Watching each and every one of my friends leave for a four-year university when I was stuck going to community college. The world was ending. It was like going to high school all over again but with people who have kids, full time jobs, and are trying to save money. I saw each of my friends post pictures of their decorated dorms, parties the first few weeks, and the sororities that they joined. I felt like I was missing out. For months I threw fits about going to Moraine Valley Community College, but I now look back on my first two years of college and it was by far the best decision that I ever made. I met new friends of all ages, became closer with my parents, had college professors that pushed me in my studies, and had no debt for two years. Go to junior college, test the waters, change your major, and slowly step into the reality of college.
From when I started, the biggest complaint I heard was that people always saw their past classmates from high school. Or that community college was just a spin off of 13th grade. Boy, were they wrong. Of course I always ran into people I knew, but it provided an opportunity for me to broaden my network and see a familiar face every now and then. You will end up meeting more friends and acquaintances that can be possible study buddies for your anatomy course or take notes for you in math when you get sick.
During my time at a junior college, I also learned to appreciate my education from the first class I walked into, my Communications 101 course. Ms. Shaw laid it out on the table and said, "You all may think this is just high school, but you are all wrong. You stepped into MVCC for a reason and that is to make yourself be something or someone one day. As of right now, you are nobody until you have a degree and are able to contribute to society. Stay off of your phones because nobody important is calling, take responsibility in each class, and work. This is the future and start appreciating your education since not many people even get an opportunity like this."
All this was definitely was that a wake up call. Who would of thought that community college was going to be hard? But I can honestly say she was one of the best professors I have ever had to this day. You may have some lousy instructors, but the great ones will out weigh those and push you to your full potential.
Overall staying at home for my freshman and sophomore year of college brought me closer to my family, and I was able to still have my own space. No noisy roommates or dorm food for me! I made memories with my parents when I crashed their dinner dates on Friday nights or when my sister would come to visit me when I was waitressing on the weekends. I would not trade those memories for drunken nights, friends that I would never see again, or college classes barely anyone showed up too.
Now that I am a senior at a university about six hours away from home, I can honestly say that as of right now I have less debt than several of my fellow classmates because of attending community college. It's honesty crazy to think about that I am close to graduating and I have barely nothing to pay back compared to my high school classmates that left for a university as a freshman. In addition to that, I changed my major three times while at community college and that did not cost me an arm or a leg since I was in my general education courses.
To those high school seniors getting those acceptance letters or realizing that financially you do have to go to community college for a few years, my advice for you is to embrace the experience. Go in with an open mind, research degree programs. and do not rely on people to spoon feed you every step you should take. Community college is most definitely a one of a kind experience. Some may not see it as I do, but I grew during those two years and was truly more prepared to transfer to a university rather than leaving as an 18 year old with no cares in the world.
