My freshman year I was bored and got a flyer that the community college was teaching classes at night at our high school.

I asked my parents if I could do a class and they were on board. It was a breeze and I decided it made sense to get the associates degree.

The big reason that an associates degree is important is because most universities will accept it as a replacement for most GEs, they will take a look at the classes you take and tell you what you need to take to satisfy the GE requirement. For BYU, I would have needed to take a letters, and at BYU-H I had to take an Interdisciplinary Studies course (so I took sports and culture).

The other big advantage is that I got in as a transfer student (possible with 30 credit hours). Basically, there is no need to take the ACT, you can but as a transfer student I don’t think it has any bearing on getting in. Because the CC was a breeze, I got tuition scholarships that I probably wouldn’t have gotten if I just went in as a normal student.

There are some negatives:
- I had to choose a major basically as soon as I started as a full time student. It worked out for me, as I’m still working in my field of study 20 years later.
- I didn’t have many classes with other freshman, which wasn’t a big deal because I lived on campus.
- I remember being incredibly depressed when I graduated, I felt like I’d never have the college experience again (and I graduated before my mission). In my case I got my Masters degree (at BYU), so I had another great college experience.

After all is said and done, I don’t regret it at all. My parents weren’t in a position to assist with college and I was able to pay my way entirely (thanks to the scholarships).

It’s made a huge financial impact on me and my career as I was earning real money just a year after my mission.

It’s a mixed bag but it has made a huge difference in my life.