Your Future Education is Right Down the Road

It’s graduation time and two students with the same GPA are going to college, the only difference is one goes to a 4-year college in another state while the other stays and goes to the community college down the street. The benefits of community college — though commonly unknown or misinterpreted in comparison to four-year colleges — are financially inexpensive,  have highly qualified professors, and transferable credits to traditional universities. However, students who attend community colleges often feel rejected by their peers and feel the pressure of the stigma surrounding their educational decision. Thus leading to prospective students not knowing about the benefits of attending community college.

Going to a community college is no less worthy than attending a four-year school. Community colleges are often a great choice for students who are not committed to a major and give them a chance to explore different majors without spending a lot of money for a degree they are unsure of. Aside from school, jobs are a major part of many people’s lives, especially those just graduating or in high school. When going to a community college graduate Michelle Shostek says, “The flexible schedule of community courses and the convenience of Community College allowed me to work, even more hours than before, which allowed me to save up money to pay off my education and my loans.” Some students may plan to have six or eight years of college after high school and getting the first two or four at a community college will be very beneficial to get a smaller, cheaper, and closer first few years of college. Transferring credits is also effortless with community college since it gives students a chance to figure out the requirements of the school and major they might want to transfer to. The ability to plan out your courses at a community college to have all the credits you need is a huge advantage.

A lot of money can be saved with the community college route especially since it is often a college so close to home. When talking to Bucks student, Alaina Barthold about her experiences through Bucks she said, “If you live in the county of the college, it is a lot cheaper. Living off campus is cheaper and not only that but Bucks offers several scholarships that are linked on the website.” For comparison, the cost of attending a four-year college such as Penn State’s main campus the cost would total $54,026. Meanwhile, at our local Bucks Community College, it costs about $2,100 for tuition. That is a $51,926 difference between the two schools one could attend. Along with these scholarships to apply for it is possible to lessen the cost even more with the help of financial aid. According to the Bucks County Community college website, they have a FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid, loans available through a federal direct loan program, and The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency that is an agency that assists in student finance.

Though community college has many benefits there are some who look down on those who choose to attend these schools, especially since community college has a 100 percent acceptance rate it is easy to assume those who go could not work as hard as those who go to a four-year college with a lower acceptance rate. Some even call it 13th grade as a taunt towards those who choose to go to a community college. A common misconception is that those who go to community college are not as smart as their peers who attend a traditional college though these students go through the same education as their fellow graduates and fill out a college application just the same. “For admission, it is through an online application,” says Alaina Barthold, “It’s similar to a job application.” Community college can be the best choice for many people and can be a great stepping stone when transferring to a more traditional school. For example, Lane Bryant ‘20 graduate says, “The professors at Bucks provided me with the right experience, and while I’m looking forward to my time at Princeton, I’ll never forget what Bucks has done for me.”

Overall it does not matter whether you attend a traditional four-year school in another part of the country or a community college in your district. As long as you know college is for you then there is no wrong answer since the only one deciding your path and future is you.