A haven for the undecided...
Written: Aug 04 '02 (Updated Aug 04 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Great class selection, majors, academics...
Cons: None, really.
The Bottom Line: A great community college, with great academics.
|
|
|
| xiphoid's Full Review: Nassau Community College |
Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York, is apparently one of the top community colleges in the nation. It’s run by the SUNY (State University of New York) system, which makes credit transfers run especially well with SUNY schools.
When I graduated high school, I went right to Rochester Institute of Technology for Electrical Engineering, and ended up changing my major too many times to count. After that first year, I decided to start taking courses at Nassau, where I could pick and choose from different subject areas to see what really interested me. So I was able to explore various majors, and accumulate credits at the same time.
There are many majors offered at Nassau, and when I signed up for classes, I chose the Liberal Arts and Science / Mathematics and Science Major. They do in fact get more specific, but the majors I was exploring for the future, mostly meteorology and astronomy, were too specific to be offered as majors at Nassau. They did however offer several specific Astronomy and Meteorology courses, as well as all of the related science and math course that I needed.
As seen from my experience, Nassau can be great if you’re just not sure what your interests are yet. Nassau is also great for those who can’t, or don’t wish to attend a four year school immediately after high school. It’s certainly more affordable at $90 per credit.
It’s also very common for other university students to take summer classes at Nassau to get credits out of the way. In addition, night and weekend course offerings make it easier for those who need to work during the day.
You may think that community colleges will somehow offer easier classes than four-year schools. I know many people who went to Nassau to take high-level math and science courses, such as Calculus and Physics, thinking it’d be a breeze. Well, Calculus is Calculus, and it really depends on your professor. Essentially it will be the same course at Nassau as it is at MIT. And don’t assume that Nassau won’t have professors as prestigious as four-year schools. Many of the professors also teach at other colleges, and take it from my experience; they can be as challenging and rigorous as they want. Community college does not denote “easy.”
So, my bottom line is that academics are a strong point at Nassau. Of all of the course I’ve taken, I can’t think of one that everyone would consider easy. For me, it was English 101 and 102. Those are required for every major, so I suppose they don’t make them too rough. There are certainly more intense English classes available for those interested in a more in-depth study.
As a note, keep in mind that summer classes are a great way to earn credits quickly. However, quickly means 5 weeks, and even less than that for the third Summer Session. I’ve taken Physics and Calculus during the summer, and it was the most intense thing I’ve ever done. Academically speaking. The classes are usually three or four hours, and meet almost every weekday. It’s very hard to learn and do well in that short time, and I’ve seen too many people try to breeze their ways through it. So, just remember that!
There’s also the Honors Program. If you earn a GPA of 3.5 or above, you’ll automatically be invited to take honors classes, which are smaller and more focused. This does show up on your transcript, so it’s a good idea! You can also partake in the entire Honors program, which is like a little honors school within Nassau.
Registration often requires that you visit the relatively new advisement center. If you know what you need and you’ve read the requirements for your intended major, then you’ll just need to get a signature. If you need some guidance, the advisors are there to help. Your advisor can even be a professor in your intended field of study. I found that the booklets the school provides were more than enough info and guidance that I needed. So, I just got the signature and went right to the Registrar.
My advice to you is to register early! The lines at the registrar can be pretty terrible. As of now, you can look up open course online, but you can’t register, so you still have to go down to the office. There is a dial-a-course, but that’s usually only open for evening course selections.
One of the best things about Nassau, is transferring credits. If you earn an Associate’s Degree, any SUNY school will give you full junior status, and accept the entire degree with all credits included! You’re also guaranteed admission to at least one SUNY school if you apply with an A.S.!
The campus at Nassau is easy to navigate. A map is included in the Nassau guidebook, which students receive before registering. Maps are also available online at their web site. The campus is not a huge one, but it’s more than sufficient. The only thing lacking is parking, but I’ve seen them expanding that recently. The campus is built around the quad, which is centered around the football field. The entire campus is actually an old Air Force base, and some of hangers are now a museum. There’s also a Navy community next door, which is separate from the campus, but I’ve seen people drive in by mistake.
Social life on campus is a little different than in four-year schools. This is mainly because it’s a commuter school, so everyone goes home instead of hanging out around campus. They o have a ton of clubs, from equestrian club to the outing club, and plenty of sports to keep you involved and social. Most of the club meetings are always open to non-members and new members, and movies are often shown on campus. There are also plenty of concerts that go on, as well as parties and other club-hosted events. The annual Folk Festival, which I frequent, is even held on campus!
There are also a few places to eat, included a cafeteria, and a couple of cafes on campus. If you have a car, you have easy access to restaurants and whatever else you could want off campus. If you don't, it's not too much of a problem. I've never had a problem finding a snack, especially with the abundance of vending machines on campus!
By the way, the library is a great place to be. Call me a nerd, 'cause I am. But the library is really the only place I'd go if I had a free minute. Not only are there book, but there are plenty of computers to use, movies to watch, music to listen to, etc. I typically went to the computer lab to check my e-mail, rate reviews (duh) and chat with friends. I also went to watch some movies in the media section, which comes in handy if you have to write a paper on a movie watched in class, since most of them are available for viewing.
I didn't spend all of my time in the library. I did make some friends! Although, I really only saw them in class, since we all went home at the end of the day, and I really didn't see any of them after classes were over. It was more of an acquaintance school than a friend school.
The students at Nassau come from all over the island, and range from full-time Nassau students, to visiting students, to older students earning credits towards a higher degree. I’ve even been in classes with people just eager to learn. .
Of course I've also been with a lot of slackers, who didn't do well in high school and decided to fail their way through college. In fact, there were definitely more at Nassau than most four-year schools, which seems to make sense. But that doesn't matter. I've seen too many people there who are really passionate about learning for it to make a difference. Some of them just couldn't afford to attend a four-year school yet, and decided to attend Nassau to gain a scholarship when they transfer. And obviously, some of them just didn't feel like they had enough direction to choose a major, or a school yet. Plenty of the students were there for the same reason I was. They had gone away to school, and weren't sure they had chosen the right direction.
I’m glad I decided to attend Nassau for a while before moving on. I was able to take a ton of course that really interested me, and the best part is that they count towards my Bachelor’s degree when I transfer them to school number 3. I’ve taken courses in Astronomy, Opera, Rock Music, Meteorology, and countless science labs. So, I finally decided to bite the bullet and major in meteorology. This decision was partially based on a wonderful professor I met at Nassau teaching a meteorology course. So if you’re not sure what you want to do, you really can’t go wrong.
You can visit Nassau’s official website for campus, degree, major, course, club, and other information…
Nassau's Official Site
http://www.sunynassau.edu/
See my review on Rochester Institute of Technology...
http://www.epinions.com/educ-review-3DDB-5B7CB1B-39399446-prod5
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.