The talk

The Talk compares community colleges and universities. They discuss scheduling, student organizations, food options, and their overall experiences. They agree that community college can be a stepping stone to a university and is more affordable. They also discuss potential changes to education, such as making it more affordable and offering study abroad opportunities. They conclude that while universities have more to offer, community colleges are a viable option. In this episode of The Talk, we will be comparing community colleges and universities. Hi, I'm Alexandra. And I'm Jan. And this is The Talk. So, I have Jamaica here today. He goes to Montclair University. And I go to Bergen. And today, we're going to see the differences and the similarities in colleges. How is scheduling in Montclair? So, my first semester, I didn't create my first schedule. I had to do a questionnaire before my first semester. And then I had my academic advisor create my first schedule for, like, my first semester for me. And then, in the semester, I had, like, a gen ed class where they would teach me how to apply, how to make my new schedule and apply it so I can, like, fit my life schedule. So, like, it goes, like, in a line. How about you, Alexandra? In Bergen, we're allowed to create our own schedule. They also have academic advisors to help us. But I created my schedule myself for my first year. And it was pretty cool because I was allowed to, like, pick the days I wanted. So, I was only going to school two days out of the week. What are the differences in the student organizations in Montclair? So, there's, like, many types of organizations and clubs in Montclair, such as the type of the frats and sororities. There's even, like, the NAACP, like, the national chapters. And there's, like, a lot of clubs for students that have different interests. How about in Bergen? There's a lot of clubs, like Vet Tech and the Torch. It's kind of like a newspaper club. There's no fraternities or sororities. I also feel like a lot of the students that go to Bergen don't participate in the clubs like they would if they went to a university. They have, like, clubs on certain days. And they have, like, a chess club, like, in the halls and stuff, like, on the table. And there's just, like, not a lot of kids there in the club. How is the food at Montclair? And what's your favorite spot to eat at? There's many dining options at Montclair, like at the Student Center. There's, like, a Panda Express at Halal Shack. There's, like, a chicken, like, sandwich spot in there. And there's, like, a little sandwich. Like, they make, like, wraps and ham and cheese sandwiches, like, in the middle. And there's, like, fridges that have, like, you know, water and juices and stuff. And then there's also a Starbucks, like a Starbucks truck. There's the Red Hawk Diner, which is, like, 24 hours. For me personally, I think my favorite spot to eat is the Panda Express. I got a bowl with white rice and teriyaki chicken. How about you, Alexandra? The food at Bergen is not good. They have a lot of different options in the cafe, like a salad bar and a sandwich bar. They also have, like, different things to eat. Sometimes they have, like, a pasta bar, and you can, like, create your own pasta. It's not good. And I stopped eating there because it's not good. It's not worth the $8. But the cheesecake is good. And my favorite place to eat is the vending machine. What do you get from the vending machine? I get chips and cookies. We also have a Starbucks. It's pretty good. The pizza place is not good. I wouldn't eat there. Okay. Has school been a positive or a negative experience? And what would you change about education in America? I had a positive experience at Bergen. I think everyone there is really nice, but I also think everyone is more to themselves. They don't really want to communicate or socialize with other people. I think I would change for education in America would be making the education more affordable. That doesn't leave students with a lot of debt. For me, overall, it's been a positive experience. The only thing I would change about education in America would probably be, like, the ability to study abroad. I would like to go to different countries and, you know, just learn. Yeah, I like the idea of studying abroad, too. That would be really fun, especially to experience. A lot of people are saying community college is a waste of time and money and that community college isn't a real college. What are your thoughts on that? I think it just depends on the person and what goals they're trying to achieve in their life. I don't know what you would change. What they're going to major in and students that want to use it to finish their prerequisite classes so they can transfer out to the universities. I agree. I agree. Kids usually use community college as a stepping stone to get into four-year universities, so they don't want to have to pay so much at the universities. Tuition at a four-year university for one semester is almost $6,000, maybe $7,000. That's just for a month later. For community colleges, it's a lot cheaper. It's a lot better off taking the general ed classes in community college at a university. That wraps up our podcast for today. From student life to welcoming incoming freshmen, university college and community college isn't so different. I think they're pretty much the same. University just has a lot more to offer because they have a lot more kids. That's it from us today. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed this episode. Let us know what you think. We're interested in hearing your thoughts. 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