Being a spring admit, I got the opportunity to knock out a semester's worth of pre-requisite credits at a fraction of the price by attending a community college before January.
Although I always knew it, I never really processed that what you see at community college is different than what happens on a residential campus, and to what degreee. Residential schools are mostly young people ages 18-22 with similar high school academic experiences. Community college can be any and everyone, and that is exactly what it is. Here is a list of 6 types of people you will see at community college.
1. The mom
She's older than the professor, and she has kids your age. She also has a full-time job. Why is she taking this class? She simply wanted to expand her horizons, and sociology 120 was the way to go. She is probably super sweet, and even though she's the only one not taking this class with the intent to graduate, she's the most prepared every week. She cringes a little before class starts when she hears the under-21 crowd talk about how much they drank last weekend, but she's the best. Almost always has snacks and Advil.
2. The know-it-all
You're not sure why they're actually in this course, seeing as they're teaching the professor every week. At first they had redeeming qualities and you talked to them knowing that you'd need that study-buddy when midterms rolled around. Now, you can't stand the sound of their voice. You groan a little every time you see them walk in talking about how easy the homework was, and you've contemplated just how much time you'd spend behind bars if you just punched them in their face. Just once.
3. Mr. College gear
We get it. You're transferring. So are a lot of people here. You kind of guessed when he wore the sweatshirt, had a little bit more of a hint with the matching baseball cap, but you think the college themed backpack was what really took care of it for you. But just to be sure, somebody probably asked this kid at some point earlier this semester, and as expected, he is, in fact, going to transfer there. I mean, he's probably good hearted, but you probably also don't care.
4. The kid who never shows up to class
The one name called for attendance that always has a lingering couple of seconds to it. He manages to show up every once in a while as to remind the professor not to drop him from the course and maybe turn in any work from the last three weeks, but let's just say you'd never pick him as your partner for a group project.
5. The kids with the loud cars
Maybe this is a thing on residential campuses, too, but at least in community college, your tuition fees should include a set of earplugs. The cars zoom past, revving their engines the loudest they can go, like a mating call waiting for another car to challenge that rev, and one always does. If that wasn't enough, they sometimes set off the car alarms on other vehicles in the parking garage, so now you've got loud engines, loud car alarms, and minimal patience.
6. The Couple
Maybe they've been dating since high school, maybe they met three weeks ago. Who knows? They may be cute together, but you've never actually seen their faces, just broken images of their mouths pressed together, so you really can't tell. You actually start to wonder if they take classes here, or if they just needed a place to kiss without being approached and disrupted.
There are tons of other people you'll meet, so go out there, people watch for a little while, and learn that the best part about going to a community college is the people who make it up!
