What to Expect for Your First Year in Community College

Hello to the new community college students out there. As you gear up for your first semester, I'm sure there are a lot of questions and concerns on your mind. Today I will address these concerns by taking about choosing a major, coursework, general education and getting involved. These are the primary things that come to mind when I think about my own experience, but I hope it helps you to prepare. Good luck!
About Me
-Name: Hailey Dollar (yes, that's my real last name)
-Age: 22
-CC: West Valley College, A.A. in Liberal Arts
-Current School: UCLA
-Major: Applied Linguistics
Career goal: Speech Language Pathologist
-Fun fact: I love astrology! I am an Aquarius sun sign with moon in Aries and rising in Sagittarius.
Let's connect!
/ haileyxdollar
/ haileygoes2ucla
Snapchat: @haileyddddd
Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated in any way with the University of California, California Community College or California State University, or the admissions departments of these institutions. The information presented in this video is taken from my own personal experience.

[@omarzaifulizan3064]

if you clicked on this video then youre already putting in the efort to do well just by watching this.

[@cocotaveras8975]

Thank you!

[@nctzen6677]

thanks !!

[@tan334]

Thanks!

[@band0945]

Thanks I rlly needed to hear that!

[@Simmran]

Thank you🥰

[@CALISUPERSPORT]

If you're worried about classmates or meeting people; speak clearly, proudly, and with a smile. I'm the icebreaker in all my classes and you'll realize the vast majority of people appreciate being opened to conversation. The tiny percentage that aren't many may be preoccupied, in a rush, or just a rare a-hole 😁 Dont stress it, just keep that same energy!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Exactly!

[@veanne]

Thank you for this! I’m gonna start community college this fall & i’m so nervous because i know NOBODY and i’m VERY SHY AND IM AN INTROVERT 😭

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Good luck!

[@veanne]

Hailey Dollar thank youuu!

[@thefrenchfryguy9959]

How was it??

[@veanne]

@@thefrenchfryguy9959 It was all online anyways, so it wasn't much trouble. I'm secretly hoping I won't have to go back in person lol. But for the program I'm applying for next month requires us to be in person ;/ I'm just hoping I get accepted

[@thefrenchfryguy9959]

@@veanne ohh ok, gotchu. And would u say CC is wayyy harder than high-school?

[@thatsmynamesowhat2949]

I’m 44 and thinking of starting college for the first time. I have no idea what to expect, but this was very helpful. Thank you!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I'm rooting for you!

[@career5690]

Did you go to college?

[@thatsmynamesowhat2949]

Yes, I did! I'm a sophomore now and still going strong!@@career5690

[@elim7026]

I'm 22 and thinking about community college. I was feeling nervous and hesitant about it. But this video Def made me feel a little bit better!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Really glad I could help! I wish you the best of luck.

[@career5690]

Did you go yet?

[@career5690]

@filaaa2171How is it at community college?

[@britanygarcia3951]

I'm so scared to start college 😭😭 I graduated high school2 years ago so I'm afraid I'm going to be one of the oldest freshmen. Not to me toon I'm superrrr awkward and will literally ignore everyone unless they talk to me first 😭😭😭

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Just be yourself!

[@cocotaveras8975]

I start in the Fall and have a lot of your same concerns! I’m really nervous just thinking about it! 😩

[@kingtrey5311]

You'll be straight. I graduated 2 years ago so I'll be a 20 year old freshman too lol

[@nazstorytime2753]

@@kingtrey5311 that’s not even bad

[@silverbowftw5225]

SAME HERE!!! Graduated 1 year ago and I'm scared

[@ellie-in8zf]

i’m starting in a week or so, and this calmed me down a lot!! I skipped a year of highschool so i’m going in as a 17 year old, thank you so much for the advice

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Really glad it could help you, Ellie! Good luck.

[@savannaha7007]

Me too!

[@ellie-in8zf]

@@savannaha7007 aaa nice!! good luck with it, honestly it was a lot less scary than i was expecting :) you’ll do great!!

[@savannaha7007]

@@ellie-in8zf thank u I’m so scared I start in six days!

[@ellie-in8zf]

@@savannaha7007 omg best of luck, i’m sure you’ll do great!! i was scared shitless ngl, i’m not sure if i’m in a place to give advice but mine would be to make sure to stay on top of everything :D obviously it’s a lot easier said than done, but man it’s important :) i have faith in you!!

[@wulfjay7102]

I'm going to CC as an international student this fall. This video helped me preparing my mindset!!! Thanks, Hailey!!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

really glad you found it helpful! Good luck

[@marcosilvafonseca]

I did not know anything about community colleges in the USA, so I was able to learn a lot from this video! I did not that the first year of classes were similar to high school.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Never thought I'd see the day when I could teach YOU something!

[@bandygreen2456]

Got everything I need. Ready to quietly ace the semester

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Right on! Good luck!

[@24myronm]

Great insight especially from a hands-on perspective, helps calm some first impression nerves! I sent you an email regarding a book I'm writing about community college, looking forward to hearing from you.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Myron Moncur thanks Myron! I just replied to you on Twitter, check your DMs

[@FelSL]

Thank you so much! You’ve calmed me quite a bit😅

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

glad to help!

[@zylayahharrison3410]

Thank you for this video it really helped, I will be attending community college in September

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Glad you found it helpful! Good luck ☺

[@lolawkward4033]

Can you do a video regarding how to gain more confidence in yourself. Im so nervous for school rn that I’m filling my mind with doubts regarding how I can’t do it:(

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I'm not much of a motivational speaker, but Roberto Blake is! I would recommend watching with KZbin videos if you need to be uplifted.

[@user-zj9kw9lh1i]

Thank you for this ! 👍

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Thanks for watching

[@hunsicker5]

Very helpful and informative! 🙏🏽👏🏽

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Thank you for watching

[@lolawkward4033]

I’m so nervous I needed this

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Thanks for watching

[@sparkle5164]

I'm starting my first semester next week and I'm kind of nervous about being able to keep up with homework (I was terrible with studying at home and doing homework) I decided to go into the business major for now since I'm still unsure about what I want to do. Thankfully a business degree, and certificates surrounding it, are very useful for a lot of jobs. And if I do decide to run my own business in the future I have a headstart :D

[@JJFlores197]

Good luck. Not sure if this is of help to you, but what I suggest is to organize yourself. You say you were bad at studying and doing homework. Identify why you had problems with studying and doing the work and make a plan to work on that. Its easier said than done, but it will greatly help you in your classes. If it helps, create a schedule of your work you need to do every day. It can be written or digital. It doesn't matter as long as you create something that works for you. Identify what you need to do (study, do work, research, etc) and try to plan it out. This helps you know what you're supposed to be doing at what dates/time. That's my take on it at least.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Sorry for the late response! How are things going?

[@Alibern7]

Great advice! 👍 I’m starting college this fall! ☺️

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Good luck to you!

[@Alibern7]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege thank youuu ☺️

[@lilyzhang1215]

this is really helpful ！！ thank you!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Thanks for watching

[@alisheynaqvi8760]

Thank you for this!!!!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Thanks for watching!

[@cocotaveras8975]

I know right I needed this!

[@ncaviationfilms]

2:50 well no kidding I feel like almost everybody knows that. Thanks for the advice!

Ok this actually helped me ! i'm suprised alot of people just lie about college

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

glad it helped you!

[@maiahboo70]

I start Monday. Thank you for this!

[@gloriasantana6809]

Omg same, i'm lowkey scared but excited and nervous 😂

[@karlavaldez5493]

Same !!!!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

good luck!

[@cocotaveras8975]

Gloria Santana It’s been nine months since you wrote this comment so if you don’t mind me asking, how was it when you started? how was your first day? Is it easy/hard? Is it straightforward in making friends? I’m especially curious because I’m starting CC in the fall, and I want to know what I should expect. I’m really nervous just thinking about it so your words could go a long way in calming my concerns and fears! 😩

[@hamiduu123]

Who is gonna study at a community college next year? Let's be #friends : ) ❤ Thank you for this video!

[@griizzlerhops633]

I sstart tomorrow omg, Kind of nervous however this definitely helped me. Wish me luck in this journey!!

[@sparkle5164]

Fr! I start my first semester next week and I'm kind of nervous. I hope you're schooling is going well!

[@IbrahimIbrahim-dm3tw]

How are you now?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

How is everything going?

[@griizzlerhops633]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege Heyyyy So I just finished my first year like last week and honestly it was actually not too bad! I got into a relationship with a classmate (But broke up by the end of the first semester, which killed me for a bit hahah definitely do not recommend), Got into some extracurriculars/clubs that I enjoy, met some new classmates + student leaders, switched my major (Bio to CS phewww), and honestly just vibed well. Hoping to get more involved next year because I spent most of my time grinding out academics and not focusing on my personal life until much later into the second semester. At first all my classes were nerve wrecking and stressful however I learned to enjoy the process of learning and learned to push through. I ended the year with a 4.0 which I would have never imagined coming from a former 2.7 GPA-3.3 GPA high schooler. But wow this school year went by SO SO quickly I can't believe that its already over. Unfortunately I do have to spend more time than needed here because of the major change however I am optimistic for what the future holds for me! Thank you for this video though, I'm starting to actually enjoy community college. A good experience overall!

[@JJ-cl5wv]

Thank you for this video! I’m 29 years old and I have two small children I put my education on the back burner but I want to take charge of my life and go back to school soon but I’m so scared of failing. I did 1 semester at a community college right before I had my daughter but didn’t take it serious but I had no responsibility then. I want to give it another shot.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Good for you! I'm sure you'll do great. I have just the video coming for you very, very soon!

[@JJ-cl5wv]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege awesome! I can’t wait to watch it!

[@alainacardamone2306]

I start tomorrow. I'm nervous about the small class sizes. My French class only has 8 people!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Good luck! Small classes are great bc you actually can form a relationship with your instructor!

[@jaelife324]

Thank you!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Thanks for watching!

[@toururururururu]

I plan on graduating early and going to community college for horticulture then college for astro botany mainly because I want to be an astronaut farmer growing plants on mars which won't happen for a while but I know what I want to do I've had it planned out since I was 10

[@pigpapa9349]

That’s pretty cool u remind me of that one guy from that movie where he was stuck on mars

[@musicfan07058]

I'm 32 I wish I would have been more interested in this back when i was 18 or 19 ect. But all I can say now is my career choices are pretty much a bunch of experience I've gained in various jobs nothing ever really sticking or feeling right for a life long career. I may or may not find what I'm looking for in community college...

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

It's never too late. If you enroll in CC, I think you'll be surprised to see that there are many older students and students who are making a change in their career. CC is a great launching point for starting over.

[@Caitlin288]

I’m mostly worried about picking one that will treat the students like preschoolers because of their disabilities I want to be sure I’m picking the right one

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I hope it all works out for you!

[@juanitapatata5627]

Is community college just like state univ? Time wise that needs to be spent in school? Or is it like high school where you attend 8am-4pm?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

You can create your own schedule and take as many or as few classes as you would like.

[@DannyIsNoMan]

im in 10th grade and im going into community college as duel credits, do you think its going to be the same as regular highschool?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Hi, it definitely won't be the same as high school, as you will be doing college level coursework. Just lean into your resources and you will do fine.

[@mgminthantaung1363]

I felt sad myself because I am not finished my english language. My family sent to the community college, but I don't know what to do with the community college. I am struggled too much about it.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

sorry to hear you're struggling

[@francisconegrete3443]

Can't believe I Start on Monday I'm nervous!

[@shekiraharris8152]

Same

[@BrittanyAppiah]

samee

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

good luck!

[@mhailife9788]

Do you need laptop in class? Or is it okay to do assignments at home?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Many professors nowadays will require you to be able to access the internet during class.

[@user-gl6pt4ej2t]

What does billable contact hour mean?I am new to the country and very unfamiliar with American education system.Does 1 contact hour mean 1 credit

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I've never heard the term billable contact hour so I don't know

[@dakshjeena4895]

Does community college is better that universities in India

[@kyleboggs]

Thanks ... 38 first year, freshman... Most will be online any pointers..? And thanks... You rock.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Sorry for the late response! You'll do amazing! Lean into your resources (professors, library, tutoring center, etc) and you'll do just fine. Thanks for watching.

[@drefrmnc4130]

are there like a lot of presentations in college?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

It depends on the class

[@818Steelers36]

Is it a bad idea to start your first semester of CC at 32 years old in the summer? I’m trying to schedule classes and I’m already going crazy I signed up for a English 101 course And when I tried to look for another class to take they all conflict with the courses time. Ahhhh I’m already going crazy . Now I feel like I should postpone . I also suck at match and have fear that’s going to be my down fall.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

There's no age limit! I was in class with recent high school graduates and even people who were 60 years old! CC is for everyone.

[@818Steelers36]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege that’s dope I appreciate it I signed up for 2 classes in the summer but there online courses from l.a.v.c . Public speaking and intro to Kinesiology . I’m nervous feel like I might not be able to do it but I’m not backing down I want to improve my life have a degree behind my name . I want to orthopedic therapy. Let’s get it

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

@@818Steelers36 Nah you got this. You can do anything you put your mind to! Might take some hard work and time but you can make it. You've got the right attitude already so I believe in you

[@markc6953]

i start cc in like 4-5 days and i don’t even know the campus or anyone i’m so scared and anxious

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

don't be! good luck!

[@user-tb3lj3lg9s]

me too i start tmrw🤞

[@daylanfuentez2657]

@@user-tb3lj3lg9s I start tmrw too I have no idea about the campus 😖 I’m gonna be so lost and it’s in a city where I know no one 😔 FMLLL

[@user-tb3lj3lg9s]

@@daylanfuentez2657 how did it go😭

[@daylanfuentez2657]

@@user-tb3lj3lg9s good I was nervous ASFFFF💀 but the teachers were super nice and I meet a lot of new people

[@HondaCivicat3AM]

Well I’m in that 1% I’m very few people who know what I want to do with my life I guess, I want to become a paleontologist in South America. Sorry if I don’t know the natural history museum of South America of what it is called.

[@yoshicoaster746]

sorry if my question is dumb but could I go to raise my high school gpa?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

High school GPA and community college GPA are completely separate. The only exception may be if your high school allows you to do dual enrollment. You would have to ask your counselor.

[@rosiesteph93]

Tomorrow is my first day of community college.. I am so nervous. I have social anxiety and I am shaking. 😅

[@eliasverduzco2845]

Hey how did it go? I’m starting community college this fall and I’m sooo nervous because I’m too shy and my English is not so good 😭

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

There's nothing to be nervous about! Hope everything went well.

[@ylamaddies7876]

@@eliasverduzco2845 hey how r u doing in community college was it hard?

[@fourskin423]

my first day of community is tommorow im so scared

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Hope everything went well for you!

[@fourskin423]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege Yes it did! I dont know why i was so worked up. Though my english class is literally hell it is not as bad as i thought

[@friedchicken9553]

Can you do textbooks / supplies tips.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I talked about this in my "How to do Well in Community College" video make sure you check it out!

[@therealboomhauer69]

Is it okay for me to start even tho i am 20?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

There's no age limit. Community college is for everyone!

[@therealboomhauer69]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege aww thank you!!

[@maxinecatalan6432]

Hi hailey I sent you a message on your Instagram college page but it says you don’t receive private messages.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Hi Maxine, thanks so much for letting me know!