The stigma surrounding junior college

[uclabruin2005]

Hey guys. So I just wanted some opinions on what you think about junior college transfer students. You always hear that kids that go to a junior college are "lesser" than those who go straight to a university as if they are better. I really got offended when I overheard a girl in my class talking down about transfer students as if everything is so easy in JC and that they can't hang at a major university. Personally, I took the JC route as you might have guessed and got out of there with a 4.0 and took many of my prereqs there. Now I am going into my senior year at UCLA as a molecular, cell, and developmental biology major with a 3.89 gpa and will hopefully get that above 3.9 by the time I graduate. To me I feel that if you went to a JC and did well but also did very well at a major university it shows you can compete with the best of them regardless of transferring or not. How do adcoms view students like me?

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[Zoom-Zoom]

Hey guys. So I just wanted some opinions on what you think about junior college transfer students. You always hear that kids that go to a junior college are "lesser" than those who go straight to a university as if they are better. I really got offended when I overheard a girl in my class talking down about transfer students as if everything is so easy in JC and that they can't hang at a major university. Personally, I took the JC route as you might have guessed and got out of there with a 4.0 and took many of my prereqs there. Now I am going into my senior year at UCLA as a molecular, cell, and developmental biology major with a 3.89 gpa and will hopefully get that above 3.9 by the time I graduate. To me I feel that if you went to a JC and did well but also did very well at a major university it shows you can compete with the best of them regardless of transferring or not. How do adcoms view students like me?

I agree with your sentiments, and I'm fairly sure there's not a big stigma against transfer students as far as adcoms are concerned. I'm pretty biased against CC and even CSU students in general but I knew quite a few transfer students at my big university and always respected them for working hard enough to make the switch. They were usually more well rounded and more interesting than your average student who simply followed the path their parents laid out for them. It shows you're driven and doing what needs to be done. You go to a great school and will graduate with honors in a competitive major. Don't let others discount your accomplishment.

 

[ChinaDoll]

To me, I never have any thing against CC/JC transfer students and dont think they are "less good" than 4-year students.
A lot of students graduated and went to CC not because of their grades, but because of their family financial situation.
I have a friend who went to CC b/c his mom cant speak English. Going to a university means leaving his mom behind and he couldnt do it (There are only two of them.) So he ended up going to a CC near his house and took care of his mom..went to med school just like others..
So I dont think there is a big stigma against JC/CC...as long as you work hard and earn good grades..you will be just fine =)

 

[Appless]

As long as you do well at both the JC and UCLA it doesnt matter. The one caveat to that is if you took all of your pre reqs at a JC, which im fairly sure UCLA makes you take them all except possibly physics to transfer (one reason i did not transfer there myself) then you should take upper div bio classes to "prove" the JC was not a fluke so to speak. It sounds like you are so thats great. Two years of doing well in upper div bio and the JC thing is a non issue. FWIW, I transferred from a JC to UCI and im applying now, I dont think its really hurting me in any way.

The stigma comes from either A) you go to a JC do well, and cant maintain that level of success upon transferring. Or kids who say went to UCLA as a freshmen and took "harder" courses like o chem or physics at a JC so they could get an easy A compared to if they took it at UCLA.

 

[AlanAlanine]

the fact is JC courses are less rigorous than those at a 4 year university. I remember I took gchem at a JC and it was comparable to... a high school course.

but that surely is not to say that those who went to a JC and transferred are inherently screwed if they try to transfer. people will always say things like that, so just keep a thick skin, and prove them wrong like you did.

 

[MN premed]

I think that the community college issue when applying to med schools won't apply to you. I think that the problem is when the applicant has completed their prereqs or some of their prereqs at a CC, but they haven't taken upper-level courses (and performed well in them) at a university. The CC courses are going to be less rigorous, so an A in general biology there won't mean the same as an A at a university. But if you are taking upper level biology at the university and still getting A's, then they aren't going to care that you took the lower-level course at the CC. But for people who are non-science majors, they probably won't have as much upper-level credit to make up for the prereqs at the CC.

 

[Naijaba]

the fact is JC courses are less rigorous than those at a 4 year university. I remember I took gchem at a JC and it was comparable to... a high school course.

but that surely is not to say that those who went to a JC and transferred are inherently screwed if they try to transfer. people will always say things like that, so just keep a thick skin, and prove them wrong like you did.

This is a over-generalization. The OP who transferred to a UC probably went to a California Community College. I know for a fact that Irvine Valley College's (IVC) courses, especially physics, are fairly rigorous. IVC is #3 in terms of succesfully transitioning students to 4 year institutions. The only problem is that there ARE community colleges throughout the US (and in California) that have lowered the bar on their students.

You must keep in mind that there are many individuals who have immigrated to the US as adults. The community college system provides a necessary stepping stone for these individuals to reach academic success. It is in no way a negative reflection on them for having attended the CC system.

 

[uclabruin2005]

thanks for your responses. you guys definitely reinforced what i believed to be true...and i'll definitely keep workin hard to prove the haters wrong. UCLA Class of 2010!!!

 

[JumboShrimp]

I've had alot of UC kids in my CC classes who already graduated with a bachelors degree take classes at a CC....what surprising to me is that they come in all cocky like they will definately get an easy A, but they end up with a B haha. I just can't wait to start UCI in the fall!!