Maybe I'm just being an elitist here, but to me this deal seems like it's cheapening the value of a Cornell education. I have no problem with students transferring to Cornell from a two-year school, but I like to think that they've excelled at that school in order to gain admission to Cornell. A 3.5 in community college classes, with no further considerations for extracurricular activities, disciplinary record, or anything else, is a pretty low threshold.
Moreover, the agreement essentially means that two years of study at Cornell (at least in HumEc) is equivalent to two years of study in community college in New Jersey. The agreement sends a message to HumEc students from New Jersey that they should have saved a lot of money and effort by spending their first two years at Raritan Valley and then jumping to Cornell via the automatic transfer.
I don't think this deal has gotten much publicity around Ithaca, but if I'm a HumEc upperclassman, I'm pretty pissed that my college doesn't think my first two years of college are any more impressive than the two years of a B+/A- student at community college.
Update: Here's the official announcement from RVCC (.pdf)
This seems fishy... don't they still have to apply? I feel like the newspaper may be a bit confused.
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm a little confused, too. I tracked down the official announcement, but it doesn't say anything other than that they "must meet all admissions requirements."
ReplyDeleteThis type of arrangement is not an automatic acceptance to Cornell. At most, the wording of the announcement is slightly misleading (though RVCC never actually mentions guaranteed transfer). Many community colleges establish relationships with Cornell to increase awareness of transfer programs. Nevertheless, the student still must be accepted by Cornell. A similar program is that with Monroe Community College (MCC). MCC specifically states on its website:
ReplyDelete"The Career Center cannot guarantee admission to any transfer institution outside of a student enrolled in one of MCC’s 2+2 dual admission programs. We can say that the assistance given will make you a stronger candidate for admission to the college of your choice."
http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/careercenter/StuServ/TransferPathwayToSuccess.htm
Hope this clarifies a bit.
I agree that the release is confusing and poorly worded. I took it to mean that RVCC students who apply AND are admitted to HumEc will be able to complete the remainder of their degree in two years (i.e. they won't get to HumEc and find out that they need to retake Bio/Stats/Psych even if they took it at their previous school, something that can often force transfers to spend an extra semester or year at Cornell). I think the key word here is "seamlessly," not "automatic" (which never appears in the original article).
ReplyDeleteI know that some colleges at Cornell are currently working with the Pathways to Success program to help students in NY community colleges apply and make a smooth transition to Cornell. While a student's participation in the program could possibly be to their advantage in the admissions process, I don't really see it as an "automatic" transfer.
As a HumEc upperclassman who worked hard through her two first years at Cornell, I don't really have much of a problem with the college helping junior transfer students complete college in 4 years like the rest of us. These students often have a lot of catching up to do. It is unlikely that they will write theses, take wines, and deeply explore an interest in a subject outside of their major. Rather, they'll be trying to cram four years of HumEc/major requirements into four semesters.
you really need to start doing more research before your postings. if your goal is entertainment that's fine, but there are a couple very popular blogs out there that have grown over the years because they care about credibility. in your last CU Days post, some of your statements are clear generalizations based on your own experience with no real evidence that you are clearly explaining how the rest of cornell feels...in others, such as your career comments, you're not exactly referencing the actual statistics, just reciting the cliche angry points that make it easy to simplify what you think Cornellians in certain schools are doing and how they view their school. in this case, you may be referencing articulation agreements with community colleges, which have been around for a long time and play an important role in encouraging those students (a small number by the way) who attend community colleges but have the ability to do very well at Cornell and other top schools. one way is to focus on how you think it cheapens your degree/school,etc., though you are incorrect when you say that any schools must take someone regardless of things like disciplinary records. another way is that the small number of students who pursue this path quite often bring a sense of reality, work experience, and often life experience that adds greatly to what may otherwise be a Cornell experience of limited exposure to students from many walks of life outside of the relatively narrow paths lived by those flocking to CU from Long Island and Westchester.
ReplyDelete