Pros and cons of Private & Community College?

What an interesting and unusual perspective. I've taught in both community college ADN and state university BSN programs, inlcuding participating in the applicant selection process in both situations. The issue I've encountered with both types of programs is that, because they are more affordable, there are many, many, many more applicants than there are "slots" in the program -- the state uni BSN program in which I taught had >4 times as many applicants every year than the program could accept, and that's not an uncommon ratio. I understand it's much worse in some other parts of the country. In my experience (in both types of programs), no one involved in the admissions process was getting any kicks out of exercising "power"; it was a rather sad and unpleasant process, and everyone took their responsibility to make the best choices possible for the school, the public, and the individual applicants very seriously. Some method has to be used to determine which few applicants end up getting into the programs; if you don't like schools using GPA, what do you propose as a fair means of selecting applicants? (And keep in mind that whatever process you propose would have to be defensible in court whenever a disgruntled, disappointed student or her/his parents sues you because of feeling s/he was not treated fairly in the admissions process ... :))

I hear what you are saying. But how do you justify comparing a CC credits to an institution like GA Tech? But you are right, there has to be some way to meter the results. But the only fair way is to meter what they take at THAT CC Courses in the averages, unless transferring in with all of the sciences which is rare, and science is the meat of the programs anyway.

BUT to bias towards the CC preferences, they average all the credits as the same regardless of where and how many decades ago they were taken, WITHOUT the opportunity to retake subjects.

But that's all part of the cost/benefit of CC AT MY PARTICULAR site anyway. I just feel the responsibility and judgements of all the layers of miscommunications between counselors, registrars, and the scrambled matrix of administrators above, have come up with a suboptimal system to measure academic strength and performance. They want the revenues, 1st time RN test results, and then they all have their biased priorities scrambled in. The students really 'look' like a lot of lost soles, but it was that way in the first 2 years of my first State University degree too (ha-ha). And that is ALL FINE.

The CRUX of the matter is THE PROGRAM ADMIN IN ANY LEVEL IS SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH EACH AND EVERY APPLICANT DEVIATION through DUE COURSE: NOT A "NO-EXCEPTION" to a flawed filtering policy with a scrambled bunch of technician level employees ALL saying different policies sending students in all directions. I WILL storm in the Nursing Admins office this week (and then readjust, JUST to make it by the gatekeeper), but I will prepare for my intended course of action beforehand which does NOT rely on their (un)timely actions.

I live in an area with very corrupt government, and the educational facility should be no surprise. Except it is a very enhanced facility with very nice equipment. It earns every $74/semester hour taken needlessly for semesters/years so students loans are not called due. NOT ALL CC's mind you, but this particular one, despite some good instructors and excellent facilities. I cannot waste my life waiting on incompetent policies administered by an incompetent organization.

My experience is with 2 State Universities, 1 Private School (in Army), and 2 CC's - This is the 2nd Experience with this type problem. My first was when I started (1st State University) and did not know what I do now. And that's why I'm in trouble now (with this particular CC ONLY!) :sasq: