Dutchess Community College

DCC is a two year school so you don't exactly have to be brilliant to go here. That said, the course load is a lot heavier than I expected and the professors are excellent. I feel like I've been challenged during my time at DCC but my teachers have always been around to help if I ever needed it. The only real downside is that I'm 22 years old and taking classes with 18 year olds fresh out of high school so it's super-cliquey. It's not a big deal though, as there are still a lot of really nice, genuine people in my classes.If you're looking for a school to get you on track with your education, DCC is one of the best stepping stones in New York you could look into. Don't knock it just because it's a community college, you'll be surprised at the education you'll receive.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2011

Education Quality: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: F

I ended up at DCC by default for I had no idea what I wanted to do yet. My first year was socially great. I met friends through friends, but as the semesters passed, those friends left and I was left with less people to socialize with. If you are coming to DCC without anyone from a previous school, don't plan on meeting too many people. On average, there are about three or four people from each of my classes that I acquaint myself with and have one of those "hi in the hallway" relationships. It never extends into hanging out with these people out of school.

Most of the professors are great. They have mandatory office hours that no one goes to because a lot of the students at DCC don't care about grades or their education (I used to be one of them). But if you're interested in boosting your grade a letter, I'd recommend visiting your professors every now and then and going over some of the class material that you may be fuzzy with. This allows the professors to connect with you on a personal level. I'm currently great friends with some of the department heads. Even if I don't currently have them as a professor, I sometimes go in just to say hi. Because of this, I've been invited to dinners or speakers that come to Dutchess. The head of the history department is in a band and invites me to all of their shows. So if you show interest in learning, the professors will absolutely notice and treat you like a friend.

This also provides you with a huge connection for letters of recommendations. I've applied to about 8 schools for Fall 2010 and have literally had a different professor write me a letter of recommendation for each school. This way, I don't annoy the hell out of one or two of them.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2010

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Social Life: D

The only thing I really dont like about Dutchess is that its difficult to make friends there, students are not involved in many activities especially not in class group projects are rare and any sports teams or other activities are not properly advirtised/ nobody cares about

1st Year Female -- Class 2006

Faculty Accessibility: A, Social Life: F