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Foothill college or Dallas college?
I have doubts about which college could be more beneficial if I want to transfer to a university and study industrial engineering.
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4 answers
Updated
Richard A. (Tony)’s Answer
Laura,
Little confused as one is in California and the other in Texas (if I have the right colleges). Foothills has no engineering transfer programs, while Dallas seems to have standard UT pathways to an ISE, but no guarantee.
Wondering what the motivation is (?) between these two.
SO - It sounds like you want to do a less expensive Community college route into a BS focused on IE, so start at the goal and work backwards. There are many programs that have 2+2 programs to obtain a BS - RIT (my alma mater) is one of them!
Collect a set of BSIE program institutions you like (shopping opportunity!!!) and put them into a spreadsheet. Investigate those online and add info to your list on cost, location, state|private, and importantly, whether or not the institution has a Community College intake route (usually under the title of "Transfer") and whether or not a transfer seat in BSIE is guaranteed. Don't forget to rank the programs as well - nothing worse than overlooking a program weakness until after you're committed.
From that you can choose (commit to) a path forward.
You may find that there are other better opportunities to achieve your goal.
Tony
Little confused as one is in California and the other in Texas (if I have the right colleges). Foothills has no engineering transfer programs, while Dallas seems to have standard UT pathways to an ISE, but no guarantee.
Wondering what the motivation is (?) between these two.
SO - It sounds like you want to do a less expensive Community college route into a BS focused on IE, so start at the goal and work backwards. There are many programs that have 2+2 programs to obtain a BS - RIT (my alma mater) is one of them!
Collect a set of BSIE program institutions you like (shopping opportunity!!!) and put them into a spreadsheet. Investigate those online and add info to your list on cost, location, state|private, and importantly, whether or not the institution has a Community College intake route (usually under the title of "Transfer") and whether or not a transfer seat in BSIE is guaranteed. Don't forget to rank the programs as well - nothing worse than overlooking a program weakness until after you're committed.
From that you can choose (commit to) a path forward.
You may find that there are other better opportunities to achieve your goal.
Tony

Gurpreet Lally
CareerVillage.org TeamSr. Community Manager at CareerVillage
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Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Gurpreet’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hi Laura,
I attended De Anza (Foothill's sister school) prior to transferring! I think something to consider is which institution you want to transfer to and cost.
Most colleges offer two different tuition rates, one for residents and one for out of state students. The resident rate will always be cheaper so if cost is barrier, you may want to consider attending Foothill since you would qualify for in state tuition.
Another thing to think about is where you want to transfer. For example, if you want to attend a CSU/UC/California school, it makes more sense to stay in California so that you can continue to be a resident and qualify for in state tuition when you transfer. Most community colleges also have Transfer Admission Guarantees (TAGs) with UCs and CSUs so your councelor will be able to help you navigate that. However, if you are planning on attending a Texas institution, it might be better to head to Dallas College, establish residency (which takes a year), and they get in state/resident tuition by the time you end up transferring. Dallas College counselors will be more knowledgable about Texas schools and their specific transfer requirements.
I attended De Anza (Foothill's sister school) prior to transferring! I think something to consider is which institution you want to transfer to and cost.
Most colleges offer two different tuition rates, one for residents and one for out of state students. The resident rate will always be cheaper so if cost is barrier, you may want to consider attending Foothill since you would qualify for in state tuition.
Another thing to think about is where you want to transfer. For example, if you want to attend a CSU/UC/California school, it makes more sense to stay in California so that you can continue to be a resident and qualify for in state tuition when you transfer. Most community colleges also have Transfer Admission Guarantees (TAGs) with UCs and CSUs so your councelor will be able to help you navigate that. However, if you are planning on attending a Texas institution, it might be better to head to Dallas College, establish residency (which takes a year), and they get in state/resident tuition by the time you end up transferring. Dallas College counselors will be more knowledgable about Texas schools and their specific transfer requirements.
Updated
Susan’s Answer
Based on my experience, I’ve learned that how you use your degree matters more than where you earn it but attending a school with a strong reputation can give you a helpful boost, especially early in your career. It’s also important to choose a school in a location where you’ll enjoy living and studying because being in an environment you like increases your chances of finishing strong.
It’s not where you start, but where you finish that truly matters. Starting at a two-year college can provide excellent value at a lower cost, allowing you to build a strong foundation. From there, you can transfer to a prestigious four-year university of your choice to complete your degree and maximize your opportunities.
It’s not where you start, but where you finish that truly matters. Starting at a two-year college can provide excellent value at a lower cost, allowing you to build a strong foundation. From there, you can transfer to a prestigious four-year university of your choice to complete your degree and maximize your opportunities.
Updated
Tony’s Answer
Hi Laura,
One way would be to use chatgpt or other AI tool to help you in your evaluation along with other sources of data like student ratings and college ratings ( % of graduates that complete program, get jobs,etc)
For chatgpt, give it info on both colleges( as much as possible and also info about yourself like strengths, gpa, your interests & preferences, personality, etc and ask it to decide for you and why it made that decision. Could be an interesting exercise for you.
Also, CareerVillage has a AI tool called coach and it could also help you so you may want to try it
Best wishes,
Tony
One way would be to use chatgpt or other AI tool to help you in your evaluation along with other sources of data like student ratings and college ratings ( % of graduates that complete program, get jobs,etc)
For chatgpt, give it info on both colleges( as much as possible and also info about yourself like strengths, gpa, your interests & preferences, personality, etc and ask it to decide for you and why it made that decision. Could be an interesting exercise for you.
Also, CareerVillage has a AI tool called coach and it could also help you so you may want to try it
Best wishes,
Tony