Don’t Count Community College Out

Dont+Count+Community+College+Out

Destiny Fairless, Writer

Community colleges offer newly graduated high school seniors many of the same benefits that a 4 year university would.  There seems to be a stigma against community colleges classifying them as the place students go when they can’t get into universities. This stigma is untrue and students have different reasons on why they would choose to go to a community college. Benefits from attending a community college include the lower cost of tuition, transferable credits, smaller classes, and provides the traditional college experience.

 

Money is one of the major factors that can prevent a student from going on to a college education. According to the College View website the average tuition for a two year is 3,131 compared to 17,860 with a four year college. One reason that the costs are different is the extra cost for room and board and other college fees while community college leaves the student responsible for finding housing. The amount of debt that college graduates have after four years of college averages at over 30,000 dollars. If a student attends a community college and then transfer to a university you save thousands of dollars and reduce your college debt.

 

Community colleges offer smaller class sizes for students who would benefit from more one-on-one interaction with their professors. Students can learn faster because they do not have to wait for 100 plus other students to catch up. When a class has over a hundred students not all opinions are shared and valid arguments can’t be heard. However, in a class with 25 to 35 people there is more time for every voice to be heard.

 

Some students who get accepted into a four year university transfer out during the first year because they did not fit into their school as they thought they would have. When a student attends a community college their lives are not as drastically altered. The student can receive credits while slowing transitioning to a college lifestyle so they will be better prepared for the larger university.
Choosing to attend a community college has no shame to it and students chose to go for more than just the reason that they couldn’t get into a university. Whether a student is not sure about college and just wants to test the waters in a community setting or wanting to save money, community colleges are sometimes the best route to take. When a student is trying to figure out their next stop community college should not be overlooked because somehow they have been deemed a joke. If you are a student who benefits from smaller classes and wants to save money then maybe a community college is the right path for you.