In pursuit of astrophysical degree, need advice

[kruszec]

Good evening,

My name is Zach, I am 22. I am currently interested in an astrophysical degree and I'm not sure exactly what to do. I recently separated from the military to pursue an education. I didn't do too well in high school so my plan is to go to community college for two years, so I can hopefully get accepted into a larger university. My question is does it matter greatly where your undergrad degree comes from, or mainly your grad degree. Any other additional advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Student100]

You can transfer into a good undergrad program from CC. UG matters in that the resources and undergrad opportunity that would be available to you are generally better at large research schools.

What state are you in?

 

[kruszec]

I am in Ohio currently. I will be moving to Texas soon though.

 

[Student100]

Ah, I don't know how Texas CC -> 4 Year transfer works. So I can't be any assistance on that front, you might want to make an appointment with a counselor at your school after you do the placement tests. They will know any programs available for CC transfer students, and any specific programs they have that vets can take advantage of. (We get grandfathered into the ULINK program for the California Community College system)

Depending on where you place into for math and English will determine how many years you have till transfer. If you’ve forgotten most of your high school algebra you should probably plan on being there for three years. The counselors will also be able to point out any articulation agreements they have with nearby universities, and what courses you should take before transfer to fulfil lower division requirements.

 

[kruszec]

OK, that makes sense. My goal is to end up in the university of Chicago. Is it possible to transfer from CC to chicU to finish out my BS and grad degree?

 

[Student100]

OK, that makes sense. My goal is to end up in the university of Chicago. Is it possible to transfer from CC to chicU to finish out my BS and grad degree?

Out of state transfers are something I know little about, but it's often a grey area of whether your courses done in Texas will meet the requirements of the school in Chicago.

CC's normally have articulation agreements between certain universities for which courses are guaranteed as transferable. Out of state, it's much harder to say, and most likey will come down to someone reviewing your transcript and deciding which courses are transferable.

Maybe going to CC in Chicago would work better for you? I don't know if that's possible for your situation. Regardless, you should make an appointment with the transfer/vet counselor at the CC you enroll in after you take the placement exams, and make clear that your goal is out of state transfer. You can also call the school in Chicago and ask them to do a review of your planned courses, and whether they will meet the requirements for their lower division requirements.

Also, what does the universities website say about out of state transfer?

 

[kruszec]

Liberal arts courses carrying at least three semester hours or four quarter hours of credit and passed with a grade of C or better (in some cases, a grade of B or better is required) from an accredited two- or four-year institution.*‡
The College grants credit for some Advanced Placement examinations with scores of 4 or 5, but not for CLEP, USAFI, or correspondence course work.
* Courses in pre-calculus and calculus and in foreign language (some must be validated by College placement examinations)

‡ Depending on the student’s major and on the level of work to be evaluated, credit for some courses in chemistry, physics, and biology may also be subject to examination.
That's straight from their site.

 

[Student100]

That may or may not basically shut you out right there. You could attempt the transfer, but keep other schools in mind as well. Get talking to people at the CC you're going to.

 

[TheKracken]

There are some great University's in Texas! Also, there are articulation agreements between most CC's in Texas and the UT's. You should look into that. They system is not nearly layed out as well like in California, but it still exists.