If you are anywhere near graduating, you have inevitably faced the daunting question of what to do after finishing your government-mandated education. Continue onto a 4-year university? Take a gap year? Get a job? Stay home? Start your adult life in debt? So many wonderful options! Today, it seems like marching straight into a 4-year university is the only way to get by in the culture we exist in! But for those who want to avoid crippling debt, stay a little closer to home, or need a bit more time to figure out their entire future, there's always the cheaper, closer, and accredited alternative, your local community college!
But isn't community college just for tradespeople and dropouts? Au contraire! Community college is for everyone and offers a wide range of courses! It's really just a cheaper, more convenient substitute for the first 2 years of a traditional 4-year university. It also has many added benefits like early college/dual enrollment, smaller class sizes, general flexibility, transfer arrangements, outstanding acceptance rates, and more time to figure stuff out. So let's dive a little deeper into why you should consider community college (from a community college student)!
1. Cheaper
Compared to 4-year tuition, community college tuition is practically a crime. On average, it costs about $4,000 whereas for community while a 4-year is just about $10,000 for tuition. And, get this, if you don't move out you don't have to pay for room & board! Which is expensive! At a community college, you can get all the gen-ed courses required for every degree out of the way for way cheaper. Gas, however, may be more expensive than living on campus.
2. Closer
Community colleges tend to be at the center of communities, hence the name. So most often campus will be a 30-minute commute, sometimes even less. And being close to (or living at) home is a major benefit, both monetarily and emotionally. So if you're looking for a transition from high school to adult life, community college might be right for you.
3. Quality
Community colleges get a bad rep for the quality of their courses, but in reality, they are the very same courses that the fanciest of 4-years offer, more or less. And the small class sizes make it really easy to reach out to professors and get one-on-one help. Just double-check that the credits transfer if you plan on getting a bachelor's!
4. Quantity
Community college doesn't just have gen-ed courses. Depending on the school, there are so many other courses to explore. This includes trade courses like welding, art courses, computer science courses, nursing programs, language courses, and loads more. Although a 4-year typically does have even wider and more specialized course selections.
5. Transferring
Most community colleges have transfer agreements with their state's universities. Meaning, course credits taken at community college will be transferred to the university and count towards a bachelor's degree. So, you can just complete 2 years of college at home and still be right on track to graduate on time.
6. Trades
Maybe a bachelor's degree in computer science sounds like the 11th level of hell to you (and me), and a trade certification is much more appealing. Then, community college is all you need! Don't pass up the trades! Community colleges offer trade certifications in almost everything. And you don't need me to tell you how lucrative trades can be.
7. Early College
This is my favorite thing about community college. Most community colleges offer some form of early college or dual enrollment so high school students can take college classes at the same time as high school courses! And it's free! I did dual enrollment for 11th & 12th grade and got 29 credit hours for free before I graduated! That's like a year of college! It's like easier AP courses because it's just actual college courses.
8. Acceptance and Academics
There are no SAT or ACT scores required for admission, plus the GPA requirement is usually "graduated from high school," so it's not that competitive. Additionally, community college gives you the opportunity to reset your GPA since you use your community college GPA to transfer to a 4-year university, not your high school GPA. And, community college lets you explore many different courses and interests before you decide on a career or major.
As you can see, community college offers many benefits and opportunities that can help reduce debt, prepare you for the future, and further your education. Don't get me wrong, there are many advantages to attending a 4-year university right after graduating high school. Like the experience, a wider range of classes, moving out, expensive equipment, and further independence. And both options are completely valid, but I hope you have a better grasp of the advantages of community college and are better equipped to make your college decisions!