Community College VS Ivy League Schools

[SDMS12]

By saying Ivy League, i am referring to the most competitive colleges in America. So what does a Ivy League School have that a Community College doesn't? What are some Pros and Cons about these different, vastly ranked colleges.

[Thomas]

bragging rights harder classes better teaching sports more subjects

[JimyTheAssassin]

I'm not sure I totally agree with "harder" classes. Better teachers might be easier to prove though. I had plenty of CC classes that had a tough grading curve.. class of 25.. 1 gets an A, 3 get a B, 6 get a C, 12 get a D..the rest fail.. that was Chemistry. I got a C.

[ccbr01]

Well, many CC set you up for a four year university. If you just want to attend college once, I would say go for a four year university and get it done. What is your major? That greatly depends on what type of college to attend.

[evannnn67]

Ultimately undergrad doesn't make a huge difference if you're going to grad school. There's only so many ways one can teach English 101 or Calculus I.

[taelrak]

It depends on what you do for your future, but the "name" and reputation of a school does go a long way (all other things being equal).

For example, whether or not the quality of education you get is different *may* be debatable, but the *perception* is that you get a better education at an Ivy school and that classes are harder. Therefore when applying to graduate school, generally, the same GPA from two schools, they'll look more favorably on the school with the "harder" reputation (i.e. the higher ranked one).

Again, this is with all things being equal - obviously if your CC is well-known for being amazing in comp-sci, and you're doing grad school for comp-sci, then that's a different story.

Another reason is networking - the people you meet - professors, contacts, alumni, from top-tiered schools can form a better network than a community college.

Also, an Ivy school has the resources (monetary, human, and capital) to provide at least more opportunities for each student - both in the way of original research and facilities, as well as access to other people (professors, etc.). Having better professors, who engage in original research, for example, can directly improve the opportunity for the student body as a whole to learn more in that field. Thus it is also true in a sense that you can get a better education from an Ivy school than a CC school.

Finally, once you get into the job market, for the most part (obviously there are special exceptions), interviewers will look more favorably on a big-name school (much the same as graduate admissions departments). More conservative and larger firms in business, law, banking, etc. and job openings are more often than not filled via networks - and they will focus their recruitment and network efforts heavily on named schools.

Those are the Pros - bragging rights do count for a lot in today's market.

For cons, the biggest would be cost - CC typically cost a lot less than an Ivy school. However, the other side of that is - Ivy schools have a lot more money to give, and if you show need or merit, you're more likely to get scholarships and grants to cover much of your tuition.
The other side of that is - it's quite possible that graduating from an Ivy school will secure a salary that will allow you to pay back any loans relatively quickly, whereas the same might not be true for a CC - starting salaries are vastly different.

In the end, all college and grad school are, other than to accumulate some knowledge, is to give you the best stepping stone you can to your future career - via networks, knowledge, information, or skills. So whichever path will get you there in the best way and produce the best results is the way to go.

[huskyfan23]

Why go for the extreme of ivy league? They're just more presigious 4-year universities. Go to a CC and get a 2-year transfer degree and then transfer to a university.

[INEEDMONEY]

^ I somewhat agree with you taelrak. Reputation means alot. And you really can do good networking at these schools. Job placement in most cases will be good also (especially if you network).

I don't agree with Harder classes or better professors either actually.

I say the most important thing you can do in undergrad is get work experience (co-op, internship, work study) and NETWORK (professors, people on the job). Networking is such a big deal in the real world.

It's not what you know, it's who you know

[taelrak]

^ I somewhat agree with you taelrak. Reputation means alot. And you really can do good networking at these schools. Job placement in most cases will be good also (especially if you network).

I don't agree with Harder classes or better professors either actually.

I say the most important thing you can do in undergrad is get work experience (co-op, internship, work study) and NETWORK (professors, people on the job). Networking is such a big deal in the real world.

It's not what you know, it's who you know

Hrm, well classes may be harder because the competition overall is stiffer in an Ivy school. People who tend to do well academically focus on Ivy schools, and thus with a higher level of competition, grading curves become harder to beat - and in that way, classes may be harder. This also provides incentive for students to work harder however.

I stand by my statement about better professors. I don't just mean in the sense of teaching however - most of that is left to the students anyway, and a professor who focuses only his own research wouldn't necessarily be a good "teacher".

But professors are a resource far beyond just passing on knowledge - and it is at large named schools that you'll find professors who engage in original research, who publish well-known articles, and etc. Thus, it is through them that you'll have a better chance of being exposed to people and ideas that you otherwise wouldn't be able to experience at a smaller college.

[huskyfan23]

If anything I'd say the professors may actually be worse. They're likely famous in their field or else they wouldn't be teaching at a prestigious school. Because of this, they'll likely put their research ahead of their students. So better teachers? Probably not. More famous? Yes.