Community college is a lot harder than it seems. Everyone seems to have this theory in their head that going to community college is a way of “getting out easy” when really its actually pretty tough.

First off, you’re living at home which is great and all, but that means you still have home responsibilities. That means when you come home you still have to wash the dishes, clean your room, feed the cats and dogs, and make time for your family. Not only that for me being at home kind of makes me feel like I'm in high school, and I treated my work like that, and believe me that’s a bad idea. Almost all of your friends are at college almost two or more hours away, and you’re still at home in the same old town, just a different school. It's great when people come home for fall break and all that, but you don’t really have the same crazy stories that they have to tell. It's like being in high school and everyone you know just moves.

Then you have to work…now most people in college would say that its awesome that you get time to make money and you’re not the typical “broke college student,” but it has its downfalls. When you’re going to school all day, have two papers due at midnight, a book to read and you work from 4-10, it gets to be a little stressful. Not to mention by the time you’re done at work the last thing you feel like doing is sitting down to write an essay. You’re trying to balance way too much at once especially when you’re trying to get into the swing of this whole college thing.

Most importantly the work is just as hard as a four-year college. I'm not going to lie, when I started at community college I expected it to be way easier than it actually is. I don’t care what anyone says, they are stepping up their game. I don’t think I went a single day without homework, or a day I didn’t come home without my brain completely fried. These professors are constantly pushing you to your full potential and testing your knowledge. They care where you go and they actually make you think about and understand what you are learning.

Even though community college has its down falls, I do not regret my decision at all. I don’t think I was ready for a four-year college, I probably would of spent $10,000 at some college just to realize I need to reevaluate my plan. I have met so many amazing people and I’ve loved all my advisors and professors. I wouldn’t change my decision if I had a choice. I wish people would stop looking down on community colleges as if they were any less than a four-year college, it's not where I'm going to end, but it is where I'm starting. Even though I may “just be at a community college” I'm pretty damn proud of where I am and where I'm going. Besides, I won't be in debt for the rest of my life.