Reviews

Many of the teachers here are retirees, some of whom have previously taught at prestigious universities. I have had professors who have taught at USC, UCSB, UCR, UC Berkeley, Harvard, and even Yale. These teachers are heavily invested in educating their students, and generally have a laid-back attitude, and testing, workloads and assignments are usually not too vigorous. However, some teachers at COD take their instruction at a community college (where nearly half the student population works full or part time, in addition to attending classes) as seriously as they took their jobs at previous universities. This means much heavier workloads that require exceptional amounts of out-of-class work that can be strenuous on students who are also holding full-time jobs outside of class, or are only taking said class as a prerequisite for the degree they are pursuing. Overall though, most professors here are knowledgeable, thoughtful, and can actually be fun. Most importantly though, they understand that it is their job to help the community college students succeed, especially in regards to transferring to four year institutions. The student-professor relationship here is very informal and fluid, which leads for a great environment for aspiring students.

Though the education is laudable, student culture is a bit lacking. There is no longer a student lounge area, and campus activities are fairly limited. Most student affairs are managed by honors societies, that by and large do not seem to have a great deal of cohesion with the majority of the student body. There is a general feel of disconnection between students that is widely noticed. However, I would only attribute this to the fact that most students here are planning to pursue a vocational degree, taking a very wide variety of prerequisites for their AA, or taking the classes necessary to meet the IGETC requirements. In short, I believe that the disconnect noted among students is largely due to their education simply being more important to them than their on-campus social life.

There is no question that the community college system, despite the state of financial distress it has found itself in, is one of the best higher-education deals in the nation. Almost any student qualifies for the Bogg Waiver, which completely erases the cost of tuition, and the FAFSA and CalGrant are made easily accessible to students as well, meaning that, as long as you manage your education expenses wisely, you can actually make money by attending College of the Desert, which can be applied to housing, transportation, and anything else a student might need.

Make sure to register in advance in order to get into the classes you need. It also helps to have a 2-year game plan outlining what classes you need (and want) to take in order to achieve your goals, and the best order to take them in. Aditionally, it helps to take classes such as the Intro to Scholarships class, which is a great resource for finding money if you plan to transfer to a four-year institution.

College of the Desert, though it has excellent academic programs for students planning to transfer, is a very career-oriented school. It's nursing department is widely known and appreciated, and has strong ties to the Cal State San Bernadino campus that is five minutes away. Any other vocational degrees, such as culinary arts, auto repair, management and hospitality, and general maintenance certification are easily available with quality instruction. This should not discourage students planning to transfer though, as College of the Desert's programs for Art, Graphic Design, Philosophy, and Liberal Arts are extremely commendable as well.

I have to rate College of the Desert above any rank that can possibly be conceived. I have found faculty and administration genuinely interested in the students future, and will stop at nothing to help those who want to succeed. The College of the Desert is everything a school should be.

Have a CAN DO attitude

When you feel overwhelmed, do only what is directly in front of you, ask yourself what you have left out, and know that you have done the very best you can do. This is what I do, the results speak for them self.

No dorms here

Beeps has the best food

There are always activities going on somewhere, whatever your interests. There are political clubs, media clubs, and group activities weekly on campus. Nobody gets left behind.

Doesn't come any better....anywhere!

Great location. Beautiful Campus. Very nice staff.

Lots of sports programs here, great to up your skill levels before transferring to a major school.

I haven't attended any classes, but from what I hear the courses are reasonable, not too hard, not too easy.

I wouldn't know.

Great food.

There is a golf practice range on campus, that is open to the public. great for an active evening out.

Fairly inexpensive as far as two year schools are concerned.. Public school, so that is why. Lots of facilities not seen on other public campuses (Driving range) Golf School, among others.

Athletes

Lots of options, great Student body leaders.

Very little crime reported on campus, mostly burglaries, which are common on all college campuses