Virginia Said:

The actual advantage of attending a 4 year college?

We Answered:

I left high school with a 3.8 and went straight to a 4 year UC (I'm also a Californian). I do agree that there is a lot of growing up that you do while in a 4 year university, but that's not to say you won't experience that "growing up" in a 2 year college. As a graduate from the 4 year experience, I think that if you really do not know what direction you want to go as far as major, attend a 2 year college and transfer to a university that would be the best fit. It really is a money saver and a good way to "find" yourself and figure out what you really want to do. There's definitely no shame in going to a 2 year school and from there you could transfer to an even better university.

As for whether to choose 4 year or vocational/trade school: Do you see yourself doing something that would require a degree (bachelors, graduates, etc)? Or do you want to gain skills you can use in more practical jobs? Again, you may not know the answer to this now, so perhaps spending 2 years in community college isn't such a bad idea.

Good luck!