When asked what they want to do after graduation, most seniors list large, well known universities, every student dreams of that movie-like college experience. In high school, anything seems possible, and in many ways, anything is possible. Tons of people that I graduated with went to really nice four year universities right after graduation, some stayed home and chose to start careers there, others have started their own families, a couple joined the military, and plenty took the community college route.

Community colleges offer a number of different programs. Students may be attending to work towards transferring to a four year university. Others might be attending to gain a degree that only requires two years of schooling. Schools like these may also offer programs that some large universities may not offer, such as HVAC programs, or culinary/pastry programs. Since these community colleges are smaller than regular universities, they are able to provide a different feel than most universities can. Community colleges are also an option for many people because they are more affordable, and have flexible class schedules which allow students to work as well as attend classes part-time.

I can’t deny that at first, like many, the thought of attending a community college seemed a little silly to me. When I was going to graduate high school, I wanted to attend a large, four year university right off the bat. I thought community college wasn’t actually college and I didn’t think it compared to the other schools my classmates were attending. I ended up taking a year off of school after I graduated, because of this I didn’t start school until the summer after my classmates first year of school. Since I had been out of a classroom setting for so long, I decided that it would be in my best interest to return to school at a community college before I went to a four year university. My first classes were taken at Austin Community College. By starting off at ACC, I was able to not only build my GPA but also learn how to become a better student. All of my classes are relatively small so the teachers had plenty of time to answer any questions I had in class. Everyone always spoke about community college as if it was a shame to attend one, but I quickly learned that it wasn’t. Attending this community college helped me grow as a student and now the thought of attending my original first choice university doesn’t scare me.

Being a student at ACC didn’t hold me back, nor did it restrict me from applying or getting into any university that I met the requirements to. If you attend a community college, and do the work, get the grades, then you’ll be just fine. A school is a school, no matter the name. The grades you get are earned by you and nobody else. Each individual learns differently, some students can start off at a four year university and be just fine, and that is great. Others, need the smaller class sizes at first, and that is great too. Going to a community college is nothing to be ashamed of, you can attend and still work towards your goal, whatever that goal may be. All students are working for the same things, all want to be successful. When you make it to that graduation ceremony the person sitting next to you isn’t going to ask you how long it took you to get there, or if you went to a community college or not, they’re going to congratulate you.