Is community college easier than college?

[obs]

I'm told in my community college thats it is just as hard as a 4 year college and then i hear something different all the time. What do you guys think who have went to both schools?

 

[AmandaRose]

I have been to both a large 4 year University and Communitly College. I dont think that it is necessarily about one being harder than the other, but more about whether or not you are ready to handle a 4 year University. To put it into perspective for you, at a large University you are more than likely to walk into a class that has roughly 400-500 students in a lecture and you will not often speak with, if at all, the instructor, but rather his/her TA's (teacher assistants). At a 4 year University you are a number, more specificaly your SSN. At a Community College, their main goal is to prepare you for a large University. The class sizes are substantially smaller down to 30-40 and the teacher to student relationship is much more personal. You are a person, not a number.

So, like I said, it's not so much about it being harder, but whether or not you as a person are socially mature enough to handle large classes, and having to pretty much be an independent learner and studier.

 

[Shyguyelite]

I went to Brevard Community College and then transfered to the University of Florida.

In my case, community college was easier. Easier due to the curve.

I'd imagine it varies, however in my opinion community college is easier than a 4 year, though the material covered is essentially the same.

 

[arunma]

In my last two years of high school I took all my classes at the local community college. Those classes were actually easier than my old high school classes (despite that I was learning more). I'd say that community college is definitely easier than a university. But I want to stress that this is not due to some diminished quality of education. Perhaps the smaller class sizes and the setting make academic success easier. Somehow, you get just as good an education, but without as much difficulty.

 

[Sketcher]

My community college has a reputation for being easier in math - mainly because the instructors are Americans and native English speakers.

 

[AmandaRose]

I took class at Palm Beach Community College my last two years of high school, then I went to the Univeristy of South Florida for 2.5 years. And now I am back at the Community College. Don't ask how that happened! Transfering from high school to community college was incredibly easy, but transfering to Univeristy from Community College was a shock, as I said because of the lack of attention, but I personally my most recent transfer of a large University to a Community College was the hardest because getting ised to the smaller classes and the teachers knowing your name was very odd.

 

[arunma]

I took class at Palm Beach Community College my last two years of high school, then I went to the Univeristy of South Florida for 2.5 years. And now I am back at the Community College. Don't ask how that happened! Transfering from high school to community college was incredibly easy, but transfering to Univeristy from Community College was a shock, as I said because of the lack of attention, but I personally my most recent transfer of a large University to a Community College was the hardest because getting ised to the smaller classes and the teachers knowing your name was very odd.

Tell me about it! At the graduate school I'm going to next fall, the size of the average graduate class is 5-7 students. I'm still not sure how this is going to work for me after four years of large classes.

 

[AmandaRose]

Tell me about it! At the graduate school I'm going to next fall, the size of the average graduate class is 5-7 students. I'm still not sure how this is going to work for me after four years of large classes.

What I thought was strange was that the students actually talked to one another. That never happened in any of my 500+ student classes at the University Level. It was very strange!

 

[arunma]

What I thought was strange was that the students actually talked to one another. That never happened in any of my 500+ student classes at the University Level. It was very strange!

I've figured out that the trick is to sit in the first two rows, because the same people consistently sit there. I had all my upper division classes with the same people (which is probably true for most people), and I became friends with the front row people. So we talked to each other quite a bit. It's also a good way to make study group contacts!

 

[kuntrygurl_26]

not really, i went to a 4 year university then changed my major and went to a technical college for nursing and it was still hard. the lowest grade you could make was n 80 and that was a C. we started out with 40 people in that major and only graduated 20.

 

[Mrs. Luther073082]

I am transferring to a university from community college this fall -- I'll be considered a junior. Anyone have any tips or advice for me?

 

[faithgirl]

I will be going to community college in the fall. I hope it is easy!

 

[Sketcher]

I will be going to community college in the fall. I hope it is easy!

They generally have open enrollment, so no matter where you're at, there will be classes for you.

 

[faithgirl]

^ I know but I'm taking hard classes. I just hope it isn't to terribly hard, lol. I am pretty smart I took honors classes in high school.

 

[bliz]

The open enrollment at community colleges is why they tend to be or are often considered easier.

But there has been some information stated that is not necessarilly true. The size of the student body does not determine class size. A major university can have small classes and a small school can have very large classes. Number like "Faculty student ratio" are meaningless becasue there is no standard way to define "faculty member". Ask about class sizes.

 

[Jesus-is-the-1]

I went to Hillsborough Community college for 2 years and transferred to University of South Florida to finish up my last 2 years (I'm graduating this May). My experience was very similar for both places. I've only had one class the past 4 years with a class size of over 55, so it my experiences may be different.

 

[fuzzyh]

Small classes are typically easier, because you get to know the teacher and get greater interaction during class. This is why grad schools typically have smaller teacher to student ratios, especially PhD programs.

 

[Terri12345]

I went to a community college (ranked in the top 100 in the nation) and it was SO easy. It was easier than highschool (then again I had a pretty good public highschool). I transferred to Depaul (a private 4-year college) a few months ago and it is HARD compared to my community college.

Community college I literally ditched just as many days as I showed up and never did any homework. I got either an A or a B in every single class. It used to make me SO mad when I'd get a paper back that I thought was horrible and I'd have an A on it.

I LOVE my new school.

If you are able to keep up and teach yourself so as to not fall behind the other 4-year kids I would DEFINITELY reccommend a community college first. You save a LOT of money...especially if you're not sure what you watn to major it.

However, the standards of learning are...not the same. (from my experience...at one of the nation's best...)

 

[JessyD]

it depends on the course, if you get an assioates degree depending on major you may just be going to a University to Intern. The big difference is at a community college most of the time the classes are smaller so if you need help with a certain class most of the instructors will help you, atleast at my college, at a university the instructors expect you know know.

 

[dustin4life]

it all depends on what class your taking. Personally, all the classes i've taken have been easy at a community college but im sure they would have been harder at a 4 year