Community College--How can I find out if it's a "good" one?

[strider]

I feel like an idiot asking this, but how can I find out what quality my local community colleges are?

I am very, very fortunate to live in an area that offers several community colleges within easy driving distance. There are two that are just 15 minutes from me (opposite directions), there are two 45 minutes from me (one west and one north) and yet another about an hour or possible 75 minutes from me.

I still have a couple years before dd hits high school, but I am obsessing about whether or not we would continue homeschooling, and if we did what it would logistically look like. Dd would need to take science either at cc or at a local private school, and we also have foreign language to consider (advanced Spanish, and/or starting another language for fun).

Is there some sort of board out there that evaluates community colleges? I am not sure whether to look purely at distance/convenience, or try to shop around for the best possible quality.

Thanks.

[SandraDumas]

My community colleges guarantees all credits for all of our state colleges.

[DollyM]

Are you wondering if they have accredidation? Or if one can receive rigorous academics there?

All I know is that I read the student newspaper of one local CC and determined right then that DD would not attend. Later, in fact, she DID attend (12 credits 4.0 Dean's List) and the credits have been accepted to her 4year university of choice. We've decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth :rolleyes::cool:

[Sue in St Pete]

I feel like an idiot asking this, but how can I find out what quality my local community colleges are?

Thank you for asking this! I don't think you should feel like an idiot. I have been wondering the exact same thing, and I'm not an idiot :p

We must be long-lost twins. Ds is in 6th grade, and I am obsessing about whether or not we would continue homeschooling, and if we did what it would look like.

I am an academic snob, thus the wondering about the quality of the local college. Students are allowed to attend at 15 for FREE. As Dolly says, why look a gift horse in the mouth? I have determined that the first classes ds will take are Spanish and Biology.

[karensk]

...a few months ago, I spent some time at the website of a university (in our state) we're interested in sending our dc to. I found a list of community colleges in Texas that the university accepts credits from; I think it even listed which specific classes (even down to the course number at the CC)they accepted as transfer credits from which specific CCs.

So, maybe try some university in your area?

HTH!

[Eliana]

I met with professors and spoke with the dean of the math and science department.
I spoke with professors at the University of Washington and got their opinions.
I observed some classes.
I looked at the statistics for the student body - what percentage of students transfer to a 4 year school (and which schools)? And in what areas of study? etc, etc

The CC we chose, has an outstanding Math and Science department (some of the regular classes are the equivalent of honors classes at the University.), a high percentage of transfer oriented students, a very high reputation at the local University for its Math and Science program, and a lot of support for its transfer students. (Another local CC, however, has a great ESL program, a decent high school completion program, and some good vocational tech areas, but very weak standards for the classes we are interested in.)

You can also look at the texts they are choosing for the classes, the online syllabi, etc.


This is a great question, btw!

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know about our experiences.

Eliana

[GVA]

I've been teaching part-time at CC's for nine years now, and the quality does vary. I would ask these questions:

1. What percentage go on to 4-year institutions?
2. How closely does the CC work with the 4-year institutions in terms of using the same books, the same course content summaries, etc.?
2. Are there transfer agreements with 4-year institutions (this is a measure of what those schools think of the CC grads), and which institutions do students go to after CC?
3. What percentage of classes are taught by adjuncts and how are adjuncts mentored/monitored to make sure that they're just as good as the full-timers?
4. In your terminal programs that require certification, how many pass the professional certification (this indicates whether they're rigorous even for those who don't go on)?

HTH!

[strider]

Thanks for your feedback. Your suggestions are really helpful. I guess I need to spend a little time researching now. :-D