There are as many myths about college life as there are colleges, and a great number of them focus on community colleges.
Here’s the truth.
“Isn’t going to a community college like staying in high school, a sort of 13th grade?”
Truth is: Community colleges are “real colleges,” and they offer a number of advantages that many four-year colleges do not.
Maria Esposito Roberts, associate dean for institutional advancement of Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, Pa., says, “It’s true we don’t have a Big 10 football team, but we certainly make up for it with our warm atmosphere and people who care about every single student.”
Like high school, most community colleges offer a supportive atmosphere that helps to alleviate the traditional fears that come with college. With small class sizes and personal encounters with professors, community college can be a great transition between high school and a four-year college without skimping on the academics.
“I shouldn’t go to a community college if a bachelor’s degree is my goal.”
Truth is: Community colleges offer two-year programs that allow students to earn associate’s degrees and obtain professional employment. Another main objective of a community college is helping students transfer to four-year schools.
In fact, many community colleges offer articulation agreements, formal agreements made with four-year schools on what credit will transfer, to help you waste no credit during the transfer.
If transferring is your goal, take the time to plan ahead. Know the college and major you want to transfer to before you take any courses at the community college. Meet with an adviser to help you pick your classes, and follow the adviser’s instructions carefully.
“Do not self-advise! Work with your adviser to maximize the transferability of your classes,” says Marcha L. Hunley, honors experience chairperson at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“The social life at a two-year college isn’t the same as that of a four-year college.”
Truth is: This statement tends to be true. Community colleges often fall into the category of “commuter campuses,” meaning that students take classes, then go home.
Some community colleges, however, are combating that mindset by creating dorms for on-campus living and full sports programs. The best advice, no matter where you go, is that you will get out of college what you put into it. So join extracurricular activities even at a community college.
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