We live in an area where we have the benefit of a fairly high quality Junior College. Many students the decision to attend Junior College following high school affords them the opportunity to (1) save money for college transfer (2) work on taking basic classes that they would be required to take at any 4 year institution and (3) figure out what major they want to pursue by taking a variety of classes. Exercising all of these options is, in my opinion, making good use of our local institution. However, my experience over the last 30 years with Santa Rosa Junior College has left me with some reservations regarding the college counseling that many student receive while attending. Although SRJC's music department now has an applied music program and "music major" complete with private lessons, I think the same fundamental flaws will continue to exist, at times, in the counseling process outside the music department. These difficulties have to do with the counseling process, not the music department or the transfer process.
Flaw #1
All SRJC students transfer to state or UC schools within
California.
Many students are not interested in transferring to a school within either of these systems or within the state. Unfortunately, SRJC is not set up as well to assist students who may be interested in out of state schools or private institutions. The credit and transfer system is simply constructed for this purpose. IF these are your plans, make arrangements for running into some "snags" because this is generally the way the SRJC counseling system is oriented. Poor advice from counselors is potentially one of the most difficult issues students anywhere may face. Counselors MAY have a bias in the manner in which they disbrurse information that may favor in-state college transfer.
Flaw #2
If classes are good enough for the state or UC system, they
are good enough for any school.
This is simply not true. In my own case, I wasted GE credits and time in classes that did not transfer to the private college I wound up attending due to a lack of simple, clear guidance.
Flaw #3
Music classes transfer to other schools just like any other
class.
If a student decides to be a music major,
he usually hopes that the music classes he is taking will
transfer and he will enter as a Junior. Here is a little reality
check: MOST MUSIC COURSES WILL NOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER TO ANY MUSIC
PROGRAM
ANYWHERE. This is a key factor that few college counselors at any
school are
willing (or knowledgeble enough) to admit. Music courses
transfer or are "tested" for credit based on a placement exam. A
student may sit through several
semesters of theory only to find, on the day of their theory
entrance exam, that they have to take this all over again from
the beginning due to differences in terminology or notation preference.
One might be best prepared if he expects this may happen. One might
even plan for it. As a music major transferring from the JC, a student
may need to plan on spending more than four years (total) in
school in order to
complete a degree program as a transfer student.
The bigger issue than theory and history
equivalency exams is LESSONS. EVERY MUSIC MAJOR WILL HAVE A
PROBLEM IN THIS AREA! SRJC does offer private lessons as a
part of the music program. However, this does not mean that
EVERY music student WILL receive 100% across the board lesson credit at
a transfer institution. Students commonly wind up at the end of
their college
career needing at least one additional full year of lesson
credits. Most of the time these lessons can not be "doubled
up" and taken all at once because passing lessons usually
involves taking a "jury" exam and offering a
recital-neither of which can be done "two at a time".
My advice #1
Use the counseling department only when necessary (to sign
approval for registration), but seek to minimize the possibility of
being mislead by inaccurate information. If
you know a good counselor, use him.
My advice #2
Seek counseling from the institution you want to attend in order
to avoid taking classes that will ultimately not transfer. Be
clear on where you are going and want to go as soon as possible.
Bring transcripts or catalogues to counseling sessions. Search
online for class and degree requirements, print them out and keep them
with you at any appointments.
My advice #3
If you are a music major, continue your private instruction and
sign up for the Music 44.x series (which requires a mid-term and final
"jury" each semester) so lessons, although they may not
transfer directly, will at least be documented by the college.
My advice #4
Get your A.A. degree. Make this your priority. If you don't wind
up transferring, you will at least have a college degree. That is
better in any case than no college degree at all. Chances are
that an institution will consider accepting credits from a degree
program rather than loose, unrelated classes alone.