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Is that bonding experience worth another 12500$ a year ? CC is about 1500$ in tuition for a full 30 units vs 14000$ at a UC per year.

I made life long friends in community college.

Plus college doesn't work out for everyone, better to spend 3000$ figuring that out over 28k.

If you pay your own way and go the absolute cheapest path, your spending 3k at community college for 2 years and about 14k for 2 years at a Cal State. 17k total.

Vs 14k a year at a UC and around 56k for all 4.

This really depends on your financial situation though. For a lot of families this isn't a lot of money.

[apparent]

Yes, it very much depends on family circumstances. In some families/communities, there is somewhat of a stigma to not attending a 4-year college straight out of high school. That will probably fade over time, but it is a reality for some.