About college...?

I graduated high school in 2005. After that, I took a year off and now I plan to attend a 4 years college. Do 4-years colleges accept students like me (who took a break) or do I have to study at a Community College and wait to transfer? Also, what is wrong with community colleges? When I asked my friends whether they want to attend a university or a cc, they all picked 4-years university. Are community colleges really that bad? Please help!!

About college...?
No you can still apply to a four-year college. Community College's have smaller class sizes and are less expensive. I went to a CC for my frist two years and wouldn't change having that experience, it was then much easier to transfer to the big University! Good luck, and congrats on going back to school.
Reply:Don't worry about the year off - it is becomming increasingly common for people to take a "gap year" so most colleges won't even raise an eyebrow if you apply after one. Many colleges may even see it as a positive, especially if you've taken good advantage of your time off and not just laid around the house eating bon bons.





Of course, whether you'll be accepted depends on the standard stuff: your grades and curriculum in high school, your test scores, etc. You'll also need to get your high school to send your transcripts and teachers to write recommendations for you. But, no, having that year break shouldn't be a problem in and of itself.





As for community colleges, I personally think they can be a great option. They get a bad rap, but many are actually very good schools. As with four year schools, however, there are great ones and not so great ones. So, as with four year colleges, you'll need to do your homework about the community colleges you're considering to see where they fall. If your plan is to transfer, one very important question to ask the community college is how many students transfer to four year schools and to which schools.





My main advice would be not to wait too long to get your education started -- it becomes easier and easier to make excuses the longer you wait. So, do your research, get your applications ready, and get going!





Carolyn Lawrence, www.AdmissionsAdvice.com, the blog about finding the right college
Reply:I would definitely pick community collegs. It is TONS cheaper and smaller classrooms, at least in my experience, and I like them. I went to community college for two years and transfered to a four-year college. I'd say that four year colleges, people start to really go downhill because they start drinking and dating, and they don't spend enough time on their homework, in fact, many people flunk out their first year because they're no longer with their parents and they just go crazy. To me I loved community college and saved a ton of $$$ cash i wouldn't do it any differently.
Reply:Four year colleges provide more opportunities. There is usually more money there. There are more activities. There are more student organizations. Additionally, larger companies recruit from 4-year colleges. It all depends on what your academic needs are.





I went to a 4-year college...Big 10 School. There were over 700 student organizations I could join. I worked and and ended up managing a student-run college radio station. I had a roommate from Kuwait. I had an internship with a Fortune 500 company that ended up hiring me. I've joined regional alumni clubs for my school and have served on the board of directors for those clubs. Some of my fellow board memebers own their own multi-million dollar companies. I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't think I would have had exposure to some of these experiences and people had I not gone to the calibur of school I went to.





You ask if 4-year schools will take you? I took a full-time job after high school working in a manufacturing environment and started going to a community college at night. I did this for three years and then transferred to the 4-year college and most of my credits transferred. So, I was really only at the state school for 3 years because I transferred a year's worth of credits.





It all depends on what your needs are.
Reply:No, communities are not bad. The important thing is to forget about an AA degree and concentrate on transferable general education classes that are acceptable by the 4 year school that you plan to matriculate to as a junior. This way you can concentrate on your major your last two years.
Reply:I dont think community colleges are bad, I think people just have their own ideas about them.





I think you should think about what kinds of things are important to you. Do you need to save money - if so going to a community college and then transferring is a much better move $$ wise, esp if you can continue to live with your parents (and are ok with living with them)





If you desire more independence and the $$ isn't as big of an issue, I think that you should go to a 4 year college. I think that you'd want to include in your essay why you did take a year off and how that has prepared you for the challenge of college. I would go visit the admissions office if you can and see if you can talk to someone about your situation if you are really concerned, they will be able to offer you the best advice, esp since you didn't include stuff like your SAT/GPA/Extracurricular activities.





Good luck!
Reply:Depending on your high school record and test scores, you shouldn't have a problem getting into a 4-year college.





Community Colleges have a stigma that they are easier, and their credits ar enot worth much. If you plan to transfer from a CC, make sure your target univerisity will take the credits your earn at a CC.





But, you get out what you put in. So, it is possible to learn more at a CC with hard work than at a 4-year college with little work.
Reply:You can go to a regular college - as long as you meet their admission requirements. Check out the admission requirements (a high enough grade point average and a good SAT score, for starters).





People generally like Uni's over community colleges because they have more prestige - are harder to get into and the courses are harder. Also, not all credits from community colleges transfer to a 4 year school.





Hope that helps.
Reply:I don't think the fact that you took a break matters that much. As long as you have GPA and score on standardized test that the university demands, then you should be fine. You can also choose to study first in community college. Lot of people, even though they get accepted to a 4 yr university choose to go to community college for first year or two to save money because of the university core courses are going to be a lot cheaper at community college. There is nothing wrong with attending a community college. Just get the credits trasnfered to the Univerity of your choice. I wouldn't recommend getting a degree in community college though just because I think you lose the competitiveness in the real world against university graduates.

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