Is a community college for you?

When someone first suggested that I go to a community college instead of the state university that I had been planning on, I was shocked.

At that point, I thought community colleges were strictly for people who didn’t have what it took to get into a university. But after a little persuasion and a little research on community colleges, I changed my mind.

Save moola

One of the main reasons students choose a community college is to save money. Most community colleges cost half as much as in-state universities. And who doesn’t want to save some money?

Get similar classes as those at a big university

A huge stereotype of community colleges is that they aren’t as “good” as universities and private colleges in the area. That’s just not true. My local community college even has majors I’ve never heard of. You can graduate with a two-year degree and find a job, or you can spend two years taking your core classes, such as math and writing, and transfer to a four-year school later.

Figure out what you want to do

What if you have no clue what you want to do for the rest of your life? That’s OK—neither do I. Community college is a great place to go figure it out. You can check out classes that sound interesting and find out if the career suits you.

Clint Rehling will be attending Kirkwood Community College (kirkwood.edu) in Iowa City, Iowa. “A community college is exactly what I’m looking for,” he says. “They don’t judge a lot on ACT and SAT scores, and I’m taking the same classes I would in a four-year college.”

Teachers agree, too, that for an unsure student, choosing a community college is a great way to ease the stress of finding a four-year school.

Melissa Berke, a professor at University of Nebraska-Omaha (unomaha.edu), says, “If you’ve found a good four-year school, great. But if you don’t know what the heck you’re going to do, don’t waste big money to float around a campus not knowing.”

Mollie Martin is a high school senior in Des Moines, Iows