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This is my opinion of the US higher education system. Do you agree, Drew?

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 17th, 2006 at 06:16:06 PM EST
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In general, absolutely.  However, my experience with how community college students are viewed is different, in that no one has ever held it against me.  In fact, many admire it, especially if you're headed to prestigious schools for graduate school.  I had a classmate in sociology who is now headed to Smith University.  She was a community college grad, and now she's headed to the most prestigious women's school in the country.

There's no shame, whatsoever, in community college.  As I said, most people I know who went straight to the universities from high school ended up drunk and stoned for the first two years.  Many flunked out and ended up in community colleges, anyway.  And they're all spending more than the traditional four years in school, whereas my fiancee graduated in only three and a half years with her degree, and I finished within the same period with two degrees.

Once you get beyond the introductory coursework, which is offered at any community college, I think it's better to have professors who are more concerned with research, since they're more able, in my experience, to walk you through complex concepts and demonstrate the concepts' usefulness, from an academic standpoint.

What will be interesting to see is whether states will begin making it their policies to have all students first attend community college for the first two years, and then to have them move on to the universities.  I think it would be a mistake, and would crowd out the students who want and need to remain local and keep fees down, but I'm hearing more and more talk of it in the local press here in Tallahassee.  I guess the state legislature and the governor are thinking about it.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Tue Jan 17th, 2006 at 07:23:06 PM EST
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She was a community college grad, and now she's headed to the most prestigious women's school in the country.

By the way, you mentioned others viewing CCs as being where brown people go to school.  My old classmate is black, grew up poor, and damned if she's not pulling ahead of everyone.  Just goes to show the truth in your point about smart kids finding a way.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Tue Jan 17th, 2006 at 07:27:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"This is where brown kids go to school" is something I heard Sherman alexie say during a talk at Riverside Community College, to stress why he loved talking at CCs.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 18th, 2006 at 03:51:23 AM EST
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