From Community College to Med School

If you’re wondering how to help your kids make it through college without a mortgage-size loan, consider the experience of Brittany Blackburn.  Her route to a full scholarship at Yale Medical School included stops at two community colleges.  According to a WalletPop article, spending the first two years at a community college can make a four-year and even a grad school degree much more affordable.  Amherst grad Latisha Wilson estimates that spending her first two years at a community college saved her $170,000.

For anyone hoping to transfer to a four-year school from a community college, the article recommended staying in touch with the admissions people at the school you’re planning to transfer to, and also consulting with the department they’ll be majoring to see what classes will transfer.

Did you go to a community college before transferring to a four-year school?  If so, what was your experience?  If you have kids, would you encourage them to consider going to a community college as a way to help afford a four-year school?  Why or why not?

2 Responses to From Community College to Med School

  1. Elaina April 9, 2010 at 9:25 PM #

    Our daughter didn’t think she was “college material” and worked for two years after graduating from high school. While working, she found out that she needed that “piece of paper” to move up in a company, so she went to community college for an associate’s degree. She then decided to see what would transfer to a nearby university and was able to transfer 3 years of community college credits and just go to the university for one year to get her bachelor’s degree. She really needed that couple of years after high school to mature more before going ahead to college, and for her, it was well worth it.

  2. Greg T. April 9, 2010 at 9:24 AM #

    Community College is a fabulous option and more people should consider it. Many kids go into college not knowing what to do. Changing majors can add 1-2 more years and with that an extra $30-40K per year. Many kids figure out what they want to do within the 1st 2 years..perhaps it takes being away from high school for a period of time to focus on what they really want to do in life. So spending $10K at a community college while they figure it out will save thousands in the long run. The negative is that typical community college students stay at home and do not experience the full “college experience”. That may or may not be a bad thing.

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