[quote=CA renter]My vote is for the JC route. Maybe my experience is different from that of other posters, but my whole family went the JC route. My dad got an MBA from a state college, mom graduated with honors from UCLA, and I got a teaching credential (two years post-grad) from a state college. I also have many, many friends and former co-workers who did the same thing. Nowhere on any of these degrees does it state that we did the first ~2 years at JCs. All of these people were successful, even though many didn’t pursue careers that matched their degrees.
I’ve asked high school counselors about this very topic, just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, and they told stories about the ultra-competitive 4-year college/university application process and the stressed-out parents who are desperate to (unnecessarily) pay tens of thousands of dollars extra just so that little Johnny and Susie can enjoy “the dorm experience.” Not worth it, in most of their opinions.
Like a couple other posters have mentioned, if your child is going to apply to graduate schools or programs where it actually matters where they finished their first two years (very rare), and where there is a very high likelihood that they will be able to easily pay of any student loans in a short period of time, then go ahead and send them directly to a 4-year university.
All that being said, I do think it’s important to go to specific universities for some graduate/professional programs, and this is where the money should be spent…after they already have their 4-year degree from a local JC->UC/CSU. Just my 2 cents.
Best of luck to you![/quote]
I agree that the most money SHOULD be spent on graduate school, IF the student plans on going there and IF money is an issue for the family.
I am concerned, however, as to how easy it will be in the coming years for a FT CC student to obtain all their needed GE’s in two years time at the (urban) CA CC’s. I feel that it’s entirely possible that a FT CC student in SD may end up having to attend Mesa, Miramar and even City College concurrently or go back and forth between them trading semesters in order to get all the credits they need to transfer, due to budget cuts affecting class offerings.
Practically speaking, I’m not sure its worth all the hassle. Your kid could get so frustrated driving all over town and/or driving to campus twice as many times per week (due to not being able to get classes together) that they just end up quitting. Also, it’s hard to hold down a PT job, when you have a class at 8:30 am, another at 1:30 pm and another at 7:30 pm (poss at different campuses) all in the same day.
