Homework vs Extra Curriculars

[boomerscout]

 

I dunno, when my daughter wanted to go to tech school, it was $75000 for three years....and no aid....not too cheap.

I believe we're talking of two different types of tech school. On the one hand would be a tech program at local community college such as diesel mechanic or dental hygiene versus going to Virginia Tech or MIT

[Stosh]

I believe we're talking of two different types of tech school. On the one hand would be a tech program at local community college such as diesel mechanic or dental hygiene versus going to Virginia Tech or MIT

 

Yep, the local 2 year college to pick up a trade is what I was referring to. Very cheap if that school happens to be in your home town.

 

You can also go cheap for two years at the community college for the basic education then transfer to a 4 year school and pick up the rest. At least it's a ton cheaper than 4 years at a university.

 

Stosh

[packsaddle]

 

Yep, the local 2 year college to pick up a trade is what I was referring to. Very cheap if that school happens to be in your home town.

 

You can also go cheap for two years at the community college for the basic education then transfer to a 4 year school and pick up the rest. At least it's a ton cheaper than 4 years at a university.

 

Stosh

 

If anyone is thinking about taking this route (sometimes called a 'bridge' program), make sure you understand in advance what articulation agreements, if any, there are between the two institutions. Also make sure you study a course transfer equivalency list to make sure that what you do at the community college will transfer as a substitute for the courses you 'think' you need for the final degree program. Also, remember that the program for the year that you enter the university is the one that sets the requirements, not necessarily the one that is in effect during your work at the community college. These requirements sometimes change.

Failure to keep track of these things can cost you an extra semester or year at the end of the program and as far as I can determine ALL programs require a strict minimum of about a year or more of final credit to be taken AT the final institution, no more substitutions.

Believe me, I've had to advise lots of students in bad situations because they were unaware of the limitations when they started out.

[Stosh]

In our state the community colleges work closely with the state colleges and the impact is minimal. As a matter of fact I took Computer Science on the community college level and the classes were full of state college students. It would seem that at the state college level they taught more theory and on the community college level they focused more on practical application. The state college students wanted the more practical application and thus took their studies on the community college level. At the state college level they were expected to write 3 programs in the intermediate programming class for one semester, but on the community college level in one quarter they wrote 17 programs. The system seemed to work out pretty well. With both colleges in the same town, jumping back and forth between the two was no problem. As a matter of fact it worked so well, the private college in town had to make arrangements with the two to stay competitive. I had very few problems transferring all of my state college credits down to the community college level and thus had half my AA degree completed before I even started. My wife's state college (different state) credits readily and completely transferred over to the private college in town with no problems as well.

 

Packsaddle is correct, make sure you check out all of this before taking any classes. When I started I had only one problem and that was in English. The state college was on a semester basis and the community college was on quarters at that time. My 2 semesters of state college English (one year) only transferred to community college as two quarters and I needed three quarters to make the full one year. In the end they did give me credit for the third quarter, but it was a hassle.

 

Stosh

 

[tnff]

Read this because we are in the midst of it now. One issue with the community college route, as mentioned above, is how will it fit into the 4 year school later. While the courses may transfer in (and our state has that set up where they do automatically), the community college may not offer the right mix of courses prerequisites for your intended degree. For my daughter, community college would have caused her to go for five years of school because she would have still needed a year to pick up the courses the community college didn't offer. Just didn't make economic sense.

[Twocubdad]

A huge percentage of my sons' friends attend community colleges. I know of one who has transferred on schedule to a four-year college and one other who is actually completing a vocational program (welding).

 

For the rest, community college just seems like a place to hang our while you and your parents get accustomed to the idea that you're not going to college.

[Stosh]

Not only that the company I work for and the one right next to it are both looking for welders. Those students get employment application forms from both companies on the first day of class at our local tech school.