Tulsa Community College

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TCC Campuses Rated/Tips and Tricks:

Metro Campus TCC (downtown Tulsa) - This was my favorite campus. It had the broadest range of students and a more laid back atmosphere than the other TCC campuses I attended. In addition, it was easy to find my way around - it being a vertical building - but since they started remodeling I can't even find the bathroom these days. Still, the sunsets from the 6th floor are sure pretty and 90% of the teachers are human, friendly, approachable, and are fair in the amounts of homework they give out.

Southeast Campus TCC (closer to Broken Arrow) - I started out here but didn't like the overall atmosphere. The campus is beautiful and all brand-new, but a lot of the teachers treat you like a kid - this is irritating as an 18 yr old I would think, and it's completely unacceptable to me in my 30's. I did have a hand full of very good teachers here, but it's slim pickings. This campus seems to attract a lot of the younger students (probably because it's closest to residential Broken Arrow) and it also seems to have the hardest teachers/classes. I work hard, I have no problem with it, but at this campus I found some of the classes to be really grinding with the amount and intensity of homework and/or expectations. If I take a class here, I research the heck out of the teacher and class well beforehand.

Northeast Campus TCC (north Tulsa)- I only took one class here so I haven't got much to say about it. I didn't like the campus much at all. The classrooms were set up in such a fashion that I literally felt very much like a rat in a maze like you might see in a science experiment. It took me quite awhile walking around in circles to find the class. The class itself was okay, and the mix of students seemed to be 50% young kids and 50% nontraditionals.

West Campus TCC (west Tulsa) - I never took a class here so I can't say anything about it.
TCC Tips and Tricks:

1) Since there are so many different teachers at all the different campuses, do yourself a favor and go to RateMyProfessor.com and find out which professor to take BEFORE you even sign up for that jerk that is going to give you an C no matter what you do - yes, they are out there!

2) DO NOT take College Algebra at Southeast campus TCC. Even if you pass it with an A, this particular TCC campus makes you take another "special Southeast Campus exam" over College Algebra. If you fail it, you must take College Algebra over again even though you got an A for the class. Not cool. The other TCC campuses don't do this asinine testing.

3) Take Honors classes. Do it early, start your first semester. They are easier than regular classes. Really. I am not kidding. You don't need any special GPA to take them, and they look good on your college transcript. If you can get your GPA to a 3.5, sign up for the Honors Program and try to graduate with Honors or as an Honors Scholar (Scholarships, baby! Free money just for going to school!). Besides, Honors classes are also more fun than regular classes, less busywork and more discussions (this translates to less homework). If you want to graduate with Honors though, you're going to have to have 5-8 classes in Honors classes and most of those are in your general education classes that you have to take your first year - thus do it early or you may not be able to get all the Honors classes you need in time to graduate with Honors if that's your goal. I found this out a little too late, hopefully you won't.

4) Internet classes. These can either be fantastic or totally awful. Making sure you have the right programs on your computer and can figure out how to use the electronic drop box (it's really not too hard) and making sure you send your paper you spent hours typing in the right format can be irritating. Especially when you don't find these things out until after the class has started and your deadline to get the paper in the drop box is a half hour away. If possible, sign on to your internet class a week early and keep checking, some teachers post stuff before class starts. Also, don't forget to do the Online Orientation before the class starts or else you can't access the darn thing. If you get all that straight, your only other problem with internet classes may be the teacher....Do they respond to your emails? Can you figure out what they want from you and where to go on the site? Are you going to have to run down to school half the time (some internet classes require that - which defeats the purpose I know but...) Some teachers are so confusing and confused with the internet teaching that they will cause you to be incredibly frustrated and may even be detrimental to your grades. Again, it is very good to check with RateMyProfessors.com. Teachers that "aren't clear", especially when it comes to the internet, almost guarantee you aren't going to learn anything except how to be frustrated and no telling what kind of grade you'll get. BUT - if you do have all the technical requirements on your computer and a good teacher, you can have a fantastic internet class. The discussion boards make for better discussions than I've had in many a classroom. Plus, you can do it in your bathrobe and slippers at 3 in the morning if you want.

5) If you are pre-med, pre-pharmacy etc. sign up for Science Club. All you need to do is email or call the teacher that is putting it on and I think you meet once a month or something. It helps on your getting into med school or pharmacy school or whatever. Research it more indepth if you're headed that way, a lot of students don't seem to realize that they need to do a lot of little things like that before applying to those kind of schools. I never did apply for any of the clubs at TCC but from what I could tell, they were easy enough to join and it wasn't as intimidating to get in as it might be at another college. Very laid back.

6) Sign up for your financial aide, then your classes. The faster you can sign up for your classes, the better. Good teachers in certain subjects can fill up their classes 3 days after the new enrollment for that semester begins . This is where online enrollment comes in handy, you can do it faster this way and the computer tells you if your classes conflict with each other timewise. If you can't get into a class you want, check back the weekend before classes start, people that haven't paid for the class get dropped and you can sometimes get in. TCC dumps people that haven't paid every weekend, so check back the following weekend too.

Well, that's it. I hope that my info helps someone out there. I've learned a lot of book knowledge in college which makes me feel educated :-) but I wanted to help others have a smoother transition into college if possible. It's my way of giving back. Cheers and best of luck to you whatever college you decide upon!

3rd Year Female -- Class 2005

Individual Value: A+, Social Life: D

If you are a non-traditional student (going back to school after many years, didn't graduate HS, or a concurrent HS student looking to get college credits out of the way, etc.) then TCC is a good place to start.

If you just graduated from high school, and are fairly bright -- go to a university. More than likely, you'll be happier there, get a better education (even if it DOES cost more!), and make better contacts and friends.

This school is geared more towards working adults than anyone else.
There are some clubs, like Student Government, but they are very small. Don't expect to make a lot of friends here.

There are only a few good professors, the type who make you want to learn and you actually learn something from. The rest of them don't know how to teach, give you stupid, irrelevant busy work, are cocky, hateful, or boring. Some of them don't even have master's degrees. Like I said, if you are a non-traditional student, TCC is great. Otherwise, go to a 4-year university.

1st Year Female -- Class 2006

Surrounding City: A, Social Life: F