I always thought it was a little unfair that people can bust their butts in high school to get into good state schools like A&M or UT, while other people can slide their way through high school, go to some easy community college for a semester or two, and easily transfer in. It is almost like a giant loophole for college.
i was only in the top 50% of my high school graduating class, coasted my way thru community college for a few years and transferred right into UT w/ no problems. of course, it was alot easier to get into UT in the mid-90's - no way they would take me now. and a 12 hour semester was about $1,200 if i remember correctly. i transferred in w/ like 80 credit hours all from north harris and acc and they took them all...HAHA! its also much cheaper - i saved thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars going to community college and in the end my diploma says the exact same thing as someone who went to UT for their entire career.
Well, I don't know about that. The paper counts the same, but personally, I'm glad I went off to school for four years. Of course, I only applied to UT and this was prior to the ten percent rule, so UT or community college were the only two options for me. I'd never advise that to anyone else. In reality, going off is always safer because there is no guarantee that everything will go according to plan. I know plenty of people who have left a school with plans to transfer somewhere else, and one semester off goes to two to three to four. Ten years later they've got a few semesters credit at some far-off institution with no plan for how to finish their degree.
First off, congratulations on getting into the advertising program. As a product of the advertising/PR program at UT, I can talk shop forever regarding professors, courses, etc. Getting into UT is a different matter for everybody. The Top 10% rule was still in effect when I graduated from high school, but I was top 20% at Lamar (huge graduating class). However, I was involved with quite a bit of outside activities at Lamar and that probably played a hand in getting into UT with decent grades. Once I got there, I maintained my lifetime B average, but threw myself into work and eventually managing the student radio station. I believe showing the ability and desire to be well-rounded is as important as any academic qualification.
It's because many people have different reasons for attending another school and no school or university can discriminate against that. You may have went to a cc because you are too poor and can't afford 4 years of education etc.
This is one viewpoint. While I personally don't have a problem with community college students and believe that the community college route to universities can work out and transfers do happen, I don't believe that the universities like transfers or want them for selfless reasons. Universities are simply not selfless institutions. A university only accepts transfers as the need arises. Spots open up because not every freshman accepted in a university is successful enough to continue on to graduation. Transfers are a way to "fill the gaps" tuition-wise with students who otherwise lack credentials to be admitted outright. These transfer students are a win-win in that they pay tuition, usually graduate, but don't hurt the institution's admissions statistics. An added bonus is that the universities support a system that increases access to education for poorer folk, but you'd be mistaken to think that this is the motivation of a university when it accepts a transfer student. Don't think that a person who transfers is winning one over on the system. In reality, the successful transfer was really just fortunate to have aligned themselves with the needs of a university that otherwise wouldn't accept them and was picked among other qualified transfer applicants who were not as fortunate. Money, prestige, and rankings are the only thing that really motivate universities in this country, and forgetting this can only hurt a prospective student. Individuals at a university may care about individual students, but the reality is that the university system is a business and the numbers are usually the only thing that really matters.
true, and i would take it further and say its not you finish with, its what you do with it. i know successful people who never went to college and i know people with masters degrees who wait tables.
That doesn't sound like they planned too well. I have a son that is going the "full route" but IMO by going to a lesser school (doesn't have to be CC) you can boost your GPA, classes are cheaper and it's easier to get into as a Jr or even Sr. In the end, you have the same degree with a higher GPA at a lower cost. On paper, this person looks like the person to hire.
