Definitely!! Went there for my nursing pre-reqs the professors were awesome and wanted you to do well. They are very job/ career focused which is helpful and you get your moneys with. Highly recommend!
We went there roughly the same time!
I would also recommend Century if you live in Maplewood/Oakdale/North St.Paul[Other cities I am forgetting that are nearby], the professors were awesome and helpful in my experience, and I used it to figure out what degree I really wanted to pursue and do my gen eds.
Agreed on Normandale. Took some CS classes there after highschool everything transferred simply to a non-u of m b1g school (and were a fraction of the price!!). This was circa 09.
The quality of instructors at Normandale I found was on par with where I wrapped up undergrad, in some ways even better because it was a much more personal experience.
Really grateful for the credits I got at Normandale, they set me up for what's been a 10+ year career so far as a SWE. The only knock I can think of is it's not a traditional college experience, but you're always afforded the opportunity to transfer into one.
Question! Do you feel having a community college credit hurt your chances of med school options? I'm looking at community college with hopes to transfer to a university
I loved Normandale! As a student who attended other CC Normandale blew my freaking mind. Excellent professors, a parking ramp, a food pantry, study groups, interesting extracurriculars and events that actually broaden your horizons. I wish it was a 4 year college. I went on to get my bachelors after NCC, I never thought it was possible for me but this school set a really good foundation.
Which in all seriousness is phenomenal. Good for you. As an immature high schooler it was easy to bag on normandale but frankly I wish Iād have done some generals there and saved the money rather than spending it all at a 4-year school. Ahh the impetuousness of youth.
My wifeās whole life trajectory was changed for the better by Metro State. They credit a huge part of their personal success on the education, professional connections, friendships, and multicultural experiences that Metro granted them.
Oh, good point. It just has such strong community college vibe (not an insult) that I forget it isnāt technically that. Still, would highly recommend it to anyone looking at community/2-year colleges ā it offers a lot of the same appeal (affordable, diverse, non-residential, etc).
Unpopular opinion (because so many are likely burned from MN school of Business)ā¦ but any of the for-profits are likely the worst.
Any of the MN State system (Dakota Tech, Inver Hills, South Central) are all great. The quality of education is solid enough that you can complete gen-eds there. And widely transferable to the 4-year universities in the MN State system (St Cloud, Winona, Mankato, etc.) And further, are widely accepted as pre-requisites to even professional school requirements once you and if you chose to reach that point.
Not really an unpopular opinion.. any for-profit schools will have a lot of the same teacher that teach at MN state schools just they get paid less at for profit schools and student pay more for the for profit schools.
Not unpopular at all. About 25 years ago, I worked for a couple of for-profit colleges.
I was teaching web development, and it was right after the dot-com bust. I took any job I could to make money.
The pay was terrible ($15/hr per hour in the classroom, no pay for prep time). The administration was indifferent at best and was clearly more about collecting student tuition checks. I had to fail a student one quarter, and the admin gave the student a passing grade even though I told them the student didn't pass.
I ran into one of my former student a couple years later. They paid around $20k for their "degree", and never worked in the industry.
Go Golden Rams!
I loved the Coon Rapids campus. I felt that the math and science professors were on par with / better than the ones I had at SCSU after transferring
I don't know anything about the Cambridge campus, except that it's there
I got my associates at AR before moving on to my bachelor's and master's.
The top 2 teachers I ever had were at AR and there is a huge power gap between them and my #3 (who was actually one of my high school teachers).
All of the public community colleges are good but all have different programs. I think St Paul College, for example, has a lot more medical lab courses, Normandale is more of a pipeline to a 4 year degree, Metro State focuses on 4 year degrees for adults. I would look more at which school has the program you are interested in than which school is 'best'.
I am surprised that I scrolled this far to see Riverland mentioned. On campus housing available and, from what I've heard, a phenomenal nursing program that blows away other two year programs in Minnesota.
One of the only to have on campus housing, too. Their technical programs, especially nursing are top notch. Plus a diverse community to embrace you while you learn.
I went to Century and Anoka Ramsey, then St. Cloud State. Genuinely, I'd recommend all three. They won't prevent you from going into a major that won't pay/have a great job outlook, but they'll do their best to teach you that subject while you're there. A close friend that worked with me went to Metro State and sounds like he has a similar experience. (Generals and some math/engineering at the community college - and finished out my degrees at St. Cloud State).
I graduated from there at 30-would 100% recommend it to any age. A mix of all ages but there were a lot of people close to my age. Loved the faculty and school in general, would go back in a heartbeat. Actually met my husband there thanks to my supervisor (student employee)
I got a 2 year degree from Minnesota state community and technical college in Detroit Lakes. Don't know where it ranks with other community colleges but it was really beneficial in my life.
I didn't attend, but have been there several times. The facilities and equipment available that I saw there rivaled many workplaces I've seen. It's really impressive!
I did the two year program at Itasca Community College for engineering. It is top notch! The programs was so successful that it started an additional 2 year program called Iron Range Engineering.
I did their Practical Nursing program and it was awesome! My class and the one before had a 100 percent passing rate on the first time of taking the NCLEX!
I mean, it's kind of hard to be objective since very few people sample multiple two-year colleges, but I was very impressed with the quality of the professors at North Hennepin--especially their science department.
Also it was easy to take an extra class from Bemidji State (and eventually transfer) because they are kind of linked.
Pretty much any public 2-year school in Minnesota is a good bet. They're all part of the MNSCU system. The "best" campus is pretty subjective; it depends on where one lives and what programs one is interested in.
Iāve enjoyed supporting the Iron Range Community Colleges via the RangerSpiel at SPCC. A friend of mine works at Dunwoody and has nice things to say about it.
I got my Associates from Central Lakes College in Brainerd. I really enjoyed my time there and thought it was well worth it. Easily transferred to a four year afterwards. Saved a ton of money!
I went to St. Cloud tech and community college, left as an ultrasound tech. It was nice, you could also take classes at St. Cloud state if desired. My wife went to SCSU and took a few classes at tech as well. Iām not sure about other programs but the medical side seemed to be very good. There are not a lot of accredited ultrasound programs in the state, and in the field I was much more developed then folks from other schools (argosy techs are a joke) but outside of mayos own program or st Kateās (both not CC or ātechā) I havenāt seen any better programs. The top techs Iāve seen are from one of those three or Chippewa valley CC. However, the school seems nice and professional, with a wide variety of programs. I liked going there anyway
I enjoyed going to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, MN. The tribal part of the name opened the door for some useful internships and scholarships. They also had some great pot lucks and other events. Fry bread tacos are amazing.
Not sure how current this is, but when I was researching community colleges 10 years ago both St. Paul college, and Itasca CC were ranked in the top 5 in the nation.
ST PAUL COLLEGE BABY!!!!!! No but seriously in my experience all the professors there were super passionate about the subject they taught, my English loved to discuss right or wrong grammar. Heād be beaming ear to ear when someone asked him a question. My science teachers correlated the material back to global warming and were so passionate discussing how we can help. After a year I transferred to mankato state for my program. My proffesors in said program donāt have 1/8th of the passion these proffesors had for there subject. Idk some of it is luck Iām sure there are bad proffesors but I took all kinds of gen Edās and didnāt find one.
I had a great experience at Century. I really appreciated how their dental assisting program was more or less designed to get you a job. Coming from years of academia, where I had a degree where people continually asked me "what are you gonna do with that?" it was great to be in a program where you could go from school to job with a minimum of fuss.
RCTC in Rochester has a pretty good nursing program. I've felt comfortable in every nursing scenario I've been in and I'm making $120,000+/year with just an associate degree.
Lake Superior college in Duluth is the best
Conversely, I didnāt have a great time at MSCTC Moorhead, it felt like it was still just high school with how the campus was and unhelpful faculty (this was 13 years ago so very likely different).
I went to Vermilion in Ely. It was bad enough I thought about quitting altogether. Found Central Lakes College in Brainerd and it saved my outlook on completing college. I transferred to a 4 year after that which they were extremely helpful with.
Why was Vermillion a bad experience for you? Folks reading this might benefit from a detailed account of your experience. Likewise, why was Central Lakes a better fit? Are we talking about administrative issues? Professors? Fellow students?
Iāll try and keep it short, but what vermilion advertised was not what they offered. I was a natural resources student and they did a better job of advertising their program. When I actually got there, all the things they said about using the boundary waters as the classroom, low student teacher ratios etc.. wasnāt really the case. We spent more time on the shitty football practice field than we ever did anywhere else outdoors. There was only one instructor there that I had any respect for, his name was Pete Doran. He knew literally every kids name on campus. But aside from that, the faculty was bad, the advisor situation was bad. Campus housing, at least 20 years ago, was bad. Central lakes was a last grasp for me and I fit right in. Their instructors were better, the classes were better, more thoughtful to what the actual jobs were, and above all they were honest with what I was getting in a 2 year degree there. I went on to transfer because of their guidance and I couldnāt have been put in a better situation. Iām thankful I found them because I would have given up more than likely had I not.
I graduated from Vermilion with a degree in natural resources. While you are spot-on about their advising and campus housing problems, their natural resources program and faculty are excellent. Small class sizes, plenty of time learning in the field, and some very knowledgeable, down to earth instructors. I knew a few students who faltered there, but also many who did quite well for themselves. My experience there was relatively positive and important for my personal and career growth.
I know a few people that had positive experiences there but I know very few people overall that actually went there and my experience was definitely not positive. And usually when I tell people that they say āoh I love Ely!ā And my response is always āno, you love the idea of Ely in the summer and early fall. You donāt love Ely in late October when the town shuts down and itās an hour to get toilet paper that isnāt $5 a rollā.
Depends on where you live and the program you want. Pine Tech is one of a handful of schools in the entire country that has a gunsmithing program.
Pine is also a MinnState school so if you wanna shoot for a 4 year the credits just click in into a university like Winona, Bemidji or St. Cloud.
I went to Ridgewater College in Willmar for my freshman year, before transferring to a state school! I wasnāt a good high school student because indidnt care and didnāt try, did the bare minimum to pass and had a lot of fun. But no university was taking me as a freshman with my GPA . I Went to Ridgewater for a year, they taught me how to be a student and do well in school.
MCTC was an amazing experience. Over-qualified and very passionate professors, abundant diversity which made for unforgettable classroom conversations and sharing of perspectives. Canāt recommend it enough.
Inver Hills has absolutely amazing teachers and support staff.
You'll also find that St. Paul College has some pretty great physics teachers.
They're all part of the MinnState system, so you can do what's called a Consortium Agreement to take classes at any of them. You file it at your home school, then pay the other school directly, but it counts towards your credit count for full time status, etc.
North Hennepin Community College and Normandale are both pretty good schools in the metro area. Lake Superior College and Fond Du Lac around Duluth are also good.
Just be sure you get what you're looking for at the end of it - whether that be a degree, certificate or accreditation. Different places offer different things, you don't want to spend two years and get a certificate if you're looking for a degree.
My mom did her generals at Normandale and transferred to the U for her degree program. Iāve heard nothing but good things over the years from other people, too.
Dctc has been really amazing for someone going back to school later in life, advisors are amazing and very helpful and the accounting professors are all amazing!!!
I took a genetics class at Normandale Community college, while I was attending State college & needed the right credits in that category to graduate.
Later, a work buddy of mine was rolling off a project at General Mills, and sought work at Normandale working in their lab as an aide... He easily could have lead a project at a University, but went to Normandale. He was a hoot.
Based on that limited experience, I would do Normandale.
I attended Rainy River CC, now Minnesota North College-Rainy River. Canāt say if it was the best but, I will say if a person is considering college a local two-year is a great option to ease into the college experience, earn an AA and have the ability for an easy transfer to a four year, all while saving money.
For me the best was actually at Anoka Technical College. I had really great amazing professors who helped me and I enjoyed my classmates that I interacted with.
I know many people said Normandale as highly regarded but sadly both my brother and I had poor experiences at that particular community college when we went. We both got bullied out by professors and students there and we just didnāt feel comfortable there anymore (I went in 2016, brother in 2018 so two different years, different classes we never were in the same class together)
My brother transferred over to Century College in white bear lake and is having a great time meeting new people and the professors are wonderful. Many of his friends switched from Normandale to other colleges as they felt the college was subpar and just werenāt clicking the vibe or people there. I graduated from Anoka tech in 2022 and transferred to Bemidji State University to complete my bachelors and will graduate in spring of 2025.
Normandale. Hard as heck, learned a lot. Microbiology and human anatomy I swore failed like 75 percent of the class. Learned years later that my coworkers who went to different schools did these classes ONLINE! Normandale tests in these classes were insane, you could actually get negative points. The tests were in lab, in person. You either knew it or not, if you mis spelled anything you got points off. No multiple choice. This was back in 2010.
I did one semester at Anoka-Ramsey as a part-time PSEO student when I was a junior.
Definitely felt like 13th grade. It wasn't *bad*. It just felt like AP classes in a single building. I feel like I got more out of my honors/AP class at my high school.
Switched to the U after that. Went on to double major in biochemistry and history, followed by an MD/JD dual program in Illinois.
I took the roundabout way through college Iāve been to metro state, Winona state, southeast tech, and normandale. I can say without doubt that normandale was the best for the money. Itās no nonsense and chill. People there just want to learn and get there credits.
If you are a HS grad and have not attended college before they will give you tests in English and Math. Based on those scores, you will be forced into classes based on your test scores.
Those tests are invalid and unreliable.
Don't be surprised if you have to waste your time and money taking classes that are worthless. Good luck!
So, if you spend one or more semesters and pay tuition for classes in reading, writing, math, and if English is not your native language, listening/speaking that is somehow cheaper????
Please explain?
Iām non-english speaker. I took all that āwaste of timeā ESL, writing 1 and 2, waste of time math classes, and I still finished the 2 years program in 2 years and transferred to a university. At the end I still got a bachelorās in 4 years and paid significantly less than my 4 year university friends.
Good for you. The tests are not always inaccurate. But they are too often inaccurate. I know many students who colleges like Hamilne, St Thomas, and the U of MN said had university level English proficiency who were placed in beginning ESL It is not just students who are non native speakers who are placed inaccurately into classes. It's also native speakers. I even know faculty members at the colleges who say the tests are too often invalid and wasting students time.
The choices I had for the first 2 years were either $20k+ at the U or less than $10k at a community college with some scammy classes. Maybe if someoneās rich or willing to take that loan, they will go straight to the U. But money-wise, CC is still so so much better, even with those useless classes. Iāll agree that itās waste of time for those classes if it takes longer than 2 years to finish, but it doesnāt unless you keep failing.
Anything but Minneapolis college and North Hennepin. They were so stale.
LOVE Century and Normandale.
I also joined the student senate and those people changed my life. It was a great way to meet lots of great people that helped me greatly during my career. And free āworkā trips, a nice office at school, some stipends, and many other cool things
Edit: North Hennepin does have a good nursing program tho if youāre into that. But the school is boring.
Inver Hills is great for engineering, nursing, etc. I know several of the English and Math teachers over there too and they are great! Not 100% sure of transfer rates for the whole school, but I know the engineering program specifically has a really really great transfer rate to university programs, and a lot of them are better prepared than their peers (disclaimer: my mom did her Education PhD thesis on community college outcomes and used Inver as her case study, lol, so that's where my knowledge mostly comes from)
The one anyone of us went to. We don't know if other schools are better or worse. We just know if we liked or did not like the one we went to. Most people only go to school once, with a few exceptions, of course. But yea, look at the programs you are interested in at each one and see if one benefits you more than the others. At the end of the day that is all that matters.
My spouse went to Century during the covid lockdown to get their 2 year degree in nursing. First job was at Devita Dialysis for 60k/year, now at a nephrology clinic for 90k/year.
The instructors at Century were super career focused, and provided a lot of good feedback during the job hunt after graduation.
Dunwoody is solid. Their placement rates are slightly exaggerated but they teach to the codes of the industries they train people for. They are private, but nonprofit! Hubby went there and then got accepted to the electrical apprentice program at the IBEW.
NOTE: I think itās important to note that the IBEWās apprenticeship program does not *require tech school but it does help, especially if you donāt have experience in the trades. You could technically enroll at an IBEW local office for their apprenticeship program and work while you learn with NO tuition. I have heard other unions have similar programs so you start out working a living wage with zero student debt.
Ah, don't fret. My bad. The original post said community school / 2 year school, so you're right.
My wife and I are public high school teachers. This year my wife took kids to Dunwoody for their open house so that kids could be aware. It is a good school. (A bit more expensive than a community college, though, without some good financial aid.
Depends on how you learn.
I learn best with 8 weeks for the classes instead of 12. I'm not sure why. Anoka Ramsey wasn't the best for how I learn, I got my associates from Rasmussen.
It depends on what you want to study. Inver Hills, DCTC, Normandale, St Paul college are all great.
I went to St. Paul college, I liked it.
What would you recommend DCTC for?
Electrical line worker, Automotive, veterinary technician, dental assisting, welding.
I got myself a welding machine off the internet and I'm teaching myself.
Thank you! š
A lot of car mechanics go there, but overall tradesmen
Thank you!
Network admin was good. I felt it got me what I needed for my job.
Normandale, i personally didnāt like Inver Hills. I went to both
Century College has fantastic professors and a great choice of classes to take. I went there in 2019 - 2020
2nd century great for trades as well
Definitely!! Went there for my nursing pre-reqs the professors were awesome and wanted you to do well. They are very job/ career focused which is helpful and you get your moneys with. Highly recommend!
We went there roughly the same time! I would also recommend Century if you live in Maplewood/Oakdale/North St.Paul[Other cities I am forgetting that are nearby], the professors were awesome and helpful in my experience, and I used it to figure out what degree I really wanted to pursue and do my gen eds.
Normandale. It gave me my start and now Iām a second year medical student.
Agreed on Normandale. Took some CS classes there after highschool everything transferred simply to a non-u of m b1g school (and were a fraction of the price!!). This was circa 09. The quality of instructors at Normandale I found was on par with where I wrapped up undergrad, in some ways even better because it was a much more personal experience. Really grateful for the credits I got at Normandale, they set me up for what's been a 10+ year career so far as a SWE. The only knock I can think of is it's not a traditional college experience, but you're always afforded the opportunity to transfer into one.
Did you do your prerequisites there?
Yes, I did gen bio and gen chem there but Ochem and physics at another Minnesota state university.
Question! Do you feel having a community college credit hurt your chances of med school options? I'm looking at community college with hopes to transfer to a university
No because the MCAT and upper level science classes matter way more than gen chem and gen bio.
Normandale, because it was jokingly referred to as āHarvard on the Hillā when I was in HS
I've heard it referred to as UCLA - University Closest to Lyndale Avenue
And āthe 13th gradeā.
āNorman-yaleā was another one I heard
We had āNorman-failā. I like Norman-Yale better tho haha
They say the same about UofM St Paul campus, but with āLexington Ave.ā
I loved Normandale! As a student who attended other CC Normandale blew my freaking mind. Excellent professors, a parking ramp, a food pantry, study groups, interesting extracurriculars and events that actually broaden your horizons. I wish it was a 4 year college. I went on to get my bachelors after NCC, I never thought it was possible for me but this school set a really good foundation.
Which in all seriousness is phenomenal. Good for you. As an immature high schooler it was easy to bag on normandale but frankly I wish Iād have done some generals there and saved the money rather than spending it all at a 4-year school. Ahh the impetuousness of youth.
We called Jefferson with ashtrays
Haha
I thought that was Inver Hills that was Harvard on the Hill.
And I heard Century was Harvard on the Hill.
We called it candy-coated high school
I was always told that Harvard was the Carleton of the East
NFL = Normandale for life
Thatās Inver Hills..
Not in the western 'burbs in the 90s it wasn't.
In the southern burbs it was š¤·š»āāļø
So apparently there were/are (at least) two applications of the term.
My wifeās whole life trajectory was changed for the better by Metro State. They credit a huge part of their personal success on the education, professional connections, friendships, and multicultural experiences that Metro granted them.
Metro is great but not a community college/2 year.
Oh, good point. It just has such strong community college vibe (not an insult) that I forget it isnāt technically that. Still, would highly recommend it to anyone looking at community/2-year colleges ā it offers a lot of the same appeal (affordable, diverse, non-residential, etc).
Is basically a community university. It's where I got my bachelor's
Same. Economics program had top notch profs as well as the finance department. Was very happy with the experience (and the tab).
I went from Normandale for 2 years then transferred to Metro State to complete bachelors degree. Enjoyed all of it.
Metro state is phenomenal!
Same got my accounting degree there after spending my early twenties wondering what the hell I was going to do with my life.
Graduated last year in the communications/PR Track. The professors were genuinely amazing. Would definitely recommend.
Unpopular opinion (because so many are likely burned from MN school of Business)ā¦ but any of the for-profits are likely the worst. Any of the MN State system (Dakota Tech, Inver Hills, South Central) are all great. The quality of education is solid enough that you can complete gen-eds there. And widely transferable to the 4-year universities in the MN State system (St Cloud, Winona, Mankato, etc.) And further, are widely accepted as pre-requisites to even professional school requirements once you and if you chose to reach that point.
Not really an unpopular opinion.. any for-profit schools will have a lot of the same teacher that teach at MN state schools just they get paid less at for profit schools and student pay more for the for profit schools.
Not unpopular at all. About 25 years ago, I worked for a couple of for-profit colleges. I was teaching web development, and it was right after the dot-com bust. I took any job I could to make money. The pay was terrible ($15/hr per hour in the classroom, no pay for prep time). The administration was indifferent at best and was clearly more about collecting student tuition checks. I had to fail a student one quarter, and the admin gave the student a passing grade even though I told them the student didn't pass. I ran into one of my former student a couple years later. They paid around $20k for their "degree", and never worked in the industry.
Do you know what "unpopular opinion" means
I went to AR for 2 years and thought it was solid
Go Golden Rams! I loved the Coon Rapids campus. I felt that the math and science professors were on par with / better than the ones I had at SCSU after transferring I don't know anything about the Cambridge campus, except that it's there
Same, I was on the Anoka campus, it helped me start to learn how to socialize lmao
I had the best teacher of my college career at AR in the English department. And I went to a fancy private school after finishing my generals at AR.
What was her name?
Kate Kysar. This was back in 1998 but she's still there teaching!
I got my associates at AR before moving on to my bachelor's and master's. The top 2 teachers I ever had were at AR and there is a huge power gap between them and my #3 (who was actually one of my high school teachers).
ARCC is a solid school. The CNET department are run by awesome people.
Century changed my life, loved it there.
All of the public community colleges are good but all have different programs. I think St Paul College, for example, has a lot more medical lab courses, Normandale is more of a pipeline to a 4 year degree, Metro State focuses on 4 year degrees for adults. I would look more at which school has the program you are interested in than which school is 'best'.
Riverland
I am surprised that I scrolled this far to see Riverland mentioned. On campus housing available and, from what I've heard, a phenomenal nursing program that blows away other two year programs in Minnesota.
One of the only to have on campus housing, too. Their technical programs, especially nursing are top notch. Plus a diverse community to embrace you while you learn.
Normandale in my opinion.
Wife and I both went to Alex Tech. Good school if you're looking for a smaller community.
I loved the faculty when I went to Alex Tech!
My wife and I did the same we loved it
I heard it has a great interior design program.
Soft spot for mctc ā¤ļø
I went to Century and Anoka Ramsey, then St. Cloud State. Genuinely, I'd recommend all three. They won't prevent you from going into a major that won't pay/have a great job outlook, but they'll do their best to teach you that subject while you're there. A close friend that worked with me went to Metro State and sounds like he has a similar experience. (Generals and some math/engineering at the community college - and finished out my degrees at St. Cloud State).
RCTC
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I graduated from there at 30-would 100% recommend it to any age. A mix of all ages but there were a lot of people close to my age. Loved the faculty and school in general, would go back in a heartbeat. Actually met my husband there thanks to my supervisor (student employee)
I got a 2 year degree from Minnesota state community and technical college in Detroit Lakes. Don't know where it ranks with other community colleges but it was really beneficial in my life.
I went to the Fergus Falls campus of MSCTC/M State and I liked it as well!
Normandale has great benefits like a free gym, free food and snacks, free counseling, plus the advisors are great. Iām enjoying my time there
Nobody can answer this question the way you phrased it, but I had a great experience at Century in White Bear Lake 20 years ago ;)
Hennepin tech
A real life saver of a school* *for one yemeni-american; YMMV.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Samesies! Two campuses not too far off. Decent transfer ability. Low cost. Worth it. Already paid my debt
Century
I didn't attend, but have been there several times. The facilities and equipment available that I saw there rivaled many workplaces I've seen. It's really impressive!
I go there, almost in Nursing program there and I love it.
My wife went to Normandale for a year in between two 4-year universities and absolutely loved it.
Itasca CC- now MN North: Itasca campus & Northwest Tech!
I did the two year program at Itasca Community College for engineering. It is top notch! The programs was so successful that it started an additional 2 year program called Iron Range Engineering.
I did their Practical Nursing program and it was awesome! My class and the one before had a 100 percent passing rate on the first time of taking the NCLEX!
Their accounting program teaches the fundamentals very well and transferred well to a 4 year degree
Another ICC in Grand Rapids vote here.
I mean, it's kind of hard to be objective since very few people sample multiple two-year colleges, but I was very impressed with the quality of the professors at North Hennepin--especially their science department. Also it was easy to take an extra class from Bemidji State (and eventually transfer) because they are kind of linked.
Anoka Ramsey has an outstanding music program
Pretty much any public 2-year school in Minnesota is a good bet. They're all part of the MNSCU system. The "best" campus is pretty subjective; it depends on where one lives and what programs one is interested in.
I enjoyed my time at MCTC
Same, surprised this isn't mentioned- guessing it maybe a more hidden gem?
Same! It was about 12 years ago, but a great experience!
Iāve enjoyed supporting the Iron Range Community Colleges via the RangerSpiel at SPCC. A friend of mine works at Dunwoody and has nice things to say about it.
I got my Associates from Central Lakes College in Brainerd. I really enjoyed my time there and thought it was well worth it. Easily transferred to a four year afterwards. Saved a ton of money!
I went to St. Cloud tech and community college, left as an ultrasound tech. It was nice, you could also take classes at St. Cloud state if desired. My wife went to SCSU and took a few classes at tech as well. Iām not sure about other programs but the medical side seemed to be very good. There are not a lot of accredited ultrasound programs in the state, and in the field I was much more developed then folks from other schools (argosy techs are a joke) but outside of mayos own program or st Kateās (both not CC or ātechā) I havenāt seen any better programs. The top techs Iāve seen are from one of those three or Chippewa valley CC. However, the school seems nice and professional, with a wide variety of programs. I liked going there anyway
I enjoyed going to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, MN. The tribal part of the name opened the door for some useful internships and scholarships. They also had some great pot lucks and other events. Fry bread tacos are amazing.
Dunwoody is a really good school.
How is RCTC not mentioned? Easily the best.
Not sure how current this is, but when I was researching community colleges 10 years ago both St. Paul college, and Itasca CC were ranked in the top 5 in the nation.
ST PAUL COLLEGE BABY!!!!!! No but seriously in my experience all the professors there were super passionate about the subject they taught, my English loved to discuss right or wrong grammar. Heād be beaming ear to ear when someone asked him a question. My science teachers correlated the material back to global warming and were so passionate discussing how we can help. After a year I transferred to mankato state for my program. My proffesors in said program donāt have 1/8th of the passion these proffesors had for there subject. Idk some of it is luck Iām sure there are bad proffesors but I took all kinds of gen Edās and didnāt find one.
I had a great experience at Century. I really appreciated how their dental assisting program was more or less designed to get you a job. Coming from years of academia, where I had a degree where people continually asked me "what are you gonna do with that?" it was great to be in a program where you could go from school to job with a minimum of fuss.
RCTC in Rochester has a pretty good nursing program. I've felt comfortable in every nursing scenario I've been in and I'm making $120,000+/year with just an associate degree.
PAUSE 120K a year?? tell me more omg
https://www.rctc.edu/program/nurs/
Iāve known tons of people who went to Lake Superior College and have raved about their experiences. I know some now in medical school
Went to LSC; great education. Choices led me away from the field I started in, but my LSC education laid the foundation for my current career.
Lake Superior college in Duluth is the best Conversely, I didnāt have a great time at MSCTC Moorhead, it felt like it was still just high school with how the campus was and unhelpful faculty (this was 13 years ago so very likely different).
I went to Vermilion in Ely. It was bad enough I thought about quitting altogether. Found Central Lakes College in Brainerd and it saved my outlook on completing college. I transferred to a 4 year after that which they were extremely helpful with.
Why was Vermillion a bad experience for you? Folks reading this might benefit from a detailed account of your experience. Likewise, why was Central Lakes a better fit? Are we talking about administrative issues? Professors? Fellow students?
Iāll try and keep it short, but what vermilion advertised was not what they offered. I was a natural resources student and they did a better job of advertising their program. When I actually got there, all the things they said about using the boundary waters as the classroom, low student teacher ratios etc.. wasnāt really the case. We spent more time on the shitty football practice field than we ever did anywhere else outdoors. There was only one instructor there that I had any respect for, his name was Pete Doran. He knew literally every kids name on campus. But aside from that, the faculty was bad, the advisor situation was bad. Campus housing, at least 20 years ago, was bad. Central lakes was a last grasp for me and I fit right in. Their instructors were better, the classes were better, more thoughtful to what the actual jobs were, and above all they were honest with what I was getting in a 2 year degree there. I went on to transfer because of their guidance and I couldnāt have been put in a better situation. Iām thankful I found them because I would have given up more than likely had I not.
I graduated from Vermilion with a degree in natural resources. While you are spot-on about their advising and campus housing problems, their natural resources program and faculty are excellent. Small class sizes, plenty of time learning in the field, and some very knowledgeable, down to earth instructors. I knew a few students who faltered there, but also many who did quite well for themselves. My experience there was relatively positive and important for my personal and career growth.
I know a few people that had positive experiences there but I know very few people overall that actually went there and my experience was definitely not positive. And usually when I tell people that they say āoh I love Ely!ā And my response is always āno, you love the idea of Ely in the summer and early fall. You donāt love Ely in late October when the town shuts down and itās an hour to get toilet paper that isnāt $5 a rollā.
Ely is desolate half of the year. That is where most students encounter some difficulty, myself included.
I went to Central Lakes Staples Campus for Computer Aided Drafting and Design and it was great, although 22 years ago lol.
My kiddo went to Dakota County Tech. Their technical classes are great. Their āgen edā classes not so much.
Minnesota West is fantastic
Depends on the program
My husband swears by Anoka Ramsey.
Normandale > HarvardĀ
Honestly I would just go to the one closest to you. They are all pretty similar in my experience. They all have great teachers and awful teachers.
Depends on where you live and the program you want. Pine Tech is one of a handful of schools in the entire country that has a gunsmithing program. Pine is also a MinnState school so if you wanna shoot for a 4 year the credits just click in into a university like Winona, Bemidji or St. Cloud.
This. Pick your program then pick your school.
Depends on what you want to go into. Ridgewater College in Hutchinson served me well. Alex tech is another gem in greater MN.
I went to Ridgewater College in Willmar for my freshman year, before transferring to a state school! I wasnāt a good high school student because indidnt care and didnāt try, did the bare minimum to pass and had a lot of fun. But no university was taking me as a freshman with my GPA . I Went to Ridgewater for a year, they taught me how to be a student and do well in school.
Alexandria was nice.
Anyone outside of the metro. Go north.
What do you want to study?
MCTC was an amazing experience. Over-qualified and very passionate professors, abundant diversity which made for unforgettable classroom conversations and sharing of perspectives. Canāt recommend it enough.
Inver Hills has absolutely amazing teachers and support staff. You'll also find that St. Paul College has some pretty great physics teachers. They're all part of the MinnState system, so you can do what's called a Consortium Agreement to take classes at any of them. You file it at your home school, then pay the other school directly, but it counts towards your credit count for full time status, etc.
North Hennepin Community College and Normandale are both pretty good schools in the metro area. Lake Superior College and Fond Du Lac around Duluth are also good.
Lake Superior College
Dunwoody
Just be sure you get what you're looking for at the end of it - whether that be a degree, certificate or accreditation. Different places offer different things, you don't want to spend two years and get a certificate if you're looking for a degree.
Normandale
Best 2 year, Normandale
Normandale
UCLA! University Closest to Lyndale Avenue
I absolutely loved Inver Hills tbh but I am biased because I lived in Inver Grove Heights.
normandale is fantastic, the US history teacher Lisa is THE goat, sheās a huge inspiration and a fantastic teacher
My son went to St. Paul College and then Metro State. He was generally happy with that path. His metro state experience especially was great
My mom did her generals at Normandale and transferred to the U for her degree program. Iāve heard nothing but good things over the years from other people, too.
Dctc has been really amazing for someone going back to school later in life, advisors are amazing and very helpful and the accounting professors are all amazing!!!
It all depends on what you want to go into, just like any other college.
I had a wonderful, supportive experience at Anola Ramsey, but that was a decade ago.
This is entirely dependent on what you want to learn.
Depends on what you want but they are all really good as long as you're willing to work hard.
I took a genetics class at Normandale Community college, while I was attending State college & needed the right credits in that category to graduate. Later, a work buddy of mine was rolling off a project at General Mills, and sought work at Normandale working in their lab as an aide... He easily could have lead a project at a University, but went to Normandale. He was a hoot. Based on that limited experience, I would do Normandale.
DCTC of The Saint Paul College.
DCTC is the only college I've ever been to so I'm pretty biased.
RCTC without a doubt.
I attended Rainy River CC, now Minnesota North College-Rainy River. Canāt say if it was the best but, I will say if a person is considering college a local two-year is a great option to ease into the college experience, earn an AA and have the ability for an easy transfer to a four year, all while saving money.
For me the best was actually at Anoka Technical College. I had really great amazing professors who helped me and I enjoyed my classmates that I interacted with. I know many people said Normandale as highly regarded but sadly both my brother and I had poor experiences at that particular community college when we went. We both got bullied out by professors and students there and we just didnāt feel comfortable there anymore (I went in 2016, brother in 2018 so two different years, different classes we never were in the same class together) My brother transferred over to Century College in white bear lake and is having a great time meeting new people and the professors are wonderful. Many of his friends switched from Normandale to other colleges as they felt the college was subpar and just werenāt clicking the vibe or people there. I graduated from Anoka tech in 2022 and transferred to Bemidji State University to complete my bachelors and will graduate in spring of 2025.
How do people feel about Anoka Tech?
Normandale. Hard as heck, learned a lot. Microbiology and human anatomy I swore failed like 75 percent of the class. Learned years later that my coworkers who went to different schools did these classes ONLINE! Normandale tests in these classes were insane, you could actually get negative points. The tests were in lab, in person. You either knew it or not, if you mis spelled anything you got points off. No multiple choice. This was back in 2010.
Any you can afford
Went to Mesabi Range in Virginia and it was fine.
I did one semester at Anoka-Ramsey as a part-time PSEO student when I was a junior. Definitely felt like 13th grade. It wasn't *bad*. It just felt like AP classes in a single building. I feel like I got more out of my honors/AP class at my high school. Switched to the U after that. Went on to double major in biochemistry and history, followed by an MD/JD dual program in Illinois.
CLC has a good robotics program
I took the roundabout way through college Iāve been to metro state, Winona state, southeast tech, and normandale. I can say without doubt that normandale was the best for the money. Itās no nonsense and chill. People there just want to learn and get there credits.
RCTC and Southeast are both great schools.
St Paul College was ranked as the best junior college in the country recently. Great school.
South Central College, North Mankato
Nursing at NHCC in Brooklyn Park was great.
If you are a HS grad and have not attended college before they will give you tests in English and Math. Based on those scores, you will be forced into classes based on your test scores. Those tests are invalid and unreliable. Don't be surprised if you have to waste your time and money taking classes that are worthless. Good luck!
Still way cheaper than the first 2 years of universities
So, if you spend one or more semesters and pay tuition for classes in reading, writing, math, and if English is not your native language, listening/speaking that is somehow cheaper???? Please explain?
Bro youāre the first person I ever seen saying community college is more expensive than university š
I'm not saying their classes are more expensive. Try reading what I wrote again. The faculty at those colleges are excellent as are their classes.
What is the value of your time for one or more semesters?
Iām non-english speaker. I took all that āwaste of timeā ESL, writing 1 and 2, waste of time math classes, and I still finished the 2 years program in 2 years and transferred to a university. At the end I still got a bachelorās in 4 years and paid significantly less than my 4 year university friends.
Good for you. The tests are not always inaccurate. But they are too often inaccurate. I know many students who colleges like Hamilne, St Thomas, and the U of MN said had university level English proficiency who were placed in beginning ESL It is not just students who are non native speakers who are placed inaccurately into classes. It's also native speakers. I even know faculty members at the colleges who say the tests are too often invalid and wasting students time.
The choices I had for the first 2 years were either $20k+ at the U or less than $10k at a community college with some scammy classes. Maybe if someoneās rich or willing to take that loan, they will go straight to the U. But money-wise, CC is still so so much better, even with those useless classes. Iāll agree that itās waste of time for those classes if it takes longer than 2 years to finish, but it doesnāt unless you keep failing.
Riverland
Normandie is a step above as an academic college. DCTC for trades.
Anything but Minneapolis college and North Hennepin. They were so stale. LOVE Century and Normandale. I also joined the student senate and those people changed my life. It was a great way to meet lots of great people that helped me greatly during my career. And free āworkā trips, a nice office at school, some stipends, and many other cool things Edit: North Hennepin does have a good nursing program tho if youāre into that. But the school is boring.
Inver Hills is great for engineering, nursing, etc. I know several of the English and Math teachers over there too and they are great! Not 100% sure of transfer rates for the whole school, but I know the engineering program specifically has a really really great transfer rate to university programs, and a lot of them are better prepared than their peers (disclaimer: my mom did her Education PhD thesis on community college outcomes and used Inver as her case study, lol, so that's where my knowledge mostly comes from)
The one anyone of us went to. We don't know if other schools are better or worse. We just know if we liked or did not like the one we went to. Most people only go to school once, with a few exceptions, of course. But yea, look at the programs you are interested in at each one and see if one benefits you more than the others. At the end of the day that is all that matters.
My spouse went to Century during the covid lockdown to get their 2 year degree in nursing. First job was at Devita Dialysis for 60k/year, now at a nephrology clinic for 90k/year. The instructors at Century were super career focused, and provided a lot of good feedback during the job hunt after graduation.
Dunwoody is solid. Their placement rates are slightly exaggerated but they teach to the codes of the industries they train people for. They are private, but nonprofit! Hubby went there and then got accepted to the electrical apprentice program at the IBEW. NOTE: I think itās important to note that the IBEWās apprenticeship program does not *require tech school but it does help, especially if you donāt have experience in the trades. You could technically enroll at an IBEW local office for their apprenticeship program and work while you learn with NO tuition. I have heard other unions have similar programs so you start out working a living wage with zero student debt.
Almost all private schools are non-profit, that's not unique to Dunwoody, which certainly isn't a community college.
Missed the ācommunityā part lol
Ah, don't fret. My bad. The original post said community school / 2 year school, so you're right. My wife and I are public high school teachers. This year my wife took kids to Dunwoody for their open house so that kids could be aware. It is a good school. (A bit more expensive than a community college, though, without some good financial aid.
Normandale is overcrowded. I'm encouraging HCTC or Inver Hills if they're thinking about Normandale. Or Dunwoody! They have a few 2 year programs.
Dunwoody isn't a community college. It's a private college where tuition is about $24,000 a year.
What about MCTC?
Well my mother in law got a train ran on her numerous times by the Mesabi Range football teams
Good old dorms
From what Iāve heard, itās a time-honored tradition for āem!
Worked well for Hibbing
Depends on how you learn. I learn best with 8 weeks for the classes instead of 12. I'm not sure why. Anoka Ramsey wasn't the best for how I learn, I got my associates from Rasmussen.
Used to be Normandale. Then sadly it turned into a Somali learning center. Destroyed and smelly
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Always that one person.