When 2012 rolled around, I graduated high school, and as one of the first people in my family that had the opportunity to attend college, all eyes were on me. I was expected to make a life-changing decision at the age of 17 (no pressure). Like many young people, I panicked. For a long time, I jumped between two or three universities, but nothing felt right. I was even contemplating whether or not college was for me, and considered joining the Marines in order to give myself more time to speculate on my future. The way I saw it, I could either go to a four-year university or join the Marines.
My father, a practical man who knew we did not have thousands of dollars to blow on uncertainty, came to me with a third option: Oakland Community College. At first, this horrified me. In high school I had been an honors student, I had participated in advanced placement classes, and I hung out with a group of people who were planning on attending universities like University of Michigan, Michigan State, and NYU.
Community college was a swear word in my group of friends.
I dreaded having to tell people that I had settled for something that so many people rumored as “less.”
Three years later, after receiving an Associate’s degree in General Studies and now well into my Bachelor’s, I can confirm that the idea that community college is “not as good,” as a four-year university is entirely and completely false.
Here are 10 reasons I’m glad I went to community college first:
1. Price: Always number one on my list: price. Nothing beats the price of Community College. Being able to attend classes and afford the gas to get there, as well as the occasional cup of coffee is absolutely the best thing in the world.
2. Real World Experience: You don’t come across anyone who doesn’t have at least two jobs at Community College. Every single person in a class at Community College has an interesting story to tell about how they fought for their right to an education.
3. Smaller Classes: Often times at big universities, classes can be as big as a few hundred students. At Community College, you can actually get to know your professor and the other students in your classes.
4. Professors: Many people say that Community College Professors are not of the same caliber as four year University professors. This is false. Many professors have the same qualifications as any other university, if not more.
5. Diversity of Students (Age and Nationality): You never know who you’re going to sit next to in a Community College classroom. You could be sitting next to someone the same age as you, or you could be sitting next to someone thirty years older. It makes for a lot of interesting conversations.
6. Good Transition: When you’re feeling like you’re getting thrown to the sharks, it’s nice to be able to use the stepping stone of Community College to figure out your footing before you take a leap.
7. The Ability to Focus: Unlike many four-year universities, most students don’t have time to sit and talk about grades because they most likely have a million other things to do. It’s much easier to focus on your own work without outside distractions and other students trying to question your opinions. Everyone is just trying to get done, and fast.
8. Getting Two Degrees: If you play your cards right, you can end up with an Associate’s degree before transferring to a four-year school for your Bachelor’s degree.
9. Multiple Locations: Many Community Colleges, at least the Community College that I went to, offered several locations for its students to attend. Less than an hour long drive to school? Yes, please!
10. GPA and ACT are Often Disregarded: So, if you’re looking for a second chance straight out of high school, I found it.
