Words of Wisdom from Cody and Ryan

Cody (left) and Ryan (right) are both studying at Allan Hancock College. Cody is studying Photography and Ryan is studying Film and Video Production and they both would like to transfer to San Francisco State.

ME: What are your reasons for going to Community College? 

CODY: I wanted to go to Hancock first so I could do my general ed. quietly and cheap and I was also able to stay at home. So right now we just finished our second semester and since we are doing really good with general ed we are on track to transfer.

RYAN: My reasons for going to Hancock are pretty much the same as hers. With the major that I am going into, experience is very helpful as to pursuing a career out of it and Hancock is not only ranked Top 5 as one of the best Junior Colleges in the state, but their film program is very diverse and has a lot of programs and  areas of interest that you can do and so I wanted to go to Hancock not only because it was cheap and affordable but I could better myself in film knowledge that I can carry when I transfer.


ME: Do you believe Community College was a good choice?

CODY: Yes because not everyone knows what they want to do. I am changing my major, personally from when I got into Hancock and it's only been a year. So Hancock serves as a cushion for you to decide and makes it easier to adjust into things, like dipping your toe in to test the waters. You're not just jumping right into college so it was calming and not so stressful going to Hancock.
RYAN: The same!






ME:What is a positive about Community College and what is a negative?

RYAN: You are familiar with the area and you are comfortable.

CODY: A negative is that you kind of feel like you might be trapped a little because your friends went off to college and you stayed here but all my friends stayed to study here but I still feel like I could've probably done it but I still think its the better choice. If you're not sure or if you need to save money, Hancock is the better choice.



ME:What is helping you stay on track in order to transfer?

RYAN: The counseling office! They have a transfer center so they not only help you pick classes for your major but also classes that help you transfer on. We both met with a transfer counselor and I don't have to worry about my schedule for next year because it is already set! And the counselors there went to school to be transfer counselors so they know exactly what they are doing.



ME: Any other advice you would like to give to student that will be attending Community College next year?

CODY: Don't feel embarrassed if you are going to Hancock just because your friends went off to a 4 year university. It's truly is beneficial to go since you save money and you can figure out what you want to do. Hancock is a great school, it offers great classes and great programs. You learn a lot and there are really good professors there.

RYAN: With any school you go to, its all about what you make of it. you can take the easiest courses, sit by idly or you can take some of the more challenging classes and you can say "Oh you know what, I am not a decided major yet but that looks interesting" and you find out that that is what you want to do with the rest of your life. Its all about what you make of it.
 

Help on How to Write a Research Paper

The dreaded research paper has plagued colleges all over the nation. Well, I hope this helps you once you are faced with the challenge...I'd like to thank Christa for sharing it with me :)

Research Paper Format -

Going to Community College? Here's Some Advice from a Current Student!

Belen has been at a community college for 2 years now and is on track to transferring to Fresno State this fall and double majoring in Criminal Justice and Spanish and considering a minor in Sociology. 


ME: Do you believe community college was a good choice for you? why?

BELEN: For me it was a good choice. It gave me the opportunity to grow up more, and take my education more seriously. I wasn't ready to leave home right after high school, but now I'm more than ready to leave.


ME: What is a positive about going to community college? What is a negative aspect of community college?

BELEN: A positive about community college is that it allows you to mature and to realize what you really want. And you save a LOT of money, on books, tuition and housing. A negative may be is that if you don't take it seriously you will get stuck at AHC and not want to continue to a 4 yr.


ME: What type of programs are helping you stay on track with transferring?

BELEN: The types of programs that helped me stay on track were CAN (it is like AVID), and the Achieve Program which certain students are chosen from the SB Scholarship Foundation. Also, talking to a counselor and going to a transfer counselor too. That is a MUST!


ME: Any other advice you would like to give to students who will be attending Community College next year?

BELEN: Take it seriously. At the beginning it may seem as high school, but once you begin to mature you will see how serious and crucial it is to stay on track if a person wants to transfer to a 4 yr. and go talk to a counselor ASAP!! They will give you a student plan in which shows what classes you need to take and it plans it by semester.

Does College Prepare you for the "Real World"?

Last school year, I did a presentation with some of my classmates and my section was specifically on college and if it actually prepared you for the real world. Mine is actually the third topic but all of them are very interesting.

Rise and Shine Seniors!

Don't let senioritis get the best of you.

Advice from a UCLA Student

Andrea is a fourth year Political Science major at UCLA.

ME: What's a negative aspect about college?
ANDREA: Its really expensive especially for minorities and undocumented students and I also don't like that a lot of them are discourage from going to college because of our society and its culture. Personally, a negative about UCLA is that it is on a quarter system so it goes really really fast so its really hard to take a breather. I took a year off which really helped but a lot of people want to finish fast but usually taking a breather helps.



Me: Do you think college prepared you for the real world?

ANDREA: Hmmmm....No. Some do, it depends. I would say joining organizations because a lot of them help you with social and professional skills. In classes, you really don't learn anything for the real world.

Me: How did you get involved with your school? orgs, greek life, clubs, ect? How did they help you?
ANDREA: One thing is orgs always are looking for people to join so they will search for you and it's all a matter of finding the right one for you. I would suggest looking around and testing the waters because there are so many different ones. There's like dance organizations, art organizations, community service organizations and ones that include all of that in one.

Me: What's the best advice you've gotten from anyone while in college or about college?
ANDREA: The advice that I always hear is to do internships and network. Usually that advice is from alumni who either regret not doing it or alumni that did it and it helped them a lot just because college is academic. Especially UC's, Cal states prepare you more with finding a job after college but UC's don't because they're very researched based and it's really not part of their curriculum. UCLA has this thing called BruinWalk where you can rate your professors. So search for a website at your school that rates your professors because a professor either makes or breaks your class. So if you can find our about a professor before you register for a class that really helps.



Me: What stresses you out the most in college?
ANDREA: Well I had a job, an internship, I was part of an org and I was taking classes so it was really hard to juggle midterms and finals. So balance your time and measure what you can handle.

Me: Do you regret not going to community college?
ANDREA: Yes and no. Yes because community college is cheaper and people who transfer from community colleges tend to have higher GPA's and they tend to have their shit together. Because when you jump into UCLA,  it feels like you have to catch up with everyone and it's a lot more competitive. Very very competitive, people are crazy there! So going start to college, you kind of have to learn as you go where as if you transfer you are already trained to be in college so it helps.

No because some transfers want to stay longer but they have a max of 3 years so sometimes they get kicked out.

Me: How was your colleges food?
ANDREA: Very very good! They're probably the number one in the nation but you have to be careful because you can gain weight...I gained weight. But some college campus' food is wack compared to UCLA...that's what I've heard.

Me: What are the professors like in college compared to high school teachers?
ANDREA: Some professors care like the ones in high school but if you go to a big school, you don't really get to know them. Until you get to the upper divs which are classes more into your major. The way they are, some of them are even more open because in high school you have age restriction so the teachers can't talk freely where as professors can tell personal stories...but it depends. Some are just really cool like one was like "I'm really hungover right now guys so just bear with me." but he was a REALLY good professor.

Talk to people, work in study groups...that helps a lot! Find your study vibe like I can't study in libraries because I fall asleep so I study in coffee shops. Find your destresser as well like some people do sports as their way to destress, some people party and others go home to family. It's all different but it's important to find your personal destresser.

Me: Any advice to people who are going to UCLA specifically? 

ANDREA:Do FSSP, the summer program. It's for minorities and people who are underprivileged. Also if you're South Campus (once you're at UCLA you'll understand), so if your major is more science based, people aren't going to be your friend like they won't share notes and help you out because they're more competitive . If your major is more social sciences and stuff people are much more friendly. So try to get to know people, get involved, its a really big school so don't get overwhelmed. Go to the Student Activities Center and it will make the school a lot smaller. It's a really good resource. Oh and go to football games...and that's it.  

Pro's and Con's of Attending a College with a "very good reputation".

Even though people don't like to admit it, everyone does want to go to a university with prestige. UCLA did a survey of 203,967 first-year students at 270 U.S. four-year colleges and their number one reason for choosing a school was because the college has a "very good reputation". So we are picking schools because we will "look good" going to them? We mentally rank these schools and automatically assume that generally, people who go to UCLA are much smarter than people who go to Cal Poly.Why are we choosing our schools with reputation in mind?  Is it to show off? Is it because of the promise of a better job? What ever reason it is, there are pros and cons to this issue.

Pro: When finding a job, saying you graduated from a prestigious university "looks good" on your resume. 
My sister is graduating from UCLA this year and is now applying for jobs. Lets say she is competing for a job with someone from Northridge. They have the same qualifications except that they came from different schools. They would pick my sister over this Northridge grad because she is from UCLA. This not only works to my sisters advantage but also the companies advantage because they can boast about their UCLA grad as an employee. People, employers will assume from the school you attend that you are smarter and more qualified.


Con: The prestigious route tends to be the more costly route. 
As most people know, attending a private can be much more costly than a state school or a community college. The difference can be $10,000 to $20,000 and at the end of your college education, someone from a private can be $100,000 in debt where as someone who went to a community college first and then transferred is $10,000 in debt.
At one point I thought I would be attending a community college next year and when I would tell people this, they would make this face

 and it would be followed by a whinny "whyyyy?", as if community college is where souls go to rot. In reality, community college, although it doesn't "look good" to go there, is a great stepping stone! This contrasts with a prestigious school because you much pay more but get to say "Oh yea...I go to Stanford ;)"

Pro: You worked too damn hard in high school to NOT attend a prestigious university!
As freshman, I think everyone, if not most of us were aiming for UCLA, USC, Stanford or Pepperdine. As the high school years flew by, most of us got distracted, lazy or maybe just more realistic and aimed for schools that we thought we would actually get into. But there were the few that kept working hard, didn't get lazy and didn't get distracted. They were the ones up late at night studying their butts off. They were the ones who still had their eyes set on those top schools. They were the ones who put blood, sweat and tears into their personal statements and they were the ones to get those USC, UCLA, and/or NYU  acceptances! They honestly deserved it.

Con: Although it is great to go to a school that "looks good", it does not define you in the work place or anywhere else. 
Remember that little example about my sister getting a job? Well let's say she does get the job but she's just a terrible worker and she has no idea what she's doing. The UCLA degree got her foot in the door but it doesn't guarantee her a permanent spot there because that can only be guaranteed by her performance, performance that a degree doesn't guarantee but is only assumed. Look at all the famous college drop-outs that made a name for themselves without the help of a college degree.









In the end, the important thing is not where you get the degree but what you do with that degree that matters.