Well, I made sure to look at the required coursework, because I knew exactly the path that I wanted to take with my major. However, it really depends on the person.

That kind of arrangement is quite common south of the border, since they have a standard set of “general education” courses that all college (American college) students have to take. Lots of students do their general credits in community college and then transfer up. Just some bonus info for you. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can give you my opinion. The fundamental difference between college and university is the kind of knowledge that is taught. Colleges teach application, universities teach theory (plus application, if applicable). For example, colleges have programs for all sorts of jobs that don’t require any theoretical background: massage therapy is one, along with things like aesthetics, allied health professions, trade work, HVAC technology, etc. You could also look at something like engineering technology, which is essentially the implementation of an Engineer’s design. Although these sorts of careers are less prestigious because they don’t require intense academics, they are good in other ways. For example, it’s easier to find a job when you have vocational training than when you have some sort of abstract theory education that doesn’t apply to the real world (ex. a degree in Philosophy). Also, some of them pay surprisingly well…quite a few could outpace your salary as a Social Worker, no offense intended. On the the other hand, universities teach subjects that require vast theoretical background. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes not. The top level of society requires highly educated people; doctors, lawyers, engineers, business people to keep the economy moving, and all sorts of other necessary things. Sometimes these involve practical training as well, for example a Bachelors degree in Nursing. Or, in my own situation, I’m a Geography student, so I have to learn how to use certain computer software (GIS programs; Google it if you’re curious). On the flip side, there are other university degrees that serve no purpose whatsoever. Philosophy is the classic example of a degree that people immediately judge you for choosing. Pretty much any Humanities major is the same way. Even a lot of the Social Sciences aren’t good for much at the Bachelors level, and would require a Masters to really get somewhere. At least people who did a vocational diploma don’t have to worry about figuring out what the hell to do with their degree. For me personally, the bottom line is that if a person has a career, then they are successful. There may be different degrees of “impressiveness”, but in my books a plumber is infinitely more respectable than someone who got a degree in History, didn’t want to teach, and now works at Tim Hortons. My cousin is a tradesman…he may not bring riches to his wife and kids, but he quite literally built a nice big house out of actual logs, mostly by himself (with rented equipment/machines). If that’s not a successful person, then I don’t know what is.

With me it wasn’t really a factor. The main reason for it was because I was fortunate enough to live within a 15 mile radius of Austin Community College and Texas State University. Because of it I knew I’d be going to those schools out of convenience, regardless of the classes I’d be forced to take in my Associates degree and then the subsequent Bachelor’s in Finance.

it really depends on what you are going to school for. If you know specifically what you want to do, it would be helpful to you to look at the coursework in the program to make sure it is what you are looking for, you might find something is more theory than hands-on or vice versa. If you don’t really know what you want to do yet, course work isn’t really going to matter much because you’ll be taking general elective classes in the beginning.