The Perks of Attending Community College

Destroying stereotypes, relieving ignorance, and reversing stigmas

As the four years of High School come to their elusive end, future plans and decisions become the main focus of conversation. The questions “Where are you going?” and “What’s your plan for next year?” seem to be the only thought any relative, teacher, and, honestly, human, can articulate when looking at you.

Additionally, as a teenage senior in high school, you are in what I would say is one of the most pivotal and transitional stages of life. On top of the fact that you're dealing with hormones, acne, and constant drama, you think you have to establish who you are and now are striving to become it.

The chapter is turning in life and the book can be interpreted in several different ways.

Essentially, your whole life is about to change. For the past twelve years you have had the legal obligation of obtaining an education and have predominantly been under the supervision of your parents. And now you're done.

You're ready to get out, be your own person, and start living life independently. But what part of the last twelve years makes you feel so ready to fly from your nest?

This is why Community College is your absolute best bet.

The truth is, the majority of high school seniors are by no means ready to take care of themselves. Why do you think the “freshman fifteen” exists? Why do so many kids come right back home after two semesters? Because independence is much more than deciding what time you want to come home. It is governing your time and self-constructively seeking to be successful in all aspects of life.

When you’re leaving for college, you are fixated on your future plans-but when you get there, you enter young adult utopia.

You have the newfound option of going out and getting wasted on a Monday, and the best part is, your university is for sure not going to call home if your hangover prevents you from class on Tuesday. The next thing you know partying begins to take precedence in your life and you haven't gone to one English class all semester. So now you’re an English major failing English, and opt to switch majors to support your lifestyle and simultaneously ensure graduation. But your dream of being an English teacher is now out the window, and you honestly don’t even know if you really like this new major.

As a fresh high-school graduate, you are ignorant to the way college works; that is the madness behind it all. Community College completely eases this transition. You are still living in the comfort of your own home, but you are still given slight independence. You are not adjusting to college-level academia, living away from home, and complete independence all at once. Rather, you are simply dipping your toes in. Over the course of the tentative two to three years you will spend at your junior college, you will be uncomfortable for while you are in college, you are not settled. And that will be the most beautiful part. You will be growing every single day. You cannot obtain a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or whatever your academic goals are at your junior college, thus pushing you to work even harder in order to transfer. Sure, you might miss out on all the partying, but when you do eventually get to transfer, you will get those opportunities, while knowing how to responsibly conduct yourself. At the time of your real departure from your home, you will be an adult, ready to take on your future maturely. Not to mention- your childish mistakes are not costing your family thousands of dollars.

But wait, I’m not stupid, I tried in high school. Why would I go to a Community College?

Do the names Walt Disney, James Dean, Clint Eastwood, or Ross Perot ring a bell? Maybe you know them for their professional success, and the big name universities on their diplomas- but they all started at junior colleges. And I really hope that no one thinks the founder of the “happiest place in the world” is stupid, right?

Regardless of how hard you tried, Community College could still open up your opportunities and better situate you for success. A student with a 4.0 out of high school is still nervous when applying to top-tier universities, whereas a transfer student with the same GPA is almost guaranteed admission to some of the country’s and world’s finest schools. The reality is whether it be a junior college or four year university- for the first two years, all collegiate students are taking their general education courses. And when it comes down to it, after transferring the Community College students will be sitting in the same exact classrooms as everyone else.

At the end of the day, people will continue to go straight to four year institutions and fall victim to the temptations of full independence, while some will not. No matter what you decide to do, know that Community College is an option- and a great one. If you do decide on a CC, whether based on financial reasoning, academic failure, or personal choosing, be confident. It is not the end of the world, it is the start of a new one- the potential for success is sitting in your hands.