ARC STUDENT INTERVIEWS

Profile of interviewed students:
3 music majors1 business major
1 Social Behavior major1
AA in Social Science major
1 Social Work major
1 Graphic Arts major

All students interviewed (except one) intended to transfer to CSUS.

3 Students had previously attended Universities and transferred to ARC after one or two semesters.
1 Student had attended a Bay Area community college; transferred to ARC to facilitate transferring to CSUS next year.
3 others had started “late” after never intending to go to college. (Mid twenties to early 30’s in age).

Note about the interviews:  I used the set of questions from our interview questions.  Sometimes I use a Question (Q)/ Answer (A) format here when something needed elaboration.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT ARC?

Courses/Instruction/Reasons for Attending (each paragraph break represents a different interviewee)

“Academically, it’s not competitive here.  If you show up to class, you pass.  I showed up only four times for one art class and I got a ‘C’.” [side note:  when you look at the context of what she says, this statement doesn’t really make sense:  she ultimately says you DON’T have to show up to pass.]
Q:  What about the work required for the class?  Are the standards lax in that regard?
A:  ‘No, as far as papers and tests, you have to do the work.  It’s just that most of the teachers are really laid-back about attendance. But one class I took, the only thing you had to do was take the final at the end and he didn’t take attendance.  Then when you took the final, it was a take-home, open book.’ “But, I do like it here.”
Q:  “Are you worried about not being prepared when it’s time to transfer to the university?”
A:  “No, I’ll be ready for the university. I’m not worried.”

“Teachers give you a lot of help.  You learn a broad amount of education in the classroom. Yes, you get a quality education.”

“I’m glad I went to a community college.  I have a better chance at a four-year college because I’ve learned better study habits. I think you get a quality education here.”

‘It’s a slower pace here.  And the instructors cover a lot and they’re accessible. The main reason I came here was because of the cost. Plus, I didn’t think I would ever go to college when I was in high school, so I didn’t take the college prep courses.  So I’m doing it now—catching up—so I can go to a university.’

‘I think you get a decent education here.  It’s relaxed and close by.  And the cost is reasonable.  I didn’t plan to go to college after high school, but I changed my mind later.’
“I’m repairing my past.”  (guilty grin)

‘It’s a lot less competitive here. The atmosphere is relaxing and there are good instructors.  Before I was at Brigham Young University.  It was intimidating, more competitive.  Here, there’s more one-on-one time with the professors.  The classes are smaller.  Some of my classes at BYU had 400 students and you would break into labs.  At ARC, my largest class had 30 students. The material is real close to what the university offered with the general education courses.  But you learn the material better.  There’s a bigger workload at the university and the focus is on making the grade.  Here you can concentrate on learning it.  At BYU, I could get a 90% and that wasn’t an A, because they have the bell curve and they have to make sure that only a certain percentage get an A, B, etc.  Here, when I get a 90%, it’s an A.”

“It’s less stressful. You can concentrate on the material instead of regurgitating material for a test. There’s more time to learn the material.”

“The price is the main reason I’m here.  And the transfer possibilities are better:  the university is more likely to accept community college credits [for general education courses] than university credits.”

“There’s a BIG difference here from my previous college experience.  I went to a 4-year Christian college.  It was like a ‘culture shock’ [when I came here].  It’s a lot different:  more diverse and people are more outgoing.”
Q:  By diverse, do you mean more ethnically diverse?
A: ‘Yes, that, too, but there’s also more of a variety of people, of types of people, from the people at the Christian college.  Not so elite. There is a broader perspective here, not so limited.’

CONCERNS
Most students (all but two) reported that they did not have any concerns, that they were very happy at ARC.

Parking: ‘You have to pay $25 for a ticket here.  They have REAL cops giving them. And the parking [restrictions] are poorly posted.’ [NOTE TO DAVID & BRUCE:  Both times I parked here without getting a parking pass and, believe it or not, NO TICKET!! I guess I was pretty lucky!]

Availability of classes:  ‘I work and sometimes it’s hard to get a class that’s convenient for my work schedule.  Most of the classes in my major are offered during the day when I’m working.  Also, some courses aren’t offered every semester, so I have to wait another year to get what I need.’

NOTE TO EVERYONE:  Do you think we need more student interviews?  Actually, they’re pretty fun to take, if one of you wants to do some (assuming we need to).  I think I got a fair “cross section” of race.  But did not encounter any Voc-Ed people. If you think we need more, I’ll rush out there (I’m probably the closest to the campus) and try and see if I can get a parking ticket this time (3rd time’s a charm!).

EXPLANATIONS:
Statements with full “quotes” represent a direct quotation.  Other statements with partial ‘quotes’ are paraphrased, close to an actual quote. Some of the conversations meandered, so I “clumped”  some things together for the sake of cohesiveness and conciseness.

STUDENT INTERVIEW
Major:  A.A. Graphic Arts
Age: mid-40’s
Going part-time

“After my divorce, I didn’t have enough money to live on.  I’d only been a waitress—which is what I’m doing now.  I’d always been afraid of going back because school was so hard for me when I was young.  But I finally decided I had to do it to survive.”

WHY COMMUNITY COLLEGE:
“The price, primarily.  And I hadn’t been in school for 20 years.  The community college was less intimidating.”

QUALITY OF EDUCATION
All of my classes have been good, some of them excellent.  The instructors are excellent.  I’ve had several who used to teach at a university and chose to come to the community college.  A couple of them said that they liked it better because it was more relaxed. The instructors I’ve had have been available for me.  They’ve met with me before or after class besides during their office hours.”

RESOURCES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
“I was actually diagnosed at ARC—they were the ones who diagnosed that I have ADHD and Dyslexia. All those years I thought it was because I was dumb! The resources here have been great.  I went to classes that taught me coping skills.  Without those, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in school.  They also have on-site tutors (other students with grades of “B” or higher).  Also, if you have a learning disability like me, you can apply for actual instructors to tutor you.  People with learning disabilities can take extra time for tests, can take tests in a quiet room if they want, and are allowed to bring tape recorders to class.”

WAC Program: Writing Across the Curriculum
“You sign up for this just like a class. I took it and it was so helpful.  Instructors are there to give you individual help with assignments.  The first time I took English 1A, I dropped out.  I was lost.  Before I got to ARC, because of my learning disability, I had like a 3rd grade understanding of grammar and sentence structure.  The second time I took English 1A, with the help of the WAC Program, I ended up with an A- in the class. It was outstanding!

WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING AN OLDER STUDENT
“At first, it was real hard:  not only because of my learning disability, but because of my age I felt out of place.  But I figured out that most people  are there to learn and there is no age barrier.  And because I’m older, I’m not afraid to go up and talk to people.  Usually on the first day, I walk up to one person in each of my classes and switch phone numbers in case I’m absent or I have questions about the homework.”