Germanna Community CollegeAcademic Experience Summary

Written by Devon Geary

Devon Geary

View all previous student authors

Most students agree that Germanna’s greatest asset is its teachers—the majority of instructors hold master’s degrees, and they are here to teach, not do research. Students often grumble that Germanna's classes are too easy, but most say that the teacher interaction with students compensates for the College’s lack of academic rigor. There are some tough classes here, but overall, the academics are light, and students are in for a rude awakening when they transfer to a four-year university. And many do go on to another institution because under the Virginia Community College System's Guaranteed Admissions Agreements, Germanna students can complete an associate’s degree here and then transfer to one of 32 universities in Virginia with guaranteed junior status. This is all well and good, but a junior-level course at the College of William and Mary is a bit more challenging than a sophomore-level course at Germanna Community College.

Students often wonder why Germanna does not offer an honors program, which they say would help adequately prepare them to handle the rigors of upper-level university work. But, unfortunately, the school cannot afford to introduce an honors program because more than half of the incoming student population has to take at least one developmental course. Even so, highly motivated students can elect to take some of Germanna’s more challenging courses and better prepare themselves for university work. Simply put, students get as much out of Germanna's academics as they put in.