community colleges get a pretty bad rep in our world, and mostly for reasons they don't deserve. The out-of-touch are often quick to call community colleges lesser, thinking of them as inherently lower-tier institutions due to the increased ease of access. For every reason you may hear about why community colleges are some kind of automatically inferior breed, anyone who has actually attended or spent a lot of time in a community college can give you two to the contrary. You could generate a list dozens of items long doing that! I'm not going to go that long, because I'm not the devil, but I do want to make a list of a few reasons community college is a truly great way to start a person's college career.

1: A Gen Ed's a Gen Ed

Here's the thing about starting college. Everyone is making choices about who they want to be and what kinds of career paths they want to follow. Unfortunately, on the way there, we all have to take English 101 and our pick of mind-boggling science classes. As much as college is filled with unique learning experiences, it's also full of stuff that students all across the board are required to take, no matter what their major. I'm an English major who's sat through Biology, two different math classes, a pair of history classes from which I retained not a thing, and a P.E. credit that basically came down to me writing aimlessly about the wonders of jogging. It's okay to pick the easier and more accessible option to clear your way through those credits. Sure, you want to go to RIT to learn how to make video games, but your basic college how-to-write-an-essay class will be pretty much the same wherever you are.

2: The Home Connection

College is all about finding independence for the first time, but for some, that can be a lot to handle all at once. Community colleges offer a few other options. They're usually mostly commuter schools, meaning students can stay at home while going to school, using a vehicle or public transport or even just riding a bike, and working on finding their own way when it comes to independence. Living at home is not the same as living at home with access to your own car. There's also sometimes a dorm option on campus, although this is still fairly uncommon for community colleges. If you do find some such situation, like I did back when I was a wee little freshman, you might find that living away from your parents but still within the same area as them can make things easier, if you're someone who might have a hard time adjusting to the separation. It's okay to admit to not knowing how to live on your own all at once, and community colleges can be a good way to wean yourself off of home.

3: Save Now, Spend Later

I'm going to sound like someone's cartoonishly fiscally responsible dad here, polo shirt and golf trophies and all, but money is something you're going to become more and more aware of as you're on your own. Community colleges are pretty much always a cheaper way to go; with financial aid and all, my two years at SUNY Adirondack honestly cost almost nothing. So what does that mean for you? Well, that partially depends on who your parents are, of course (assuming they're still in control of the cash), and what they're willing to do with that money. Regardless, though, it does mean more that can be used for other stuff. It's a lot easier to ask for cash for groceries or a trip somewhere when you're not costing your family an arm and a leg. Hey, maybe saving today means studying abroad tomorrow!

4: Friendships: Keep Them Alive

This is a little more conditional on your plans versus those of your buddies, but if you and others you know all take the community college route, it can strengthen things far beyond. College is too often a place where we go to make new friends, and grow slowly distant from old ones. Community college is a great way to stick around your same area and stay in better touch with the people you've grown up alongside; you'll still make new friends, and may some old ones will prove weaker than you thought as all involved parties change and grow as people, but some may grow closer still. If and when you do transfer, it can often mean less time away. Our childhood and teenage years friends are ones we grow up alongside, and it can be nice to extend that mutual growing.

5: Indecision is Okay

When I walked into SUNY Adirondack's guidance office to talk about what major I wanted to pursue, after describing my (pretty writing-specific) goals, I was advised not to go with the school's Creative Writing program, but with the basic and flexible Liberal Arts program. I wound up doing Creative Writing anyway, but knew that changing wouldn't have been a big deal. In fact, most of the people I know from my time there were Liberal Arts kids, or changed their major at least once. An Associates in Liberal Arts is a versatile degree that you can use in almost anything afterwards; basically, it's something you can take if you don't really know what you want to do with your life, but want to dip your toes in a few different bodies of water to see which one is the right temperature for you. It's okay to not know what you're doing. It's okay to try things outside your expected realm of interest; it's celebrated, even. Sometimes college feels like a race, but a lot of community colleges really don't share that vibe. The lower cost helps here, too; with less money on the line, you don't have to commit to anything. Community college is truly a place to play with ideas about your own future, and that's something important for anyone.