in mind that these schools see lots of essays about dreams. They prefer to see evidence of you having already moved the needle in that direction. I got denied from 4 schools, wait listed at 2, and into 2. TLDR; Academic performance is necessary but not sufficient. Figure out why you're unique, what you can bring to their student body that they might not have, and kill the essay.
- drawnwren 8y agoI'm not the best person to talk to about this, but if you have more questions -- feel free to email me. Username at Gmail.