Leeward Community College

Leeward community college is a decent school for a cheaper price than UH Manoa or West Oahu while still being in the University of Hawaii system. Parking has been a huge issue when I’ve taken classes here on and off for the last 6 years. More students every semester, but no additional parking is made. You can see people parking all along the road and usually every stall is taken for the earlier class times until around 10 or 11 am on the weekdays.
The campus is pretty run down but the theater is being remodeled. There is a really nice new building as well, the education building, located upstairs from the theater. It looks really out of place among the other dilapidated buildings on campus. One other bright spot on this campus is the student run fine dining restaurant, The Pearl.

Although this school has an unusual building that doesn’t look like it belongs there, some places are a little broken down, or have a funky smell… For a great price, the professors here are so helpful and are pushing you to succeed in whatever your academic goal may be.
The food here is also yummy! Can’t go wrong with to pricing and the fact that they have subway, that’s awesome! During school, I feel it’s very accommodating to have foods that are healthier then your day to day basis of high calorie foods like McDonald’s or Burger King… Etc. smart choice in creating a subway in the café… Not only is the café and awesome place to go, they have the kimobean… Fricken awesome coffee and such an amazing price, you cannot go wrong! Being a student here has opened doors for me to a Better career path and building friendships.

This blog excerpt is not about Leeward Communitty college accredited collegiate classes. Leeward Communitty College offerred a Basic Rider Course that was really helpful and useful to obtaining motorcycle license. when in doubt, do whatever everybody older than you did. u live longer. my buddies in cali and seattle were really into motorcycles at one point in time and we used to see them at the beach when we were young. for me, fuc even if i nowhere to go, i like go somewhere! somewhere far & fast! its fun! i don’t know how to explain it. so you might wonder to yourself… what are the steps for me to get my license? or do i buy the bike first? this blog excerpt is not a bike buying guide. so these are the steps to obtaining your license.
Requirements: Regular Drivers License
How to obtain motorcycle license
1. written motorcycle permit test
2. Leeward community college Basic Rider Course
3. written motorcycle license test
Chances are when you sign up for the class, it will be booked a month or 2 out. But the one i went to was the weekend 7am-​4pm. If u havent been school in decades, you might be worried about flunking. Not to worry. You don’t have to be a genius. When u get there, its real casual, exchange pleasantrys with your classmates, then you go over the pamphlet with all the answers to the written test page by page for a short while in the morning. Remember Pamphlet is key to written test. Then teacher brings all of us outside to the obstical course. They line up these little 80 cc dirtbikes and put out cones in the parking lot. Then you do little weaves and S’s manuevers, stops, at the speed that they tell you to do. We did not top 35 mph. I remember it being quite a nice relaxing and fun 2 days. However, although they show you how to go through the gears n such, it would be helpful to yourself if you practiced on your own or have experience driving manual transmission. There goes back to that thing about having a bike ahead of time. Big xie xie to both instructors there were knowledgeable and thorough.
Granted you pass the obstacle course test and written test @ the Basic Rider Course, they award you with a Basic Rider certificate that you present to the DMV for your written exam at the DMV. You might think, wow, thats a lot of crap i gotta go through, i might as well ride moped. juz go through it, take it one step at a time and u are that much closer to getting on one. Thanks LCC. Thanks State of Hawaii. =)

Unavailability of required classes in the Business department is unbelievable at the Community College level. Class availability (right classes at the right times) also accounts for low graduation rates. Also found wide range of faculty competence… from easy A’s (time wasters) to poor instructors with low pass rates (other time wasters). Most of all the administration/​mgt. of LCC does not seek to improve their mediocre campus and student services nor seek out less value student/​customer feedback. Yet another under-​performing, mismanaged State of Hawaii institution.

Honestly… I think Leeward CC is an amazing place to be. Warning: super extra long review!
Facilities wise:
I love that there’s a new library, now called the Learning Commons because it’s mainly a study/​meeting lounge. (All the books are upstairs now). The LC is the place to be with the Kimo Bean for coffee, quiet-​ish places to study, and the language and writing tutors right there. If there are no computers open and you didn’t bring your own laptop, you can borrow one at the front desk. Just leave your school ID.
Having classes at the new Education building rocks btw, because the aesthetics are all modern, the rooms are very cold and the projector screens are remote control. Plus it’s close to parking!
One of the things I’m impressed with is the new shaded parking (it’s a small area but hopefully there will be more?) What makes it awesome is that it’s fitted with solar panels. Shade the cars. Catch the sun. Mutual benefit. Good job, Leeward.
There are also a lot of resources and programs to take advantage of and one thing I wish I made more use of was the Halau. Halau ‘Ike O Pu’uloa is a gathering place, study area, and program headquarters for Native Hawaiian students. I wish I could go into detail but there is so much to be involved in and so many ways they reach out to the Native Hawaiian community. They inform us of scholarships and have workshops; also, you can print out your homework for free there. Lastly, of course who doesn’t love the aloha of being around other Native Hawaiians – when you go someone always seems to have food and is always offering. You know how we are.
Of course I have to give props to the dining hall, otherwise known as Uluwehi Café. I might not like how old it looks but the food is pretty bomb and is worth the price. Truth be told I avoided the dining hall my entire first semester because I thought the prices were going to be worse than theater food. Not so at all. It’s on par with say… 7 – 11? Not super cheap, but reasonable.
Can’t forget to shout out to the Copy Center lol. I didn’t even know such a thing existed at colleges but I am so glad it does. It is über convenient to not have to go off campus to get special printing done. Hec, they even saved my butt one time; AJ Rafael was performing and I didn’t have anything for him to autograph. Ran next door to the copy center, got a color print of one of his album covers, and ran back just in time for him to sign. So stoked lol.
Lastly, I want to mention the new «workout» area. It’s small and isn’t machine-​based, but I appreciate it. The grass is full and there’s hardly anyone around so if I have time at the end of my day, I like to try out the bars. It’s typically a calisthenics area, but mostly I just use the grassy area to workout.
(By the way, sure, some other things on campus are old and perhaps outdated looking but I know they’re working on renovations slowly so hopefully in the future we’ll see Leeward CC more modernized)
Classes and education wise:
Honestly, and I say this whole heartedly, 90% of the professors I’ve had at Leeward are AMAZING professors. They love their job and they’re just so good at it, they honestly could be teaching at a more expensive college.
A lot of people seem to be under the impression that community colleges mean less of an education. That simply isn’t true. It’s the same classes being offered at the University, otherwise, UH Manoa would never be able to accept the community college transfer credits.
If you’re a new student or just haven’t taken any of these courses, I highly recommend the following list for the passionate teachers that honestly, to me, teach you more than the subject at hand. So many of these professors teach you about life and the world around you:
Any of John Signor’s music classes
Yoga with Stephanie Palombo
Psychology with Richard Cranston
Religion or Leadership with Joseph Chernisky
Any of Kakkala Mohanan’s science courses
Any art history course with Suzette Scotti
Any English course with Patricia Hurley
Creative writing with Melanie Van Der Tuin
Any of Leanne Chun’s ICS courses
Botany with Angela Nishimoto
Korean with Joo Heri
Japanese with Mamiko Kosuge
Hawaiian Culture with Momi Kamahele
Modern Hawaiian History with Brandon Bunag
Seriously, there are so many more amazing professors I’ve had. And yes, that list is like, almost every requirement! In fact, for the two courses I took at KCC, BOTH professors were amazing, so the CC system is doing something right.
Honestly if you ever feel that community college education is for some reason under par, I would have to call fudge. I seriously could not have asked for a better college experience and this is not based on ONE class or ONE problem like other reviewers out to simply spite the college.
If you actually ATTEND and go into it with a good attitude and actually CARE about school, you would know how awesome Leeward is. Otherwise, with a bad judgmental attitude, you’ll only ever create a bad experience.

I may be biased, because I know quite a few students and professors here, but Leeward Community College is a great place to get a great education for a great price. Yes, the facilities are a little dated — it is the oldest (as far as I know) community college on island — but the quality of service you get from the faculty and staff is unparalleled. All of the professors I know put their heart and soul into their teaching and supporting their students. And I think that’s what I like most about LCC (as it’s sometimes called) and community colleges in general… an emphasis on teaching. Some of the professors do research but the driver of the college is teaching and preparing students for whatever they want to do later in life.
The college is also a hub of community activity with open houses, community days, and competitions on campus. They also have a full fledged theatre that has both student and professor productions year round.

Unbelievable. I spoke to several different idiots today.
I haven’t been to this school since 2009 and I’ve been in California for 5 years now. I needed assistance with my records, some student information, and a few other things. When I first called, I spoke to front desk of administration. She had no clue what I was asking so she transferred me over to the counselor. The counselor couldn’t help me so she transfers me over to help desk. Help desk was lazy and just transfered me to UH Manoa help desk. UH Manoa help desk tried his best but couldn’t help me so he transferred me to UH Manoa records office. Then the lady at that office said she didn’t have my information nor could help me. So then I called Leeward front desk back and spoke to records office. Lady couldn’t help me there so then I spoke to the supervisor. Basically, nothing was accomplished and it was a complete waste of an hour. This was something I couldn’t find out for myself online since its been a while since I’ve gone there and accessed my online student portal. Not to diss anyone that speaks pigeon but every person I spoke with did not speak one but of proper English and they were so clueless that it just added to how stupid they sounded. I can’t handle that level of stupidity and ignorance.
Truly not the campus I would ever recommend to anyone based on the administration side. Now as far as the campus, I agree that free parking is awesome but the building isn’t super new and fancy. I think it’s all average. The atmosphere is weird and a little depressing.
Not my college. I’m glad to be in california. Most college campuses here are far better than this retarded school.
Not my choice of school. If I could give negative stars, I would.

I was enrolled here for about a year and I really don’t have very many good things to say about it, but it wasn’t horrible either. So i’ll just break it down into pros and cons.
PROS:
Tuition pricing is much cheaper than Universities, free parking, plenty of courses offered at various times, online courses, nice campus, library has great selection of tools and books.
CONS:
Difficult to get to… 2 lane road all the way up from Kam Highway, bus stop is a far and kind of dangerous walk to get to, parking isn’t easy to find, many of the professors I had here seemed to not care, advising office was so crappy, financial aid office was crappy, so was the bookstore.
The biggest con of all for me was the fact that only a few of my credits transferred to my college in Texas when I moved. It has a lot to do with the fact that the UH system makes you take a lot of courses that are pretty much unnecessary or obsolete in the mainland. Waste of time and money. Sigh…

Educational Fair with exhibitors & food vendors too!
Plenty of fun activities for young & older children (educational of course).

I myself have real life experiences due to being one of the many college students there! I have visited this campus once for a graduation in 2014 before I became a student.
The positives about this college is first off financial wise so affordable, secondly it’s a great location for central Oahu residents, thirdly it’s a big variety of people ethnicity wise, fourthly parking is free and there are more but I’ll stick with my top three.
The negatives about this college is first off it’s a one way in one way out street, secondly be prepared for the traffic on the overpass and thirdly the hot dog stand is expensive so if you have a Sam’s Club card and or drive I prefer you head down there for a hot dog combo which is triple cheaper then LCC hot dog stand.
Overall if you’re located near this campus and are worried about college expense Leeward Community College is the perfect campus to attend to and start off your college career it’s also beautiful and to me a small campus.

Used GI bill to pay for my education. My home school was Kapiolani but I decided to take a class at Leeward because it was full at KCC. I had a lot of problems with the Cashiers office in receiving my GI bill payments from the VA. The VA paid the school in which LCC excepted, but had no documentation of ever receiving a payment. HUGE HEADACHE! Finally had to have the VA education reps call LCC to square everything away. The process was long a painful and almost made me miss my graduation application deadline.

Leeward Community College, LCC, or «Last Chance College» to some. That is not the case. You can get a very good education here. Plus it’s easier to get in and a lot cheaper than the Universities. With $ 1,000 you can take at least 3 classes and get all the books you need and still have some left over. So… money saver.
The teachers are just like at any other school: some are good and others… not so much. I only had 1 teacher who showed favoritism in her class. That’s never good. Other teachers will show you what you need to do and help you along the way. Of course they’re busy so sometimes it’s a little hard to get in touch with them or find time in between classes to talk to them. But that’s what office hours are for, right?
Their café is a great place to hang out. Unless you have no friends… then you look like a creeper… but the foods good too. So if you find yourself alone in the crowded café here’s what you do: go in, grab some cheeseburgers (maybe some chips (fairly-​ish priced for a school café)) and go eat on a bench or one of the tables outside that don’t have good back support. Whatever you do, don’t go into the student lounge. Unless you want to be gassed out by sweat, tears and the alluring aroma of pee.
The recent changes to the campus have been noticeable to say the least. The future is now. New lights, ONE new futuristic water fountain in a place where not a LOT of people go during the day (THAT’S the place that NEEDS it the most of course). But the biggest change would be the newest building. The Education Building… for people who want to be educated on how to educate. It’s a glass building. For those who want to learn and have the world see them doing it. Also, there are parts of the campus that are painted. What’s weird is that it’s only in parts… not even the full area is fully painted.
To be honest if the whole school was just painted it would look a lot better. I enjoyed my time here. I made a lot of new friends, shared some good memories and learn what I know now. I cannot wait to see what new editions will come up next.

The professors here are excellent! They are very patient and helpful. This is my 3^rd semester here and i have had all excellent professors. The admissions office though is full of retards. I really hate having to go to them because half of them have no clue about anything and go from person to person asking the same question as if they’re playing telephone.

**This is strictly in reference to the bookstore. To this day it behooves me to understand why textbooks are so expensive! As an institution you would think the UH schools and extension campuses would be able to buy books at a bulk.
I’ve got 3 kids attending college currently and the prices of these books are astronomical! Can’t imagine how a student with no assistance can afford these books.
Furthermore, I’m finding out that what one teacher may teach out of one semester will become obsolete the following semester! That is insane! No fault of the bookstore I’m sure since they are only ordering what the professors need.
Additionally, why can’t the bookstore be fair and give you fair value for the books you try and sell back to them at the end of the semester? Bad enough tuition is high and getting new books is like paying for a
small mortgage every six month — but I really fail to understand the rationale behind it all.
Too bad the concept of «no child left behind,» does not apply to college students as well, because at the bookstore prices, SOMEONE will most likely get left behind due to lack of funds.

This place is borderline beautiful and borderline dump. The operative word is ‘potential.’ If they somehow covered up all the cement façade, gave a little life to the landscaping, added some windows so folks could see in and out of the classrooms, and moved all the homeless a little further down the path in the wooded area behind the campus, wah-lah…beautiful!
I’m on campus once every 6-​months, attending a show in the theatre put on by my daughter’s performing arts studio. Inside the auditorium is actually OK, well… when the air conditioning works. The outside front has charm, but it’s below grade, down a long set of cement stairs, and in need to some serious sprucing up. It’s got ‘potential’ to be a great showcase location for performances of all kind for folks that live in the Waipio/​Waipahu neighborhoods.
The entrance to the campus, from the road in, to the overpass, to the parking lot entrances, leaves much to be desired. It just doesn’t do the campus justice. Most college campuses have a little grandeur at the entrance to make you feel like you’re entering a higher institution of learning. Again, ‘potential’ here, but gotta spend the dollars and devote the resources.
What I really, really love about this campus is the scenic backdrop. Because it’s on slight bluff, and because their is zero development behind the campus (there is a small farm, but mostly swampland and waterways that lead to the scuttled ships), the view is unobstructed straight to the ocean. Thus the comment about the window in the classrooms. They are missing out on million-​dollar views. Kinda reminds me of the Hyatt in Waikiki and their 8-​story parking structure right on the main drag… Yep, park your car, sit on the hood, and enjoy the billion-​dollar Waikiki view. That must be the most expensive parking structure per square foot ever built. Stupid, but I digress.
You’ll notice I didn’t write anything about the actual education you could potentially get at Leeward… that’s because I have no idea. But if you’re interested in the look and feel of the campus, my review helps, I think, paint a pretty good picture.
Hurry, the bell has rung!

I’ll probably be bias since I both attend and work here. My major here is pre-​engineering but even though this is a community college, the math and science teachers will give you a good quality education. The engineering advisor just retired, many of us were really bummed because he is an awesome man. He knew how to lecture us when we didn’t live up to our potential but was also kind to help us reach our potential. The new person who replaced him is also a good man. He really wants us to succeed and is very open to how we can achieve our goals.
The campus is also nice, it has been under renovation for the last few years now. But I’m kinda sad that certain aspects of the campus was removed but things have to change at sometime. I found an online pictorial archive of the campus and was very surprised on how the school looked and how active the school used to be back when it opened. Apparently, the main stairwell used to have a waterfall. So as you walked down the stairs it was as if you were going through a waterfall, also many events used to be hosted on campus and from the pictures you would think this little community college was a university.
As for the student life, there are many people working hard trying to provide for student needs, but just like everywhere else there are politics. But even with politics, there is respect shown towards pretty much everyone.
One word of advice though, if you come to school here don’t think of it as Last Chance College. Have the pride and humility coming here. The most important thing when coming to school is to have the right mindset. Don’t slack off because whatever is worth having you must work for. All my peeps in the engineering classes can attest to that. School is not easy, otherwise everyone would have their PhD.

My alma mater. and a place I seem to end up every once in a while. Of all the campuses in the 10-​campus system, this one’s my fave. Excellent staff, faculty, and friendly students overall.

This CC is simply ok. I am currently attending an outreach class in the evening and I have to be honest that I am a little disappointed in security. Our class gets out at 8 pm and at that time I have yet to see a security guard. The campus is large and quite desolate. I have actually been frightened walking to my car. I would assume security would make their presence known, particularly when classes are getting out that late.
I also went here approximately 6 years ago for pre-​reqs and seriously nothing has changed. The campus has not been upgraded and sadly, the classrooms are the same. They really are in need of a renovation. I do love the large, open and best of all, FREE parking lot. LOVE IT!
Overall, this pretty conveniently located community college is not a bad place to attend classes. If you are taking classes at night I recommend you familiarize yourself with your surroundings and walk in groups if you can. Security is usually not anywhere to be seen!

After attending a classes for a day I can understand why people enjoy coming to LCC. The class sizes are small and the campus is convenient. Free parking and easy access is always a plus. Great transitional spot between high school and making the big leap to a university.
If you are planning to start in the University of Hawaii system maybe you should save some cash and take all the classes you can at LCC then transfer to Manoa or West Oahu.

Honestly a pretty rad community college, exspecially this 2011. They upgraded their equipment ALOT* installed new vending machines along with maintaining their other ones. Bathrooms are always clean, staff are very informative, besides some student staff that don’t give a rat’s ass. Those ones should def get fired.
They have a good tutoring staff the LRC is a good place to study along with the Math Lab, Library, Student Lounge, etc. This facility is very well kept, & will continue to recommend&give good reviews!:)