I am an 18 year old Freshman who is attending his first year of Community College. I never felt bad about the situation, but people sure do not have a problem with rubbing it in my face. I am actually somewhat of a bright student who has taken AP Macroeconomics, AP Government, AP Spanish, AP Language and Composition, and AP Computer Science. However, due to circumstance I had no choice but to attend Junior College.
The state of Florida offers a Bright Futures scholarship to any student who can maintain a 3.0 gpa or higher and a 900 or more SAT score. The scholarship gives you 75% tuition paid for at any State College, and 100% tuition for any community college. Since I want to earn my Master's in Computer Science, I needed to save as much money as possible until I transfer over to the University of Central Florida.
See your goals...obtain your goals.
Well that was all fine and dandy until everyone at my High School was talking about their essays they had to write for their college applications. I would tell them what school I was attending and they would give me the "That's OK" line. I never got too upset until my AP Macroeconomics teacher tore me apart in front of the whole class.
It was the first day of class and we were all introducing ourselves to the teacher. He went around the room asking everybody what school they planned on attending, and apparently everyone but me was attending some University. Well then it was my turn, and I told him I planned on attending the Junior College, and he gives me a baffled look and says to me..."why?". I thought he was kidding but he just sits there looking at me in front of the whole room waiting for an actual response. Before I could refute he chimed in with his story of his old college days of when he was a radio announcer for the school, and how it was the best time he ever had in his life.
Then he tells me I am making a big mistake and the class starts to snicker. What kind of an awful person wants to embarass a student in the middle of his class because he wants to go to Community College?
Well when I finish my two years, transfer to UCF, obtain my Bachelor's and Master's in Computer Science, I will find that guy and make him sit there and listen to how his ridicule turned me into the motivated person that I am today.
Has this happened to anyone with their friends, parents, or teachers throwing jabs at you because of your choice of Junior College?
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I am sure he did not know of your financial circumstances. I know that community colleges around my area are easier then my university. For instance i know a lot of people at my school who take speech at the local community college because of how easy it is there. You speak in front of a class there and at my school the final is speaking in front of an audience of around 600 people.
A lot of people go to community college in California. A significant number of people from my AP classes decided to go to our closest community college for financial reasons. It wasn't that big of a deal. California's community colleges are pretty good and they have a transfer agreement with the UC schools, so most people go with the intent to transfer.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
I'm attending community college, attaining a degree in Nuclear Medicine and I have no problem telling ppl where I attend college. Our college is actually becoming more and more recognized and a lot more ppl are attending.
That sucks about your teacher. Being a teacher, he should have known better. When you do graduate and are successful and happy, I hope you do go back to your school and find him and let him know your two cents!
JM
ignore and forget all those losers, seriously, they are, because they don't know anything
in highschool, i took all the classes you listed, all my teachers and principal forced me to apply to an ivy league school but i always had doubts of whether i wanted to attend such a big and tough uni with very little diversity
well i did the stupidest thing i have ever done in my life and that is to let others dictate the decision i made for college
and now I am a student at community college and loving it
I went to UPenn for a year and hated it
it was not for me
after frshmen year, things went very downhill, being a science major and having labs with lectures, i just couldn't handle the fact that i was commuting an hour and fifteen minutes on the train because my parents did not allow me to stay on campus
regardless i am out of there
and gald to be where i am
so don't let others tell you or put you down
they are the losers who are going with the crowd and narrow minded
people are slaves to their circumstances, we wish to do many things but we have to do what is in our means
not what is in other people's means
and i have went through some of the same experiences with people as you listed but now i don't give a damn about those losers
"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right."
i think with the current pressures being put on high school kids to go to college, a lot of people get it ingrained in their heads that community college isn't good enough...which is completely ridiculous, especially because if you think about it, an excellent community college can provide an education equivalent to that of a mediocre or crappy "regular" college...
in fact, even though at our high school it was acceptable to joke about it, the local community college was known as "harvard on the pike" (the pike refers to the street it was located on) because the caliber of classes there was so high.
work hard for your bachelor's and master's and prove all the haters wrong.
--stacie
I attend a community college but I think the education here is completely different from the University. For one they always take attendance and if you dont have your books they will kick you out! When I went to the university to take a class it was so big that they teacher had no clue what your name was and didn't know whether you showed up for class or not. The community college instructors get a little more personal since they have to remember your name. I hate my community college but I love that I have my full tuition paid and then some.
Good for you for going and doing what you believe is best for you! Having that extra push of help makes life and school a little less stressful!
iT COMPLETELY outrages me to learn that your own Teacher would do that to you..... I have a high respect for teachers and it breakes my heart to hear stories like this.
Someday I will be a seond grade teacher and i will Allways treat the children with respect and love. Never anger or meanness.
Once upon a time in my little mind.
By me Kaity Kat
I attended a junior college before I transfered to a 4-year university as a sophomore.
Junior colleges, in my experience, are not a negative thing. If anything, I believe that there, the focus is more on your actual EDUCATION and not on the social aspects that are pushed so much in the University atmosphere.
I also experienced some criticism for attending junior college, but you know what? When it comes down to it, when you transfer to wherever and graduate from college completely you will have the same or better degree as all of those people who gave you a hard time, so don't let anyone think you made a bad decision!
-DLF
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."-J.K. Rowling.
Our community college offers a minor our university doesn't. It sucks, cause I totally would have done that minor if given the chance...
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
im wanting to apply to a community college because its an hour away and i think there's actually more opportunity there in a small town then there is in a big town. my mom got a little pissed because the schools i put on my act sheet werent in wichita and they were all a little more expensive than the local schools. community school costs about 3,000 while 4 year costs about 25,000 dollars. i like the appeal of a community more than a 4 year