My comments were from my own experiences. I think that the situation is going to be different for everybody. I personally wish I hadn't done it, but I have friends that wouldn't have done it any other way.
I agree that there is an ugly middle of the road where people don't get much financial aid. However, things like the CAL grant are also based on merit, which often pays for significant amounts of tuition. These grants are available for students whose families make up to $65,000-85,000... hardly leaving out the middle of the road people.
Once again, I was speaking from experience. Yes, your GE's will transfer if you follow the guidelines. However, the school I transferred to required that I take 3 additional GE classes once at the UC. My GE's all transferred, but there were additional requirements I had to take in order to obtain a degree from the UC.
The GE's were not actually what I was referring to here. There are certain major requirements at each school. I had taken a year of general biology and a year of calculus at the CC on a semester system. These classes transferred and I received credit for them. However, they did NOT satisfy the entire requirements for my major. 2 semesters of Biology didn't count as three quarters of biology. I ended up having to take the third quarter of general bio. Same thing with Calculus. My 2 semesters didn't cover everything they did in three quarters, so I had to take the third quarter of calculus once at the UC. It was not fun or easy taking the last quarter of a class a year after already completing that class. There was NOTHING I could have done differently at the CC to fix this. They only offered two semesters of calculus. These math units satisfied my GE's, but did not satisfy my major requirements.
The opportunities at a UC are innumerable compared to those at a CC. Why wait two years to get involved with activities that you love. I also worked 20-30 hours a week at both the CC and the UC. I had to work in order to support myself. If you get to live with the parents while at a CC, then this might be a reason to go to a CC. You might be able to save money for the years to come. I personally, lived in my own apartment since I was 18. I was never able to save money just because I went to a CC.
The school I transferred to had VERY limited dorms available to transfer students. It wasn't an option for 95% of the transfer students. I ended up moving to a big city where I knew no one. The UC campus was very large and my classes were hundreds of people. There was very limited opportunities to meet people, and it wasn't from my lack of trying. I really put myself out there, going to events, joining clubs, etc. I still didn't feel like I really belonged and had a good group of friends until my fifth year. Too long to wait for that "college experience" if you ask me.
This all being said, I received a good education at a CC. The classes are small, so you have access to the professors. They are always willing to help and answer your questions. This makes it easier to get decent grades in the medical school prereqs. At the UC's you often have 300 students to a class and you may never even speak to your professor. On the flip side, it can be very difficult to adjust from the small classroom on a semester system to a large classroom on a quarter system. If you begin as a freshman at a UC, you can adjust early on with everybody else. As a transfer student you are trying to adjust when you are just starting to take many of your difficult upper division classes.
I am NOT saying that going to a CC is bad or that it will hurt your chances of getting into medical school. All I am saying is that there are two sides to everything. It depends on what you want to get out of college. Money isn't everything and shouldn't be the only deciding factor.
