Most of my senior year was quite confusing for me. While all my friends had their futures planned out, I was just living one day at a time. I honestly did not know exactly what I wanted to do. I did not know how to approach the college application process. I did not know the right schools to apply to, what scholarships to apply for, and overall, what the best educational pathway was for me. I could not even settle on a major (that is pretty important when choosing a school, right?). I applied to a few four year universities, but nothing seemed right. After a lot of thinking and sitting down with my parents, we decided that starting at community college was the best option for me.
There are a lot of stereotypes that are targeted at students and the purpose of community college. Not all, but a good handful of people think community college students are losers, burnouts, ones who did not want to go to college but were forced to by their parents, or did not get into any other college. I will even admit, when I was in high school I placed these stereotypes on these types of students. Little did I know, I would end up following in their footsteps. I also did not know that choosing community college would be one of the best decisions I would ever make for myself. I learned these stereotypes were misleading and inappropriate. So, how did I go from believing the stereotypical aspects of community college to it being one of my best decisions? Here is why I chose community college:
Community college gives you time.
One thing I learned by going to community college is that these “burnouts” and “losers” were just as confused as I was. It is OK to not know what you want to do. Not everyone can decide their lifelong career when they are only 16, 17, or 18 years old. Community college gave me time and opportunities to figure out what would be best for my future. I did not feel pressured to choose right away. It gave me the time to explore what I wanted my ideal career to be. I was able to take different classes to test what I was interested in. Why waste time starting at a four year school if you know there is a possibility you might have to start over?
Community college gives you focus and a second chance.
Could I have done better in high school? Absolutely. Community college gave me a chance to redeem myself and restart. This is a great way to improve your transcripts if you did not do as well as you wanted in high school. It gave me the opportunity to improve my grades and to participate in more extracurricular activities. I went from being a high school student with average grades to a member of the prestigious international honor society, Phi Theta Kappa. Community college gives you more opportunities than you think.
Community college gives you a chance to save money.
Everyone knows community college tends to be less expensive than state and private universities. The first two years of college are usually composed of the same set of classes. Most colleges require their students to take a writing, natural science, and a math course. So why not take these courses for less at a community college? I also had the opportunity to work and go to school at the same time. While you are saving money, you are also making money! By going to community college I was offered different types of scholarships I would not have been before. There are specific scholarships available only for transfer students and for those attending a community college.
By attending community college, I was able to have the wonderful opportunity of attending my dream school, New York University. Community college was a stepping stone for me, and I recommend it to anyone who is unsure about their educational pathway. By attending community college and then transferring, I was still able to have the college experience by being away and living on campus. Most people would not think you would have these opportunities, but I was able to have these wonderful benefits of community college, and by working hard and using the resources I was given, I was able to then attend one of the best private schools in the country.
