Community college used to be thought of as less academically serious than four-year universities. This is no longer the case. But there have been many changes in the world of community college over the years. Most importantly, academic standards have gone up, and so have the qualifications of the teachers who teach them.
As far as what kind of school to go to, it all comes down to your long-term goal for college or university. There are many good matters about starting your college career at a community college. Education is as good as in traditional universities but costs less, and the schedule is more flexible at online colleges and universities.
Some students still want to go to four-year universities because they have more to offer than a community college, like campus facilities, sports, and more. On the other hand, community colleges are transforming the face of higher education by providing students with a wider range of degree alternatives.
Credits Transferring
Most people go to a two-year community college to get their general education credits and get an associate’s degree. This is what most people do. This includes classes that teach reading and writing, math, science, and social science at the college level. They can then be used to get a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college.
Many community colleges across the country have worked to ensure that their associate’s degrees meet the general education conditions of most universities, especially those in the area. Because of this, it has never been easier for students to move credits between the two schools.
Then again, you want to make sure that your credits will transfer before you start taking classes at your community college. To make sure you’re taking the right classes, you should talk to an academic advisor. People who go to community college for two years need to think about what they want to do after finishing. If they don’t, they might have to take many of the same classes over again when they transfer.
Quality in academics
There is much justification why community colleges have become so popular over the last 15 to 20 years. By and large, they have raised their academic standards a lot over that time. Getting an associate’s degree from a junior college, which they were called, used to be seen as a bad thing.
It was thought, and it was usually true, that academic standards were lower and the classes weren’t as hard. Today, it is widely agreed that students learn just as much, and sometimes more, at community college as at a four-year college. The curriculum is about the same as at universities, and the classes can be just as hard.
There are still many types in the job market, but many studies show that students who go to college from a community college do better than those who go to university. In part, this high level of quality comes from the staff. Most professors at community colleges now have to have a master’s or doctoral degree in their field.
If you attend a community college, you might see younger, less-experienced teachers here and there. There are a lot of veterans who teach there, too. Many community colleges have accomplished out to professional industries like business and science, hiring people already working in their fields and giving them a unique perspective on what it’s like to work there.
Size of class
Another important part of the community college experience is the small class size. If you go to many big, crowded lectures, you won’t see very many of them. Most community college classes have 20 or fewer people in them. As a result, there is a lot more interaction and constructive discussion than in lower-level university classes.
The quality of the teaching is also helped by the small class sizes, as was said above. Professors who teach small classes are naturally drawn to make the learning process more interesting and interactive. Classroom discussions are more normal, and professors are more likely to talk to students. Also, there aren’t as many papers and exams to grade, so professors can give more feedback and build more personal relationships with students.
Tuition expenses
Public and exclusive universities are much more expensive, and lately, tuition has risen much faster than the general inflation rate. At a public university, the cost of tuition can be as high as $8,000. The cost of private universities is even more than it is at public universities. It costs more than $20,000 to live in this house, called the “sticker price.”
There is a lot more money to be made at community college. A private university costs about half as much as a public one. Commuter colleges don’t have big campuses or extracurricular programs that add to the cost of going to college at a popular university.
Books and food still cost the same amount, but many community college students save money by living at home and not going to school. Other than this, there will be little difference in your living costs. It’s also becoming progressively usual for people to go to community college to save money on their first two years of school.
Flexibility
Another great thing about community colleges is that they are usually set up to help students who have jobs or relatives of their own. The fact that students don’t live on campus also makes it important to change plans.
If you have kids or work more than a part-time job, community college is the best choice for you. Traditional schools don’t have a schedule that can be changed as much as in a school like this. Community colleges have many more night classes, and unlike most universities, they don’t make you go to class. There is no right or wrong approach to do this. You decide how much and how much you do.
Campus life and student culture
This is one area where big universities will always be better than community colleges. Most community colleges don’t spend as much money on-campus facilities, athletic programs, and student clubs and groups. In this way, it’s cheaper, but many students want to live in student dorms and be part of campus life.
If you go to a society college, you won’t find any fraternities or sororities. There are a lot of big community colleges across the country, and some of their campuses might surprise you. Many universities have made significant investments in student centers, dining halls, computer laboratories, and state-of-the-art classrooms.
Some students who go to community college and then go to a big university have to get used to the new place, in a new place where most people have been there for two years. Most universities have services for transfer students that make it easier for them to get to know people on campus.
