Should I stay, or should I go?

Well, it's that time of year where many students are wrapping up their first year of college and may be wondering if they are ready for transfer to a four year college or if they should remain another year to finish out their community college experience.

If you find yourself in this very situation, I challenge you to stop and think about the benefits of earning an Associate's Degree prior to transfer.

Having an Associate's Degree may make your coursework more transferrable.
Especially when transferring within state to a Regents school, an Associate's Degree (of Science or Arts) is more likely to be considered by a university as having satisfied all of your general education requirements.  This means you can arrive in junior standing and begin taking focused coursework in your major.

An Associate's Degree can serve as a major stepping stone.
By completing a body of work in the form of an Associate's, you will have earned something that can never be taken away.  Consider the worst-case-scenario of a student who decides to transfer short of a two year degree and encounters something down the road that forces them to withhold from school, or "stop-out".  As a junior then, the student will have taken a number of classes with nothing tangible to show for it, whereas the Associate's degree would allow them to enter the workforce for awhile and return later on prepared for nearly ANY major.

Small classes with big-time help.
Completing the Associate's degree at NCCC allows students to take what are typically large lecture classes (100-400 students!) at universities in a smaller class setting at the community college campus.  Through the CAVE and STARS, students can also receive free tutoring in virtually any class needed while attending NCCC.  This allows students to develop skills needed for upper level courses in a one-on-one setting while at NCCC.

Easy on the wallet.
In a struggling economy, money is tight.  You can stretch your dollar further by paying less for a credit hour and/or living at home while you take general education courses that will be required for any degree.  This can make a four-year degree seem a lot more affordable!