Many people look down upon attending community college. Here are some common reasons people site when discouraging others from attending a community college.
1. Only losers go to community college.
2. Community college will take you longer to complete than going straight to a four-year college.
3. Going to a four-year University as a Freshmen is much better and more prestigious than going to community college.
4. It is hard to get classes at community college.
5. Professors don't care about their students at community college.
Let me be the first to tell you that all of the above reasons are completely untrue. Let me address each reason in turn.
1. While there are many students who are unmotivated at community college, the same is true at ANY four-year university. You will come across people who are only at a junior college to pass the time, but generally students are there to reach their ultimate academic goals.
2. You will stay at community college for as long as you want to stay there. If you apply yourself, and set goals, you can transfer to the school of your choice in two years. If you procrastinate while you are there, it will take you a long time to transfer.
3. Some people believe attending a four-year school straight from high school is more prestigious than transferring to a school later. I am not sure where this opinion comes from. Perhaps its the thought that transferring is a kind of loophole in the higher education system? At any rate, it is less than clear how being admitted as a Freshmen is more prestigious than transferring later.
4. Getting classes at community college can be a challenge if you do the following: forget to register for your classes. Register for your classes and then forget to pay, resulting in you being dropped from all of your classes. Lastly, not researching your classes before registering. Do your homework before the registration period and you will be fine.
5. Surely there are professors at community colleges who have mentally checked out and are only there to collect their tenured pay-check. However, you are sure to come across professors who have a sincere interest in their students. Show the slightest respect to your professors at your community college and they will be eager to help and assist you. Ask for help, and you will generally receive it. Professors at big four-year universities are far less likely to give you extra attention. Such professors have books to write, articles to publish and so on. Teaching for professors at big four-year schools plays a subsidiary role to everything else they are doing. I don't mean to say that there will not be professors who are great at four-year schools. I only want to suggest that professors are generally more available at community colleges.
Congratulations on an excellent tool for students. Your awareness of the problems about transferring and your expert solutions are clear and accurate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for debunking so many community college myths! I remember the reaction I received from classmates and high school teachers when I told them I would be going to community college; it was less than enthusiastic. I was in honors and AP classes in high school, and it was expected that I would attend a major four-year university. In my calculus class senior year, the teacher created a map of the United States and asked each student to mark the destination of their future college. As I marked, Moorpark College (the local community college in my area), everyone gave me looks of shock and confusion. I was the only student in my class of over forty to mark a community college as my future destination. I know that many of my teachers considered this to be a lazy choice and a waste of my academic talents. But Moorpark College was the perfect place for me to start my academic career. I knew that I wanted to end up at a large university, but at 17 years old I was not ready to move away from home and take on a huge financial responsibility. Community college allowed me to transition into an adult life while working and saving money. Many of my friends from high school that immediately went to four year schools ending up moving home after the first year. They could not balance their new found independence, academics, and the financial burden. Transferring is a great way to prepare yourself for the pressures of a major university while simultaneously easing the financial pressures college creates.
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