Why Community Colleges are Cool!

Rather than focusing on the disadvantages of community colleges, lets pump up your ambition to succeed by focusing exclusively on the advantages. And believe me, you'd be surprised, there are numerous!

Reason #1: They are less expensive

-This is perhaps the most obvious reason. My school charges about $87 a credit. A nearby 4 year private school charges more than $650 a credit! Talk about a bargain!

Reason #2: Small Classes

-At the most, i've heard of a class of having no more than 40 students. And this is the exception! The average size is about 25 students. This is very important because you can get individualized attention in class. Plus, you can develop a one-on-one relationship with your professors. Try doing that at a major research university!

Reason #3: Open enrollment

-Just about anyone can attend that could benefit from attending a community college. If you had less-than-stellar high school grades, community college is an excellent way to begin your college education! Plus, it creates diversity, so you will get to meet people from many different backgrounds!

Reason #4: Convenient

-Community colleges are geared towards...you guessed it...the community. You can find a class that starts at just about any time of the day. So if its an early morning class or a late evening class, you can find just about everything at community college

Reason #5: Teachers are focused mainly on teaching

-Its not uncommon to hear of a teacher that is focused exclusively on teaching. Its their passion! This works to your advantage because you will never get stuck with a Teaching Assistant!

Reason #6: 4 year colleges often give priority to Community College students when transferring

-Many 4 year colleges give priority to Community College students when transferring to their school because they have shown that they are ready for college courses. Studies have also shown that community colleges students who transfer to a 4 year school often do as well as those who were admitted to the college directly from high school

Reason #7: If you get a 2 year Associates Degree, its yours forever

-Unlike at a 4 year college, if you complete the requirements for an associates degree at community college, the degree is yours forever to fall back on. If you complete 2 years at a 4 year university, you probably wont get an associates degree

Reason #8: No time limit towards completing your degree

-You can take as long as you'd like to try new courses or balance out your schedule

Reason #9: Great transition from high school

-For whatever reason, if you are not ready for a 4 year school, you can stay at home and complete your classes.

Reason #8: Easier to stay focused on schoolwork

-A college dorm can be a seductive lure to partying and bad grades. If you live at home, you can focus on your schoolwork more. Higher grades will likely follow.

Reason #9: Great extracurricular activities

-There is bound to be something that would interest you outside of class. Extracurricular activities are fun, you meet new people, and they look great on a transfer application. Plus, since there are fewer activities at community college, you have a good chance of starting one up! Even better!

Reason #10: Classes for high school students

-If you are a high school student doing well academically, you could sign up for dual-enrollment classes at your community college. This means you can get classes out of the way that count towards high school and college credit.

Reason #11: Easier to locate the campus

-In general, community college campus's are much smaller than a 4 year school. Therefore, you can use this to your advantage and become an instant expert on your school! This is also important because, if anything comes up that needs attention, you know exactly where to go!