whats wiser?: taking out loans for 4 years at a university or going to an affordable jr college then transferring?

Definitely cheaper to go the community college route in the long run. You'll borrow less and your payback period will decrease significantly. The only other considerations are mainly social, it seems to me. You'll develop close friends over the four year period spent at one college moreso than splitting time at two schools.

Its MUCH better to go the Community College route and transfer. I agree with all the advice given thus far. This is especially true if the community college has good academic support and help, or more individual attention. Some community colleges however are NOT bastions of great thinking. They see a student as someone after a degree or grade and not individuals with opinions or intellectual capacity, as many community colleges are just trying to teach job skills and technology to bolster a person's current job or get certified in something. Literature and philospophy still have the papers due but are more likely that you will just regurgitate what was taught in class but not interact intellectually or socially with the class or have your own opinions. There are probably exceptions, but where I live the community colleges are lacking in this as I've described. Anything you CAN get out of the way at a community college, such as the basics or things with consistant rules, go for it. You'll save money and probably will get more help in those areas.

Well, how about going to a nice, cheap state college? (If you consider $10,000 a year "cheap," that is.)

Absolutely going to community college and th en transferring to a four year institute. If y ou decide that you don't want any more college, you at lest have a tw o year degree.

community college makes more sense to make....my mom is a single mom and unemployed and cannot help at all plus i need a new car and a new computer as well....it just makes more sense. the community college i go to has a great transfer program....i went to a college prep school so community college is easier to me than the private high school i went to...