Seattle Community College North Campus

Date: May 19 2009
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
After graduating high school, I decided to attend NSCC to complete my transfer degree instead of immediately going to a state college/university.

Looking back on it, I would recommend that those who have the opportunity to take “Running Start in high school should jump at the opportunity, since it saves you a lot of time, and its free. Being among the many “average students cranked out of the Seattle Public Schools, I was fully unprepared for a 4-year college directly out of high school. NSCC is a great place to brush up on the skills you need for success, and it undoubtedly forced me to re-learn basic college skills that were glossed over in high school (writing essays, doing research, etc)

At the beginning of my second year, I could already feel the monotony setting in. At NSCC, the academics arent super rigorous beyond a certain threshold (which is the case at all community colleges, since courses only go up to the 200-level). If you go here, I certainly hope you have a social life at work or high school, because there is NO social life at this school. Many of the students are international students, and cluster together in large packs, with the rest being Running Start students or working adults (largely over 25).

The professors are topnotch, and have the same credentials youd see at 4-year Universities. PhDs from the UW, Stanford, UCLA, Norte Dame, etc Overall, the professors at this school are great, but be sure read online reviews of professors (google it), because there are a few rotten apples. They are always available at office hours, and as is the case with most schools, students rarely show up. Visiting their office hours can get you an extra couple tenths-of-a-percent come grading time “ it shows that youre serious about the material, are actively seeking help, and want them to remember your name. If you get to know your professors and let them get to know you, you can develop pretty cool friendships with them. I know a few that I will be in contact with years from now (theyre that cool).

Budget cuts are hitting all colleges hard right now, and the course offering are dwindling, but in this economy, why would you pay 4x as much to take the same courses at a 4-year college that you could take at a community college, like NSCC? Not needing to take out student loans to complete my bachelors is the only reason I need to give NSCC an “A grade, in my book.