Starting CC at the age of 24

>starting CC at the age of 24
>very mature for my age
>open to any and all advice on how to get the best grades, stay motivated, make friends and generally make the best out of my education

Thanks and thanks anons

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Treat CC like college not community college I know that’s hard but it will help you a lot.
Figure out if you want to transfer to a university and talk to a CC counselor AND a unversity counselor to figure out best classes to take and what transfers .
Avoid online classes if you would actually like to get an experience out of it
24 is old by 18-19yr freshman’s yes but they won’t know unless you tell em. And they won’t care if they are decent people, there’s a reason saying 20somethings exists.
Please please please do not slack off or treat the classes as trash because they are at a CC, yes you might be able to coast and get an easy 4.0 but when you realize you can’t coast later and that you developed 0 study habits and how to work efficiently you’ll regret it.
understand while it might be embarrassing and feeling like your a lesser student your still learning shit and frankly if the credits transfer to a uni it’s because they are comparable and compatible.
They are people in the exact same boat as you in the same classes as you befriend them because they will make the experience infinitely better

Very good advice.

The biggest thing imo is to treat CC as a stepping stone. An Associate's is a good thing to have under your belt, but take CC seriously and act like a student. Try to be open to new things, maybe join a club or two, your age isn't too bad all things considered.

Do your work and reading on time, ideally a bit ahead of time. I know that seems obvious, but it really can't be overstated, and for a lot of people it's something that falls by the wayside once you discover you can coast pretty easily and still get good grades.

In college, even CC, you spend relatively few hours in classes compared to high school, but the amount of reading you should be doing is substantially higher. As such, you really need to set aside a block of time, like literally on a schedule, where you sit down and do readings every day.

Know the schedule for adding/dropping courses, specifically the last day you can add a course and last day you can drop a course. Ideally if a course is awful or impossible to get to in time, you can drop it and pick up another one, but if after a couple weeks (or however long you have) it turns out that a class (or a prof) is fucking horrible, do not be afraid to drop it.

This will sound silly, but it apparently helped a buddy when we were in law school and had 70-odd pages per week of readings for each class. Get some gummy bears or M&Ms or skittles or something for when you do readings, and only when you're doing readings. Lay the book out and put a snack next to each paragraph on the page. When you complete the paragraph, you can eat it.

This is something you'll hear a lot: Try taking notes on paper rather than a laptop. I wish I'd done this in law school. I'd have done a lot better.

Making friends is not hard. You'll notice that after classes people tend to go talk to the prof/ask questions while he's packing up. Make an effort to do the same. The profs like you better, and you can chat up your classmates while they're leaving the room too. Like imagine this conversation:
>You: Hey, that was a neat question you asked Prof. X; I'd not thought of underwater basket weaving as reflecting Sartre's existentialism.
>Them: Thanks, I'm a philosophy major so it's always on my mind.
>You: Neat. By the way, my name's user...

>An Associate's is a good thing to have under your belt
I don't actually agree with that, though I did go to CC prior to a four-year. For most people, an associate's is a terminal degree that you're getting with specific employment goals in mind. I just think it could send the wrong message (presuming, of course, your plans are to transfer on to a four-year school).

I get what you're saying, and I do agree that it can send the wrong message. I think going to CC just to get an Associate's and nothing further isn't worth it. But when it comes to getting an AA and then advancing to a 4 year to get a Bachelor's, it can be a really good idea. Students can save money by getting their Gen Eds done, and it can be easier for people with stable jobs or limited resources to get first.

This user Pointed out something very important, scheduling well is honestly how you succeed in school as well as rewarding yourself for your accomplishments, obviously don’t go overboard and get wasted for barely passing but be proud of your work and the effort you put into it, your professors will pick up on as well as your fellow classmates, you would be surprised how far a good honest professor is willing to go for a good honest student

I'm saying you don't need to get the AA when you transfer. I didn't do that. I just took classes and focused on transferring.

In fact, to the extent that an associates degree has upper level courses, it's possible that those classes won't even transfer. I had this happen with some classes.

Not op but I started my first class last week, I think I'm going to withdrawl. I don't think it's for me, feels weird as shit.

What’s weird about it the atomsphere or the idea of college

>feels weird as shit
God that sucks. I was in love with it as soon as I started college. It was virtually everything I'd been promised while coming up through school. The people generally wanted to be there, the profs were passionate about what they taught, there was more time for recreation and reflection...

Community college is for people that couldn't make a real college so you see a lot of people of questionable character. Like chain smoking moms, ex convicts, dirty hippies.

It varies a LOT depending on the quality of the community. If you're in a boring, affluent suburb you'll mostly see people age 18-22 who probably aren't so bright.

kys

I started at community college because I couldn't afford 4 years at a university. I make almost 100k/year now you little faggot and I have zero student loan debt.

I think the idea of it.
I guess what it boils down to is I thought it would be more hands on so to speak instead of like tests and homework and projects.

I have to go thru a bunch of hoops to see if I even qualify for a refund.

This is my goal right here. I went into trades after highschool but ultimately it's not for me and I want to do something more.

>I guess what it boils down to is I thought it would be more hands on so to speak instead of like tests and homework and projects.
Ah, you're thinking of trade school then.

There are some CC classes that are like that, but those are almost exclusively part of IT certification programs, which are one of the few places where CCs actually teach trades. Some will also have welding and shit. But the associates degree programs will all progress like an abbreviated four-year degree; you'll take some general education classes as well as some in your concentration, and they'll all be classroom teaching on some level.

considered trade school or apprenticeships? my brother was disillusion by college, he thought it would be some playground of free thinking ideas and exploring all the possible correct answers not just the most immediate, he instead became a piano technician, he works for a very sincere old man who just crafts and fixes pianos for symphonies and families, he told me the greatest feeling he ever had was when they restored an elderly couples Grand that they brought them together, and the tears of happiness and fond memories flooding over them again like they were new. When he's not on call or working on a piano he just sits in the workshop composing music, it sounds ultra comfy and fulfilling to me frankly.

many CC professors are lazy and re-use past tests. make friends, audit classes. get past tests. itll make your life easy.

theres a lot of hot girls at CC,beware of their traps lol

doing well in CC is easy and great way to boost GPA for med school, etc.

>Taking notes
Get a laptop. Except for math having a laptop will allow you to take organized notes, and you'll have them in one central location where you can easily access them.

>Getting homework done
Do it as soon as its assigned. In the beginning of the semester you won't have many assignments so it will be easy to procrastinate. After midterms the pace picks up 10x, all those assignments you procrastinate will stack up

>Studying
If you took good notes, this should be simple

If you need to memorize terms, flash cards. And don't just try to memorize 100 flash cards in one go. Pick out 10-15, drill those 10-15 cards into your brain, then pick another 10-15 cards and drill those into your brain, then combine those 2 stacks and re drill that info into your brain. Review till the whole stack is memorized.

Also, READ YOUR TEXTBOOK.

>Class
Go to every class, even if it seems pointless. If something happens in your class, and you talk to your professor, they'll be much more likely to help you out if they see you in class every day. CC professors ESPECIALLY

>I don't understand the assignment/this topic
OFFICE HOURS
I use office hours for all my professors at least once a semester. You literally aren't bothering them. No one ever fucking takes advantage of office hours, professors love it when students use their office hours (don't come in and ask them to go over the entire lecture though. Come in prepared with questions to ask)

>Starting assignments
You just have to start them. If an assignment is really big, then refer back to my earlier advice of getting your work done as soon as its assigned. If you start a big project thats due in 2 weeks, break it up into pieces.

>If you need to memorize terms, flash cards. And don't just try to memorize 100 flash cards in one go. Pick out 10-15, drill those 10-15 cards into your brain, then pick another 10-15 cards and drill those into your brain, then combine those 2 stacks and re drill that info into your brain. Review till the whole stack is memorized.
This saved my ass when I was studying for the bar exam. I really wish I'd gotten into doing flashcards fucking 14 years before when I'd started college.

I started around the same time. It was really cool. You're mature enough to not get swept into all the popularity shit that the kids who are just there for the financial aid refund are into. Those kids end up failing out after a couple semesters.

The teachers will respect you because you're older. That confidence will carry over and girls will be interested in you too. I wouldn't worry about making friends there as much as acquaintances.

Check your syllabus at the beginning of each semester and add those dates to your calendar. Manage your time. Don't take out student loans until you're at a real university unless it is absolutely necessary. Be engaged in class discussions. This isn't high school, not caring isn't cool anymore. The kids who do care are the ones who get ahead.

What are your plans after your associates? I transferred to a top 50 University after 3 semesters at CC and I only had a GED before that. This can be a very good start to your academic career.

>I bet this cuck paid for a private school too

Thanks for the advice user. How was the transition into "normal" college?

And for your question, my heart is in physical therapy, but I know I can excel in construction management field.

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