For some Redwood graduates, College of Marin provides a second chance at choosing the right college.

Every year, some students leave part way through their time at a four-year university to return home and attend COM. Many do this with the intention of eventually transferring to a different school that they either were not accepted to in the first place, or to another four-year down the road.

When Chloe Corsini graduated from Redwood in 2010, she tentatively planned to attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall. Little did she know that after two weeks at LMU, she would be ready to leave.

“I quickly began to ask myself what I was doing there, and I realized I didn’t have an answer,” Corsini said. “I just didn’t like the overall atmosphere, and I hated living in the city. The people were so high maintenance.”

Corsini said that she is currently taking 18 credits each semester at COM and maintaining a high grade point average so she can transfer to a four-year university when she is a junior.

“My plan is hopefully to go to UC Santa Cruz,” Corsini said. “It’s my dream school.”

Tai Namkung also graduated from Redwood in 2010, and transferred to COM this fall after attending UC Santa Cruz for one year. Although he said that he knew many people who also attended UC Santa Cruz, Namkung was not satisfied with all aspects of the school.

“My sister went there and a bunch of my friends were going there,” Namkung said. “It was a fun school but not that much actually went on in terms of social life.”

Namkung said that he decided to go to COM for his sophomore year because it was a more practical option.

“My parents wanted me to to transfer anyway,” Namkung said. “It’s a lot cheaper and I figured I’d transfer anyway so I might as well save money.”

Max Hillman, who also graduated in 2010, finished one semester at Arizona State University before attending COM.

“I rushed off to a school I didn’t know anything about,” Hillman said. “I basically just got a fat scholarship and decided to go there.”

Though Hillman said he enjoyed his first weeks at ASU, he quickly found problems adjusting to the weather, intense party scene, unchallenging academics, and other factors.

“Since I’ve come home, I’m much happier,” Hillman said. “Surprisingly, the academics at COM are much more difficult than they were at Arizona, which has been an adjustment.”

Namkung also said that he found his classes at COM to be more challenging than the classes he attended at UC Santa Cruz.

“My math class at COM is really hard,” Namkung said. “It’s probably the hardest class I’ve taken.”

Corsini said that her experience with the academics at COM has been a positive one.

“I think the quality of education at COM can be just as good as a four-year university,” Corsini said. “Like any school, there are some bad teachers, but the majority are great and are willing to do anything they can to help out their students.”

Hillman said that at the end of this spring semester, he hopes to transfer as a business major to UCLA, UC Berkeley, or University of Michigan.

“My chances are higher at LA and Berkeley because they give priority to community college students,” Hillman said. “I wish I’d known that earlier, because if I had, I probably would have come straight to COM.”

Namkung said that he applied to UCLA as a history major for next year’s fall semester.

Corsini said she is currently taking prerequisite courses to apply as a psychology major at UC Santa Cruz.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” Corsini said.