One year ago, I planned to attend Bay State College in Boston. I could not wait to get out of my town and enjoy the beautiful city. I was accepted and ready to move in until a month upon leaving. As the moment got closer, I had anxiety thinking about leaving a great job and my family behind. I had applied for scholarships and ended up getting one for any state school and one to my community college itself. I had to think smart and realized that to have no student loans, be able to keep my steady job, and spend more time with my family, I was going to attend Cape Cod Community College.

I just finished my first year at CCCC, and it was a great two semesters I have another year to go here before I transfer to a university like Bridgewater State. Along with my reasons, there are so many benefits to attending a community college!

You save so much money.

Attending a community college is so much cheaper than a private college or university. You could save more than 50 percent by attending a community college over other colleges.

There are so many options.

They offer part-time, full-time, night classes, intersession, and summer courses. You can receive a certificate, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, or be in a transfer program. A transfer program is where all of your credits will easily transfer to another school so you can continue to work towards your degree.

It introduces you to college.

If you're worried about how you will adapt to college, this is the perfect place to start! If you're like me and weren't completely ready to leave yet, a community college gives you a taste of college while allowing you to feel secure in your hometown. You can see how the assignments and teachers are different from your high school, and also see the difference in people, activities, and ways of college life compared to high school life.

It consists of smaller classes.

If you're like me and like the smaller classrooms, community colleges have them. Because the college itself is smaller, so are the classrooms, allowing you to get close with your classmates and have good interaction with your professors. Being able to talk one-on-one with your professor can help you a lot with things you don't understand and better your grades. 

You can live at home.

Why waste money on living? Commute to your school by living at home. I have saved so much money by doing this! If you want the dorm expirience, you can get it when you move onto a university. And if your not moving onto another school, find friends and share an apartment together! My favorite benefit of living home, besides saving so much money, is I get to see my family every day and save myself some time from becoming an adult.

Meet new people of many ages.

There are people of all ages and diversities at many colleges, but that doesn't go away at a community college! You can meet so many different students and people that have similar views as you. After all, you both did decide to save money and go to a community college. It's a great way to make new friends that live around you! 

The professors have real life experience in the trade.

Many people think you don't get a good education at a community college, but most of the professors are actually retired from another job. They know a lot about the subject you're learning because they had a lot of experience in the trade! I love hearing stories and advice about the business world from my professors. What's better than years of real life experience?

Get your GPA up!

If you didn't try too hard in high school, and colleges didn't like the look of your grades, use a community college as a second chance. They accept students of all kinds. Take your second chance, try hard, and raise that GPA so you can get into your dream school!

Find out what it is you truly want to do.

My favorite reason for community college... When you don't know what you want to do in life. I want to own a business, but I also want to be a movie critic. I also want to be a journalist, but I also want to be a movie scorer. There are so many options for jobs in the world, and if you just can't decide yet, attend a community college and get your core classes done while figuring out your future! I have so many friends that are in the Liberal Arts major, or have switched their major easily when they change their mind!

If you're not ready to leave home, want to see if college is your thing, want to get your grades up, or just don't know what you want to be in life yet, then a community college is for you. It is the best decision I made, and I am still going to get the "college experience" after. I am just going to get it the cheap and smarter way.