Questions about community college
LokiofSassgard
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I was just curious... are community colleges allowed to force you to take the four basic subjects (math, english, science and history)? I know these subjects would stress me out. I just want to take one class, and that's creative writing. I can't go to a university because I get homesick very severely. I've tried looking into online settings, but colleges refuse to accommodate me through them.
What should I do?
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At the colleges with which I am familiar, they require certain core courses to graduate with a certificate or degree. Otherwise, a student may generally take whatever courses he or she chooses (and has the prerequisite courses that allow it). If you want the degree, however, you may be required to complete the core courses.
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AspergersActor8693
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If you want to get an actual degree from a community college then yes, there are some basic requirements and numbers of credits that have to be met in order to graduate. The good thing about college is that even though there are some required subjects, you can pick the kind of class that you want to take under that subject. If you don't want a degree and would just like to take that one class, then that shouldn't be an issue. Talk with an adviser there to see what you can do and what is available. After spending about 2 1/2 years at CC one thing that I've learned is to register for your class(es) ASAP because they will fill up and if you wait till the last minute you won't have many desirable classes to choose from.
Good luck in CC if you decide to attend. It is a great and affordable way to start your college career. ![]()
LokiofSassgard
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Good luck in CC if you decide to attend. It is a great and affordable way to start your college career.
Well, they said in order to take the class I want, I have to take the required classes. That's what really gets me because I have no interest in retaking the primary ones all over again. I had enough stress getting through high school. The community college I thought of is amazing with disabled people. A person I know from a support group I used to go to told me that they gave her accommodations she didn't even need.
However, my mom tried calling and talking to them, so they said I was required to take them, even if it sort of goes against my special needs right now. D: She won't let me go to college because she knows I won't like it, but I really want to go. I want to learn more about writing and become a better writer. As of right now, I'm a self-educated writer, and that's not working out too well.
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AspergersActor8693
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Is it like an introductory course or is it a higher up level course? If it is a higher level course then there may be some prerequisites that you would need to take, which is common in college. My CC has a special program for people who want to take a particular class like fiction writing and others, though it isn't worth any credits. Does your CC have something like that? I've never heard of a college needing you to take basic requirement courses in order to take one class.
LokiofSassgard
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You do have a point. I just wish they would bend the rules just a bit, considering mt special needs. :/ However, I can understand if it's hard them. I mean if they do it for one person, they'd have to do for all of them, and that wouldn't really work out too well.
This community college I have doesn't have much for other writing classes that I could see, which really sucks. It doesn't even have a japanese class either, which is another subject I have great interest in.
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AspergersActor8693
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With my CC I had registered with their disability services office to get accommodations which helped me out tremendously. I had to provide legitimate documentation of my AS and anxiety, so not anyone can claim they need accommodations and those that did need them (like me) would get them. Each semester they would give me an 'alert' form to copy and I would give one to each of my professors, and they would be required to meet my accommodations. I have to imagine there is something like that at your CC, that could help you out quite a bit. I was able to record my lectures so I didn't have to rush with note taking and I got extra time on tests and exams in a quiet testing location. I have the same things at the university I just transferred to.
LokiofSassgard
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I don't know... I'm still having doubts because I had a hard time getting through high school. I mean, I want to go to community college and yet... I feel as though my mom has a right to prevent it from happening. :/
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AspergersActor8693
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The thing about college is that you don't have to go to it unlike high school, if you go to college that means you want to further your education and do well in life. The students that attend college are usually good students and aren't the jerks you may encounter in high school. I'm not saying there won't be anyone that isn't snobby or doesn't care about the work, but the percentage of students like that is nothing close to what it would be in high school.
If your mom is the one paying for it, then she should have a say in it. If you can prove yourself in one or two classes then you can take on more as you feel ready and your mom will see that this is something you want. Don't jump into it until you are ready and you have the things you'll need to succeed, because any poor grade you get is with you forever and can alter your GPA.
Also, one thing I tell people who are going to start community college is that community college IS NOT an extension of high school. If someone goes in with that mindset, they are going to find out the hard way that that isn't true, and their GPA will show it. I knew this right away and after my time there was finished and after a lot of hard work and determination, I left with a cumulative GPA just under 3.8. From my experience at my CC, the only big differences between a CC and a 4-year university is that everyone is a commuter and no one lives on campus. Otherwise it is just like any 4-year school.
Most universities will let you register as "non-degree seeking" if you just want to take some classes without filling any requirements. Try seeing if your community college has a non-degree seeking category for enrollment. You may also find adult education or continuing education programs that offer creative writing courses.
You could just Google the name of your town plus "creative writing" to see other place that have classes besides the community college. I know my own town offers arts classes through the park district.
LokiofSassgard
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If your mom is the one paying for it, then she should have a say in it. If you can prove yourself in one or two classes then you can take on more as you feel ready and your mom will see that this is something you want. Don't jump into it until you are ready and you have the things you'll need to succeed, because any poor grade you get is with you forever and can alter your GPA.
Also, one thing I tell people who are going to start community college is that community college IS NOT an extension of high school. If someone goes in with that mindset, they are going to find out the hard way that that isn't true, and their GPA will show it. I knew this right away and after my time there was finished and after a lot of hard work and determination, I left with a cumulative GPA just under 3.8. From my experience at my CC, the only big differences between a CC and a 4-year university is that everyone is a commuter and no one lives on campus. Otherwise it is just like any 4-year school.
I can get a loan from the VA (Veteran's Affairs) where my dad goes to IF I do go to college. So, paying for it isn't a problem. The big problem is that this is the ONLY closest community college to where I live. There's another one that has better options, but it's miles from where we live, and that's out of the question.
You could just Google the name of your town plus "creative writing" to see other place that have classes besides the community college. I know my own town offers arts classes through the park district.
There are no universities close enough to wear I live. I have no way of getting to them because I can't drive, and it's hard for my dad to drive long ways. He's the only one in our family who can drive. My options are extremely limited because of transportation.
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AspergersActor8693
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LokiofSassgard
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Nope, and even if there was, I wouldn't be able to use it alone. I'd have to have someone go with me because my brain tends to shut down when I have to do a lot of things occur at once. I get overloaded a lot by too much anxiety if I have to do things on my own. I also have a lot of learning delays in math, so that could also be a problem for me in college.
I don't think it's something I'm ready for. Now that I think about it. It was easier for me when I was in high school because I rode a special bus with a bus driver who understood I was disabled and had trouble with stuff like this. I think it'd be difficult for me all around because it's just something I'm not ready for at all.
It'd be too far for me to handle riding alone with someone who hardly knows me. If something were to happen, such as an overload or a meltdown, that person isn't going to know what else to do. I don't have any kind of identification on my that states I have varying special needs because I can't seem to find something that really works for me.
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