During your senior year of high school, you get the dreaded questions of "What's your plan for next year?" "Have you applied anywhere yet?" and "Where are you going to college?"
I hated answering where I was going to college because my answer was "I'm going to a community college." Immediate looks of disappointment and pity always responded like they expected more out of me.
However, no one asked me why I decided to go to a community college first, they always assumed it was because I didn't get in anywhere else.
Even though I knew it wasn't true, I decided to go to a community college to benefit myself in the long run.
I wanted to get my general education classes out of the way for the cost of nothing.
At community college, I received far more than abundant financial aid that I didn't have to pay for any of my classes or books. I'm also debt free which is what every college student dreams of.
I earned an Associate's degree.
I graduated from community college with an Associate in Arts degree with honors while my friends at universities didn't.
I figured out what I wanted to major in.
Being in a community college means you have the drive to pursue something even if you don't know what it is yet. My advisors and friends were a huge help in that process and being there pushed me in the right direction of my dreams.
I wanted a different environment.
Almost every high school senior thinks about going to a university and going to all the parties and having that "college experience." But the people I met at community college really encouraged me to be myself and not what society expects you to be.
I wanted professors that knew who I was.
At most universities, professors only know you as "that student who sits in the third row" and not your actual name. However, at community college, all of my professors knew my name and what I was majoring in and what I needed help with.
I am very proud of myself of pushing through community college even though it wasn't the most popular thing to do. I know that everything I learned from there will help me at my university and career.
