One of the most stressful parts of high school is figuring out what you are going to do after you graduate. For the fortunate students, they apply to multiple colleges and universities, pray they’re accepted, then carefully choose the school they want to enroll in. However, for many students, the process is not that simple. The cost of college can prevent students from attending their dream schools, even if they meet all of the qualifications and are accepted into the school. That is what happened to me. At first, I was bummed and embarrassed; I saw all of my friends going off to live at amazing schools, and I was stuck in my hometown, driving to the local community college. However, now that I have transferred to a four-year university, there are three factors that have helped me realize that I made the perfect decision for myself. I had the privilege of living home with my parents while attending classes with skillful professors and classmates, all while saving a whole lot of money in the process.
Community college slowed down the transition process, so too many changes did not happen too quickly. I tend not to do so well with change, and I become overwhelmed if too much is being asked of me. My two semesters of a community college pushed me out of my comfort zone. Once I started college, I still had the luxury of living at home with the support of my parents, and I was able to save money to prepare myself for when I transferred to a four-year institution. It feels great to know that I took 30 credits for roughly $6,000 when I could have taken all of the same courses at my current school for thousands of dollars more. In addition, I had the opportunity to become more independent. It was my job to select courses, to meet with professors and counselors, and to drive myself to and from class.
A common misconception of community college is that you will not do work. I must admit, the work at a community college is not as demanding as the work at a four-year institution. However, it is still college. I appreciate that I took my first college courses at a community college because the professors actually care about how you did in their class. The majority of the classes contain about 20 to 25 students. This allows for professor instruct a smaller, more intimate group of students. It gives the professors the chance to familiarize themselves with their students and observe how they learn.
A typical four-year college or university is filled with students between the ages of 18 to 22. However, at a community college, the students attending are from all different stages of life. There are some fresh outta high school, like me. Then, there are those that decided to come back to school later on in their lives. We are all at the school for different reasons. At 18, I was typically the youngest student in all of my classes. In my Spanish class, my friends were a 26-year-old nursing student from Korea, and a middle-aged woman, also a nursing student. I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity in the school because it allowed me to meet various types of individuals that are going through all different types of experiences, rather than a school full of students all the same age, all having the same issues.
Although I am beyond excited to have started studying at Sacred Heart University, it was bittersweet to leave community college. I credit my previous school for turning me into the confident, hard-working student I am right now.
