It’s past mid-August now, which means one thing for college students: summer is over and it’s time to head back to campus. For the past couple years, this has been a bitter time for me. It meant watching my friends move into their dorms and apartments while I sat in my childhood room waiting for my own school year to start at community college. It isn’t a cringe-worthy word, but I sneer a little every time I think it.
This year, though, is different. After two years living at home while I got my associate’s degree, I am finally getting ready for my first full year at a university. And I am so excited for it, which got me thinking about how unexcited I was for school before, and how much I don’t recommend going to community college (if you have the option).
IT’S HARD TO MAKE FRIENDS
If you’re just going for general classes and aren’t enrolled in a specified program, it’s hard to make friends. Most of the people in your classes change constantly because you’re going between math, political science, and English prerequisites every week. At Wayne State, I’m in a program with other students who share my major, meaning I get to see the same people in almost every class. Before coming to a university, I thought making friends was difficult, but having people around you every day who share your interests and your experiences makes it so easy.
YOU MISS OUT ON A CAMPUS EXPERIENCE
Yes, some community colleges have dorms and dining halls, but it doesn’t compare to a university. At my community college, I could walk (in the winter) across campus in 10 minutes. It wasn’t scenic, and there were barely any other people walking with me. At WSU, I could get lost on campus. There are nooks and crannies for sitting, something happening at every time of almost every day, and so many people walking to classes around you. It makes me feel like I'm part of a community, which was missing for me in community college.
THERE AREN’T NEARLY AS MANY CLUBS
The number of student groups and activities is endless at a university. Though they may exist at a community college, you can’t be sure that all of your interests are represented. Not to mention, a lot of community colleges don’t have organized sports teams. I was a part of exactly zero clubs at my community college (which is partly on me, yes), but being at WSU, I found happiness on the debate team. And every time I walk into the Student Center, I see a different club recruiting members.
IF YOU TRANSFER IT’S LIKE BEING A FRESHMAN ALL OVER AGAIN
The first time I stepped on WSU’s campus for a class, I had no idea where I was going. I probably looked lost too. And when people who were in my year started talking about last year’s classes, I felt like an outsider. One of my now great friends even thought I was a freshman the first time she met me, just because I hadn’t gone to WSU the year before. Honestly, having to learn a new campus and meet new people more than once was too much for me.
I went to community college for many different reasons, mostly financial, but every day that I get to enjoy being at WSU I wish that I had come here sooner. If I came my freshman year, I would have gotten to be with my friends for two years longer. I could have had two more years of being on the debate team, two more years of being on the greatest campus I’ve stepped foot on, two more years of a lot of things.
Of course, I believe that I am where I am supposed to be right now. Two years ago, I was where I was supposed to be then. All I can say, though, is that I feel truly blessed to have found a university where I fit in so well. And that if you have the choice, I urge you to find where you are truly happy too and stay there as long as you can.
