Joan Isaac Mohr
Vice President and Dean of Admissions
Quinnipiac University
You should explore the benefits and downsides of each option if you’re asking yourself this question. After one year of college, you can often transfer to a four-year school having some academic work behind you other than your high school transcript. Economically, a community college is a great cost-effective way to start your education. They also provide some basic courses if you need to strengthen your skills in math, English, or writing. You should be taking the appropriate courses to make transferring easier by completing the basic core curriculum distribution required by most four-year colleges. Staying until you’ve completed your associate degree is a great option since many public and private colleges and universities have articulation agreements (formal agreements that certain coursework at one institution will be accepted at another institution for credit) that will ensure that if you take the appropriate courses at a community college, you’ll likely be able to transfer and complete the bachelor’s degree in two years.
If you stick to your community college, use this Helpful Two-Year Timeline for Transferring Colleges to plan ahead for next year.