The traditional four-year college program may not be everyone’s cup of tea, so some may consider going into community college. There is this thought that community colleges are easier than universities. How exactly true is this statement?
Before rushing to apply for community colleges thinking it’s going to be a piece of cake, no. There are plenty of negative stigmas and stereotypes surrounding community colleges that make people look down on them. They may be simpler, but community college is not a cheat code for easy, painless academic life. This article will discuss how community college is easier and how it is not by sharing the pros and cons of community colleges.
Pros of community college
Affordable
You’ll save a lot of money if you join community colleges. According to a data by College Data, the average price of college fees in private colleges is around 38,070 dollars. While community colleges according to Research.com, public community colleges charge approximately $5,155 per year for in-state students and $8,835 for out-of-state students. A community college will be easier on students’ wallets if they choose to join a community one before transferring to a university for a bachelor’s degree.
Easy admission
If you plan on joining a community college, you’ll save the anxiety of wondering whether or not you’ll be accepted. Most community colleges are open-access, meaning they accept almost everyone. Most don’t even require you to submit the typical SAT scores and essays.
Shorter time
Half the time you’ll waste from the regular four-year university program. If you don’t really care for degrees and want to jump into the workforce as soon as possible, community colleges may be for you.
No unnecessary courses
Depending on how you think, you may consider some of the courses in universities are unnecessary. For instance, according to people’s personal experience, majoring in journalism, they had to learn how to code, which they thought was pretty unnecessary. Although those “unnecessary” courses can help you broaden your skills, students who know what they want to be and do may prefer courses that they will actually use in their workplace in the future. Those extra courses cost extra money, which can be annoying. Since community colleges have two-year programs, unnecessary courses wouldn’t be an issue.
Flexible time
Community colleges have flexible time. Hence, you’ll see a lot of parents and other older people attending community colleges. They also offer different shifts of classes; night classes, weekend classes, and even online classes. You’ll have more freedom and flexibility to focus on your job and even work full-time by joining community colleges. The flexibility also offers you a more balanced college life, even a balanced college-work-life.
More engaging classes
Unlike universities that accommodate students in huge halls or auditoriums with hundreds of students, community colleges have smaller classes, enabling students to be more engaged with each other and their lecturers. You’ll have plenty of one on one time with your professors.
Same quality courses as universities
According to most people’s experience in community colleges who eventually transferred to universities, the courses and assignments in community colleges are not easier than courses in universities. Easy or difficult courses usually depend on the professor, which applies to colleges and universities. Some even said that studies in community colleges were more difficult than university courses! Of course, depending on the community college of your choice, you don’t have to worry about getting low-quality classes.
Cons of community college
No college housing
Most community colleges don’t provide housing since they are local. So if you live quite far away from your chosen community college, it may be inconvenient as you need to rent a place to stay or spend more on transportation.
Nontransferable courses
Before applying to community colleges, or any kinds of colleges, it is essential to do your research. If you have plans on continuing your education and getting your bachelor’s degree, ensure that the courses in your chosen community colleges are transferable.
Unmotivated students
According to testimonials online, community colleges tend to have a lot of unmotivated students in class. The reason for this may be because one of the reasons students may choose to enroll in community colleges is because they are still unsure of what major they want to take. Some had no choice but to join community colleges to cover up the bad grades they had in high school.
Lack campus life
Unlike what some people may think, community colleges do have extracurricular programs and activities. Although, testimonials say that due to the busy schedule of students in community colleges, it’s difficult to see an engaged and energetic community in community colleges. On the other hand, universities have very lively and active organizational communities.
Fewer friends
Unless you are a superior social butterfly, some people shared that making plenty of friends in community colleges can be difficult. Why? As shared before, a lot of the students in community colleges are adults with family responsibilities which may make them way older than you, making it challenging to build connections. According to some people’s experiences in community colleges, you’ll have to try engaging with your classmates outside college to make friends. It may be easier to make legit friendships in universities.
Conclusion
In summary, community colleges are easier in terms of enrolling into and maintaining a work-life balance due to their flexible schedule. But it doesn’t mean that college life in community colleges is easy. Don’t get into a community college expecting to excel in every course because you thought it would be easy. Although, if you take all the factors into consideration, community college is more manageable and easier than universities.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is community college bad?
No. Many people benefit from going into community college!
- What degree do community colleges offer?
Community colleges offer certifications, diplomas, or associate degrees.
- Does community college accept everyone?
Yes. Community colleges have an open-access policy.
- Is it shameful to go to a community college?
No. Don’t be affected by the negative stigmas people have on community colleges.