DVC, like life, is what you make it. Sadly, I made it a misery.
I started DVC immediately after high school and have spent three years here. I’m transferring to UC Davis after this semester and many other students are leaving for wherever. However, many more are remaining here and us transfer students will be replaced in the fall by incoming freshmen.
As for me, it hasn’t been the best three years and I can’t say that I will miss all of it. For one, I’ve been in a bad mood almost the entire time I’ve been here.
I’ve also heard some really stupid statements at DVC: a year ago I heard a student refer to a book not as a “book” but instead as “the thing you pull off the shelf that has paper in it.”
While I’ve spent the last 75 words whining, I would be lying if I said I would look back at my entire DVC experience fondly.
But was it a good idea to come here? Hell yes.
In the grand scheme of things, community college was a sound financial move for my family to make. During this semester, I took 13 units, which came out to $468 in tuition. I should note that I have no financial aid
According to UC Davis’ website, the winter and spring quarters (which come out to be roughly a month longer than the spring semester at DVC) have an estimated tuition of $9,240. This is almost 20 times what I’m paying now.
Not only that but the quality of the professors between universities and DVC is almost moot. According to Rate My Professor (which I’ll admit is really subjective and probably not indicative of objective quality), DVC’s average score for a professor is 3.37 out of 5.
Another school with this average? UC Berkeley. UC Davis ranks barely any higher with a 3.4.
Most of the professors I’ve taken classes with at DVC were extremely knowledgeable in their field of expertise and excellent at teaching. A lot of them were difficult but it was ultimately rewarding.
In the end, I am sad that I missed out on some of the experiences you get at a university such as dorm life and the community that follows. Still, my academic experience was as good as it would have been in a university and was several thousand dollars cheaper.
So don’t be like me and dwell on the negative. Make something positive out of DVC.