I'm going to be a Senior this September. I had a 3.6 - 3.8 GPA, %26amp; even straight A's sophomore yr. Junior yr I only had a 3.4 GPA because I had tough classes. My SAT's were average. I only took them once though, and retaking in October.
Answering all or even ONE question will help me A LOT.
Counselors at my school are no help and I don't have an older sibling to help me.
1) How will going to a community college help me decide my major? (It's been years and I still have no clue what I want to major in.)
2) Will I still be able to improve my SATs when I'm in a community college?
3) My dream college is Pepperdine University, but only 28% got accepted. How can I improve my chances of getting in?
4) Is going to a community college the same as a Cal State?
5) How long should I stay in a junior college until I transfer? When I transfer to a 4-year, will I have to stay for another four years?? Credits to be transfered?
Community college or 4 year university for ME?
Your grades are great, and with glowing letters of recommendations, any accomplishments that you have had or activities that you are in, and a wonderful personal statement (there are quite a few books that give great tips for this or you can Google it and get the same results) you have an excellent change of getting into a great university. Your SAT scores are only one piece of the whole picture – you – so do not get hung up on it. Sure, you can study/buy a book to assist you to raise your SAT scores, but with an average score, I would not be too concerned. Do not be afraid to apply, because you never know.
Question 1: At community college - but it is the same at a university, too - you take all your core courses. This is good, because you will discover, at the very least, what you DO NOT want to major in (this is just as valuable), but you might start getting hints or an idea of what you do want to study. It has been my experience that community college counselors are far more helpful than high school counselors are, and they have much training and experience in assisting students in finding their ways. Regardless of the type of school you go to, please make sure to see your counselor/advisor once a semester to make sure you are on track and to make a plan of the courses you should take the next semester (go see one before you begin at your school, too, if it is not required).
Question 2: If you do not get into the university of your choice, and decide to go to a community college, then you NEVER have to worry about the SAT again! Yes! You could take it again, but most universities do not require it out of the transfer students (this is what you will be if you attend a community college first, and then transfer to a university).
Question 3: When I was young, I dreamed of a psychology degree from Pepperdine (*Sigh*), but things changed, and I changed. If you do not get in this application season, keep trying until you do. Make the best grades you possibly can at whatever college you go to, get involved and become a leader in activities/sports/arts, and this will increase your chances. You have to keep in mind that every university only has X amount of spots for each department, and you can never tell who you will be competing against or how many spots there are available.
Question 4: No. A community college is a school that offers freshmen and sophomore level classes only, and the highest degree you can earn is a 2-year degree (a.k.a. associate’s degree). A Cal State school (I lived in CA most of my life) is a 4-year university that offers freshmen through graduate level classes, and this is where you can earn a bachelor’s, master’s, or post-doctorate degree (Ph.D).
Question 5: If you chose to attend a community college, go to the one that is closest to the university you would like to go to, if you can. This will increase your chances that all your community college classes transfer. Every university has different rules for individual classes, and there is no way for you or I to be able to tell what will transfer for you. You will not have to stay at the university for another 4 years, but every university has different requirements for how many classes you need to take from the university to earn your bachelor's degree. For example, I transferred to my current university, and it required me to take 64 credits at from it before I could graduate. Talk to your community college counselor about when to transfer, but I would recommend transferring when you are (1) ready (only you will know this), and (2) as soon as possible. The university life is different from community college –good and bad – but the sooner you are at your university the less likely you will ever spend money/time/effort on a class that did not transfer.
I hope this helps, and e-mail me if you have more questions. I am the oldest of seven, four of us are in college now, and I graduate in December and then I am off to graduate school! I have been there. All the best and I hope you get into Pepperdine!
Reply:2) Well, of course, you can retake the tests while you are in community college if you like, but community college itself won't help you. You might learn some things you missed out on in high school in your introductory English class, but that's all that will help you with the SATs. You really have to study for SAT tests using books that specifically cover SAT material or take an SAT course. You should be doing some of this during the summer this year if you are considering doing a four year college. Then you can retake the SATs this fall. Granted, if you get your Associate's degree, some 4-year schools won't even require you to give the SAT scores when you are applying for transfer status. Others will require them.
1) Going to community college won't help you decide your major any more than going to a four year college would. Either way, you start out taking classes that would fill general education requirements and classes that interest you. You decide what you want to major in based off of what you like.
4) No. Cal States are 4-year colleges.
5) Stay as long as you want (but no longer than four semesters, or when you get your associate's degree). And no, you don't have to stay an additional four years. You will have to earn 60 credits (in semester hours; I'm not sure what that is in quarter hours) at the 4-year college from which you want to graduate. That's two years if you take a full load. But regardless of all of this, if you go to a communtiy college, you will have to plan your courses there well so that you will be able to transfer all of them, and not just for "general elective credit." This involves getting into contact with universities (to which you intend to apply in the future) and discussing which courses will transfer for what credits.
I'd suggest you try to go to a four-year if you could. Your GPA looks high enough, and you can get into some four-year college with mid-range SAT scores (that's about 1530 on the new test). Also, you won't have to get into sticky transfer credit issues later on.
Reply:) How will going to a community college help me decide my major? (It's been years and I still have no clue what I want to major in.)
community college will give you the time to see what you like best..take different general classes and then you will see what you like!
2) Will I still be able to improve my SATs when I'm in a community college?
when you're at the cc, you don't need to retake SATs..SATs is only when you decide to go to a 4 year from a high school. so your grades from a cc is good enough for 4 year entrance...
3) My dream college is Pepperdine University, but only 28% got accepted. How can I improve my chances of getting in?
yes, get good grades again in your senior year! but also look into other universities in the area...loyola marymount, the uc programs, the private school in pomona (i forgot name) etc.
4) Is going to a community college the same as a Cal State?
no..cal state schools are 4 year universities....don't look down at cal states...all you have to do is get good grades while at any 4 year university to get into a good masters programs. when you look at the student makeup of a masters/graduate program, there are a lot of people from everywhere, and when i was attending my masters program, there were a lot of people from cal state schools compared to uc schools..so to me,its all the same..
5) How long should I stay in a junior college until I transfer? When I transfer to a 4-year, will I have to stay for another four years?? Credits to be transfered?
usually its 2 years at the jr college and 2 years at the four years..2 years you take the general courses (math, science, humanities, writing) and at the 4 year university, you take the courses that are part of your major...if you went to a 4 year straight from hs, that is basically what you would be doing too...some people stay longer (5 years) b/c they double major...etc...good luck!
Reply:1-You can get all you General Education classes out of the way. So that could be a bonus. You could take classes in majors that interest you.
2-Once you are in college SATs ACTs, and High School GPA mean nothing. The only thing that will matter when transfering will be your College Transcript. Along w/ some letters of recomendations.
3-Im not familar w/ Pepperdines requirements. But you do you have a good GPA. So try taking the ACT as well. Then even if your SATs dont improve that much, you might have a good ACT score.
4-Community colleges are a lot different than State Schools. State schools are mich larger and some have high requirements. Community Colleges are usually easy to get into. Half of the students are going there just to get a degree in something. The other Half is going there to save money and then transfer to a Univ.
5-This one is up to you. If after one year, you know what you want to do then transfer. If your happy saving money and getting Gen Ed classes out of the way then stay another year. And yes Credits will transfer. Usually a little over two years can be.
Personally though get into a good Univ as soon as possible. Basically ditto the person above me.
Reply:I am at a community college right now. I am very happy with my choice! Going to a community college opened many doors for me. I can apply to USC, UCLA and, yes, Pepperdine, too. While you are in community college(CC) you will take many GE classes- you'll find you're niche there. When you go to a community college and you get 60 units, you're SATs do not matter any more, nor does you're HS work. Colleges will look at your college grades, GPA, etc. CC'c have programs, such as Honors Transfer Programs/ Scholars Programs, and those look REALLY good, because they are intense courses- harder than average college courses. With that,campus involvement and volunteering(Pepp likes volunteering A LOT!) you should get in. Try to get As nad Bs only (more As). A CC is a 2 year, cheaper, and you can only get an A.A. degree( 2 year degree). A cal state is a 4 year university, cost a little more, and you can get you're bachelors(4 year degree) from there. Also, many CC students transfer to cal states. I will be graduating this December from a CC and tranferring from a cal state. Here is what I am going to do/ how it works:
1) I have my 60 units (MUST HAVE); 2) I will apply for graduation and CSU GE certification; 3) College is 4 years, I already did 2, so I will finish my last 2 years at the cal state I am transferring to; 4) I will speak to a counselor to make sure I am able to transfer and have everything completed so that my credits will transfer (they do); 5) Off I go! :) Going to a CC is great. In case you change your mind about Pepp, you will have many other options. It's way better so you get the feel of college, instead of being thwrown into a lecture hall with over 100 people!
Reply:I would propose that you take a year off, perhaps even two.
Definitely retake the SAT; try the ACT as well. And, yes, one of the other responders is correct, once you have been accepted into a college your SAT and ACT scores will no longer be important.
You might also ask your high school guidance counselor to provide you with an aptitude test. It could be helpful in helping you decide a major somewhere down the line.
If you just "can't" take a year or two away from the educational scene, go to the community college nearest to your home and get the basic educational requirements out of the way. Picking a major can be done later....
Good luck!
Reply:I began my career in a community college. I went for one year and then transfered with a 3.8 GPA. However, I did that because at the time my SATs were average and my HS record was not very strong. It sounds like your HS record is pretty good so you should only use community college as a Plan B. Also, it can difficult transferring credits from a community college to a senior college so if you can avoid the transfer you're better off. I was still able to graduate in four years but I know people who weren't as fortunate. As for your major, if you could do anything and money were not an issue what would it be? What do you enjoy doing? You don't really need to settle on a major until the end of sophomore year because the first year or so are mostly required General Ed courses. Good luck!
Reply:Community/Junior colleges will not transfer well. Get into the best 4 year school you can if you end up trying to transfer to Pepperdine University or the such.
Otherwise, try to see if you can compete in a nation academic competition this year and place high. And try to improve you test scores if you want to get into Pepperdine.
Reply:1) Yes, most freshman do not even have a clue as to what they will major in. Community colleges usually have advisers who can help you decide.
2) No, SAT exams are given only in high school, usually junior to senior year.
3) Pepperdine is a wonderful private school with a great location (Malibu!). Here are transfer statistics from Santa Monica college:
http://www.smc.edu/transfer/statistics/
131 students transfered to USC (University of Southern California) which is also a private school. A few transferred to Pepperdine and other similar private institutions.
4) No, community colleges are only two year colleges. Cal States are universities, which are 4-year, like the UC schools.
5) You usually stay in a junior college for 2 years and transfer to a 4 year...you would start Pepperdine as a junior and continue to your senior year with a diploma. Many of the credits will transfer, some will not. But no, you will graduate on time just like the other students who attended Pepperdine right after high school.
Reply:A few users said that it is hard to transfer. It isn't if you play your cards right!
I have taken two full years at a community college and the four year school I am going to is taking every single one of my classes! However, low-level classes like basic math classes won't transfer very well. The easiest thing to do would be contact an admission advisor at pepperdine to see what classes will/won't transfer.
1. At a community college you could start taking generals (which are the easiest to transfer) and find out what you like and don't like. You can pinpoint things you for sure don't want to do this way.
2. Once you go to college and start developing a good college persona. (GPA, extra-curriculars, and community service)
3. All of the above, GPA, extra-curriculars, and community service, can help you get into pepperdine. I am not sure what their percentage acceptance rate of transfer students is though.
4. Not sure about that one
5. I stayed two years. However you can stay as long as you would like. Again I am not exactly sure about Pepperdines rules on this. Pepperdine will most likely expect you to take at least 64 credits (half your four year degree) at their school. You shouldn't have to stay there for another four years.
But! You must be careful in what classes you are taking. Talk to advisors so you aren't wasting your time.
Another major plus to going to a junior college first:
It is SO much cheaper!
You will save so much money by going to a junior college for even one year.
Sorry this is so long and Good luck with this decision.
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