Starting Your Chemistry Education at a Community College

People attend community colleges for a number of reasons. Tuition is often lower than at other colleges and universities. Community college campuses are often located close to home, and they offer a variety of courses, allowing you to explore your options or develop your skills. If you intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree consider the following:

To ensure that enrolling in a community college is a good investment, students intending on pursuing a bachelor’s degree at another institution need to:

• Take courses that transfer and are at the appropriate level
  Save yourself time and money by taking classes that will transfer with you when you move on to another institution. You can get this information from the registrar at your school, or you may want to contact the registrar of the institution to which you hope to transfer.
• Start the sequence of science courses as soon as you can
  You can minimize the time needed to complete a bachelor’s degree program if you begin taking classes in your sequence in your first semester.

• List the colleges and universities to which you might transfer
• Meet with advisors at both transferring and receiving colleges/universities
• Ask about transfer policies
• Plan a schedule that will keep your options open
• Participate in orientation, advising programs and summer programs
• Find mentors

• Meet with advisors at both transferring and receiving colleges/universities
• Participate in student organizations, experiential learning opportunities, peer-led team learning, service learning
• Use academic resource centers
• Pursue research opportunities
• Develop your skills
• Find mentors