Posted on 02/21/2022 2:40:06 PM PST by karpov
Scrolling through my social media recently, I noticed a post shared by a friend that read: “@ all high school seniors filling out college applications right now: COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS OK [repeated 7x].” The sharer of the post wrote that she was about to get her associate’s degree and transfer to a four-year school with zero debt. Having gone through a similar college pathway, I hit the “like” button and commented expressing my agreement.
This post pushed back against the stigma about community college that many people are enculturated to believe: that going to community college is a failing option as opposed to a helpful means of continuing education and obtaining a college degree.
Coming from a college-preparatory high school, I myself felt a little embarrassed when I enrolled in community college while my peers went off to four-year institutions. During my senior year of high school, the student advisor shamed me for my decision to attend a community college, claiming that I was “too good of a student” to attend community college and that I “belonged to a four-year school.”
The message was clear: going to a community college wouldn’t help me flourish academically.
But immediately enrolling in a four-year school was not a financially viable option. Despite applying for scholarships and grants, none of which provided sufficient funds, I decided to enroll at Durham Technical Community College (DTCC). Four years later, I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a double bachelor’s with less than $15,000 in debt. Looking back on the whole four-year experience (two years at DTCC and two years at UNC) I asked myself, was going to community college worth it? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Without hesitation.
It’s time we put a damper on the stigma of attending community college.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
Get a trade certificate at a community college and go out and make more $ than many 4 year programs.
Ditto, ditto for all my kids.
Not all of us could afford to attend a four year college directly after high school so I went to a junior college even though I had good grades in HS. I had to pay for college myself and not once did anyone offer to pay anything towards my education. Working two part-time jobs while going to school full-time, buying used books, and scrimping and saving at every opportunity led to a bachelors degree in four years. It was a character builder for sure but I only did what I had to do.
Closer to home. 18 year-olds are not always ready to leave.
As for 2 year technical certificates a trimester system would work best. Get to work sooner.
4 year institutions allow for a graduate to walk around with their nose in the air around the others.
My wife and daughter are CC grads. My best friends in high school went to CC. They all went on to attend high level 4 year colleges. All but one of them have masters degrees.
None of them had college debt.
It’s possible to do very well. But…they all worked their butts off—in school and out.
Lillian Diaz can’t be too bright. Community college is “less expensive” for students only because it’s MORE expensive for TAXPAYERS. CC’s are heavily subsidized, in order to lower tuition costs. Ms. Diaz will eventually end up paying for it - in the form of higher taxes. Esp. for her professors’ massive unending pensions come their retirements.
Community College was great! Wonderful teachers when I was there in the late 70s, with the same ones being at the community college when my husband graduated from there eight years ago. Doubtful the faculty is as good because the school uses so many adjunct professors now.
Transferring credits to the university was not a problem, but adjusting to dorm life as an older, transfer student was tough.
Ditto’s.
I did my first two years of my accounting degree at a community college. The business professors at the community college were all actively working in their respective fields, attorney, CPA, etc. I learned more practical stuff that had more lasting value from them than I did from the 4 year college.
I spent two years at community college and transferred to a four year university. Saved lots of money and had my loans paid off in just a few years.
Party pooper. 🥳
Community College is the best deal education and financial wise, whether getting a technical degree/certificate or to taking gen eds. There is absolutely nothing that a student can learn in their first 2 years at a non-community college that they can’t get at a community college.
Many people go to CC first and then transfer to a 4-year college. It’s always been that way.
I am a community college president. Community colleges are a great economic value as many community colleges waive the fees or subsidize the tuition through local scholarships.
My granddaughter attended two years of cc then with straight A’s was admitted to UGA Business School and two years later finished in top 2% of the graduating class. Now works on line in Wall Street.
The two years in CC was all parents could afford then UGA scholarship helped a great deal.
I and 2 of my siblings went to community college then transferred to a university to finish out our bachelor’s degrees. There was absolutely ZERO stigma about us going to community college whatsoever. The best thing about it was that it was so cheap that I could spend an additional year on elective courses like extra history and art classes. In fact, my brother now teaches at the community college we both went to, so that probably worked in his favor.
In the "old days," many of us lived off-campus and commuted to university classes.
But, these days, it's not so unusual for students in their mid-20's to live on campus, where upperclassmen live in apartments, instead of dorms.
Community college worked well for my 3 homeschoolers.
Two went on to finish B.S. degrees in mathematics at the age of 18. One earned a masters in mathematics by 20. The other was a nationally and internationally ranked athlete. He finished a masters in accounting in his early twenties.
Many homeschoolers use their local community colleges as a transition from home and a 4 year college.
The only time I would disagree is if you are planning on being a physician or a vet. I found some of the engineering students started a little behind because the differential equation class was not as rigorous as the four year university.
It was a cheap option for getting the basic classes out of the way, you could save some money to help pay for the last two years, you were not supporting the huge overhead of the four year institution, and it gave you a couple of years to mature before leaving home. Many kids weren’t ready for the freedom. Also, the first two years had most of the SJW teachers so why spend big money for that?
It was not as impressive in the HS graduation parties but HS is the last place you are forced to go to and I never understood many people’s focus on their high school days.
My parents would not have been happy with me living in an apartment: 1)they were paying for 1/2 of everything 2) my boyfriend lived close to the university
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