Community College IS College

Hello everyone and welcome to my first blog post!

I bet there are a myriad of different feelings that many of you feel now that you are in community college. Some of you starting out directly from high school may feel a sense of failure starting out here. You may feel embarrassed about attending the dreaded community college that your friends were poking fun at while they headed off to a four year school. Others may be re-starting their educations as an older student and may feel "out of place" by being with so many younger students. A good majority of you may come from a different country and are simply "lost" by attending school here. Even then, you may not know the English language. Whatever feelings, good or bad, I say: Don't Worry! You are in good company with many people who come from different backgrounds, age groups, ethnicities, creeds, and so forth.

Community colleges are about changing people's lives for the better. I consider them to be one of America's hidden educational jewels. They give people of different backgrounds the chance to achieve their educational goals who otherwise might not have been able to get a college education. For whatever reason, these people are here and they provide wonderful diversity to the community college system. With such diversity among students, its easier than you think to meet people who can easily become fast friends and have a good time.

However, despite the jokes you may have heard regarding community college's open admissions policy, community college is STILL college. Perhaps it is no wonder why "college" is in the name. Since college in general is tougher than high school courses, take it seriously. You will have to invest a great deal of time, energy, and money in order to do well. I consider it a privelage for anyone to go to any college in this great country. With that being said, i'd like to focus on what this whole blog is about: Community College Success. Lets get started with the first step towards a rewarding experience at your local community college!

I'll let you in on the first step towards succeeding in community college. In fact, its sheer simplicity causes it to elude many people. Here it is: say to yourself "I am going to become a standout student at community college". Simple enough, right? I think so! All you have to do is completely change your mindset and tell yourself that you will do well. What is a standout student you ask? I like to say that they comprise themselves of three distinct traits:

1. Earn good grades
2. Involved in Extracurricular Activities
3. Creates head-turning accomplishments

For now, I would like to leave you with those three traits. Think about them for a while. Ask yourself what they mean to you and why you want to accomplish them. You need to assess yourself realistically before you can be successful in community college.

All the best,
Alex