Why I Love Community College | The Financial Diet 

that's awesome!

Wooooo! I'm at community college now, and thinking about going to med school.

Good for you!

congrats!!:D i just graduated high school with a low GPA (lower then 2.0) and after seeing this video and reading your comment, im definitely going to CC :)

There's absolutely nothing wrong with attending community college. In fact, I'm thinking attending when I graduate. The only difference between community college and those big universities, are the tuition cost and the location.

+Jennifer Goebel Holy shit what state are you in? I'm at a state school and I'm paying more than double that in tuition!

I go to Ohio State University and I live in Ohio.

$6.65 for your associates - that is AWESOME!!!! Very cool and unique story, Jennifer!

congratulations on the grade sis!!!!!!! really curious about how your experience was (im from india, so I really just want to know what community college is like and stuff. not gonna need it for my life so you're good 😂) like i just wanna know if it was worth it and your course and all of that jazz

your grade is so admirable :')

Yeah, I share a similar situation.

Nice man is CC in your opinion worth it?

Joe Gonzalez I think it really depends on what you plan to do. I had a general idea of what I wanted to study (Economics), but I ended up deciding to change my major for a career I felt would be more fulfilling (Wildlife Biology). One of the great things about CC is that I didn't feel like I had wasted LOADS of money on a degree path I didn't end up doing. Community College isn't cheap (I'm paying for next semester out of pocket, and it's going to run me about 2k with books), but it's for sure cheaper than my local Universities. I find that the instruction at CC averages at about as well as a Uni (comparing with my friends who go to Uni). I would totally agree that there are Professors at CC's that probably shouldn't be teaching, but I think that's true of any school you look into. The great thing is that with new advents such as ratemyprofessor.com, it's far easier to avoid those terrible Professors. The ONLY downside to CC that I think is true, is that the amount of kids there just because their parents forced them to go is really frustrating. I'll be honest when I say that every class I've taken so far, there's been at least a couple of kids that just don't want to be there. That only becomes a serious issue if you have a Professor that plays to the lowest common denominator, and dumbs down the material to try and engage them. Most Professors though will simply withdraw them from the class, but there's always that chance they'll try and "fix" a poorly performing kid, and end up endangering everyone else learning experience. All in all CC is a cheap way to get some of your Gen ed's out of the way (English, Math, Science, etc.), and take a couple of focused courses (Economics, Art, Statistics, Psych, etc.) to see what you're interested in. My CC has a super easy transfer process to all three Uni's in my State, so it's always worth looking to see if there's a similar program in your area!

+Brennan Hays so how's the transferring aspect going?

MLG_Mahal I got accepted :) I start in the summer!

+Brennan Hays Overall how would you rate CC, including workload, professors, and the atmosphere? What classes did you take second year? Thank you so much. I start Fall 2016.

NileThe146 even Ivy League. There’s a site called the “Ivy lie”. I transferred to Columbia but HATED it so I transferred to state instead. My brother went to UC Berkeley for undergrad and Harvard for masters and is currently at Washington State for his PhD and he knew a lot of students who graduated Berkeley and Harvard who even had good degrees (Mathematics, Economics, Education) but ended up not finding jobs. It’s more of a name brand if you will. If there’s a kid who kicked-ass in state university it’s significantly more impressive than a regular ivy student.

Alicia Kistner-King good one ..!

Its not all bout money. But I agree nothing wrong with community. Follow your dreams man.

Luz Ramos Saaame

Damn you didn't get any offers from being valedictorian?

@@715SF probably, but maybe not a full ride or something

+desteddyeggroll Awesome! Keep at it!

How's it going?

+MLG_Mahal It's great! Just started my 2nd semester

+desteddyeggroll how's the workload and the professors?

It's pretty normal. There are a lot of papers to write though. And the professors are friendly and nice! (At least mine are!)

Damn this really hit home with me I can totally relate to this. I graduated with a 1.3 for pretty much the same reasons. It got so bad for me that I became very anti social with everyone but I still have hope

You can do it! I had a rocky path myself but now I almost have my bachelor's in international business. The biggest mistake you can make is thinking that you're not going fast enough. Decide the path that's right for you, even if it means taking longer and going a different route. Take care of your mental health too and prioritize it. I hope your first month at CC went well. I wish you good luck!

How did you even graduate highschool? I can’t graduate if I don’t pass 4 main course tests and 4 work samples...

This is what I did. If you want details just PM me.

monica solis which college do ypu go to?

Being both a PhD (chemistry) and a community college graduate, I find the expression "too smart for community college" hilarious. Community College is a large part of why I was able to pay off my student loans four years after graduate school. I was too smart NOT to go to community college.

Why’d you hate it? Really curious to hear your thoughts!

@@raiha1425 douchebags. Douchebags. Douchebags. Douchebags. So much opulent arrogance. People who have never experienced a day of the real world. Offering their snobbish solutions on what to do without experiencing anything. No empathy. No sympathy. Too many fake personalities. Narcissists dehumanizing each other and the world around them. Ivy League universities to them are equivalent to designer brands to these people. Over-commodified. Half the students go there for the name of the university and that’s it. They show off their statuses of students at a prestige college the same way an entitled “Karen” would show off an expensive handbag. Half of them are not there to learn, but they’re there for NAME of being there. Not for the professors. Not to discover. Not to expand their imaginations, world views, knowledge, learning other cultures, etc. They dare not to drive into ghettoes and hoods to see how bad their elitist parents (both Democrats and Republicans) have betrayed our country. No moral and philosophical nuance. It’s “I go to Columbia and I’m better than you. You know nothing in spite of what you have experienced.” The ones who are there because Mom and Pops were able to pay for an private preschool, private school and expensive tutors in their teen years, and so on. The only good ones there are the other 50%, the eager to learn, eager to question, challenge, become in awe at the library, raised by blue coller parents. Will study because they are fervent about what they study. The ones who have found their callings. However, they have to put up with the other ungrateful 50% that I mentioned earlier. I love and cherished the good half, but the ungrateful arrogant half just was too much. I can see why so many of the good ones are depressed as hell when they get out.

+Music Dork Sorry this is so long... 1. I definitely agree that finances always depend on your personal situation, but there are always options out there. Most community colleges do exactly the same thing and cover expenses for low-income students. A friend of mine paid only $16 for the semester just for the health services fee; all books and tuition were free. I found enough scholarships to cover my $700 in books and tuition plus housing and am lucky enough to be able to stay with a roommate. A lot of people also stay with friends if they can't afford to stay home (or with their parents if their parents can afford it) to keep costs down and community living has a number of other benefits. If this isn't an option, search for the thousands of scholarships out there and put the time into applying for a couple. Its worth a shot. 2. Not all community colleges are created equal, however its not always the fault of the college or even university you plan on transferring to, you have to do the research. Most universities have a transfer tool where you can choose the community college class you have taken and see if it transfers to said university and what it transfers as. This is great because you can check with my university beforehand whether or not my classes transfer and not waste money on the classes that don't. My photo class is transferring as an art class to my university, but I'm using the credit as an elective so it works beautifully in my situation. If your university you plan on transferring to does not have this tool, community colleges have a transfer center or student center where they can help you figure out your schedule. There is almost always an option to pre-register for classes so you are practically guaranteed the classes you require as well so you aren't wasting your time waiting for the required courses. I hope this helps if you are still studying and gives other people a little insight to community college. Before starting, I thought it would be terrible and desperately wanted to go to university because I did have the grades, but still lack the finances. So far, it has been going pretty well and I've been able to balance school with my job so I can save money and transfer to university in a couple years. There is always a negative connotation to community and of course it has its flaws as well, but I've never met someone who regretted their decision to choose community first. I hope you choose the option thats best for you as well.

...so, you agree with me? This seemed like a long thing to type out in order to agree with someone. Do you research, and it depends on your personal situation? I find it irresponsible for somebody running a financial blog/vlog to tout CC as the definitive "cheapest" option when that isn't always true. The sticker price of a private university is outrageous, but, like a car, nobody actually pays sticker price. Like we both said, it depends on your personal situation, and do your research. Obviously it is the fault of the people who signed up at CC without checking their programs (though when this happens to 95% of the people you know there, you have to wonder if it's them, or the college telling them false information. Also, pre-registration?? Are you SURE you went to CC? That only exists for special needs students here). Again, DO YOUR RESEARCH. I chose the right option for me, because I researched, and I merely hope others do the same. tl;dr: Don't sign up at the nearest community college because some lady on the internet told you to. DO YOUR RESEARCH. (Also, where is this stigma you all speak of coming from? Your HS guidance counselors should be pushing everyone to community college; acceptance anywhere, be it community college or a conservatory, makes their numbers look better. Literally everyone should be advocating for it, and they damn well were where I come from. It's not a stigma when 5/6th of your graduating class goes to CC. It doesn't mean it's the right choice for everyone, but it's certainly not a stigma.)

The most important thing is that people research the school they are looking at. They will usually say whether or not their credits transfer and where they can transfer to, and if they don't, universities will be able to tell someone whether or not they accept any or all credits from certain community colleges. I can't agree with anything you said, because there are three local community colleges in my area, all of which transfer ALL credits to many universities in my state, and they all have multiple campuses that each offer the same classes at many different times. I've had no problem with availability of classes, and my CC offers every class that I need to get my AS before transferring to my uni of choice. Although, I do live in Tennessee, and there is a big emphasis on the importance of community college (all high school grads can get 2 years free at a CC, woo!). So, it may be different here than some other places.

Brittany Davenport Lol you don't have to have the same experience to agree with me. I used examples to highlight a point: do your research and make the decision that's right for you. It seems like you agree with that, no? That's literally your first sentence. I'm glad this isn't the case with CCs everywhere and I'm apparently the only person familiar with shitty CCs. I'm genuinely glad your experience was different. I'm from Michigan. There are several decent CCs in the area, but one particularly terrible one, which unfortunately is also the closest to where I live and where a lot of people from my high school end up because it's cheap and close and people think they can't get into/can't afford anywhere else (see comment #1) and the school makes grand promises (like most schools do to attract students). I took classes there as a high school student and it was an awful experience. They have spaces saved for HS students in several classes and trying to get into those classes was still a nightmare, even with the help of competent HS guidance counselors. And none of the credits transferred anywhere when I graduated and went to college, of course. So many friends are there now with such bullshit struggles that nobody should have to go through. "I need a science class and they only have one this semester that fits my schedule so I signed up for it and they cancelled it 3 weeks in! Now I can't even try to change my schedule to get into a different class, and I'm short on credits so I can't get full-time aid! They didn't even warn me they might cancel the class!" "I took 101 level class and 102 supposed to be offered in the fall but it's not in the course catalog and according to my counselor it's not being offered again till next spring!" Yeah, great school.

Music Dork You just highlighted a niche. CC usually is the best way to go, and obviously there will always be exceptions. Most CCs have a transfer system because they know a 2 year degree isn't generally where students stop. CC is also waaaay cheaper than almost every university. You just just happen to be an exception, whether you see that or not. If Private Universities were paying off smart, low income students, 50 of the graduating seniors at my school should be in a private university. CC is GENERALLY the way to go.