How to get ahead with a community college

What is community college

When my high school hosted an information session on Post-Secondary Education Option (PSEO), I jumped at the chance to get out of the boring 7 a.m.-to-2 p.m. routine and start taking classes that challenged me.

PSEO gives high school students an opportunity to take classes at a nearby college or community college for free, instead of taking high school classes.

I enrolled in the local community college my senior year of high school and took all of my classes there.

I loved the courses, professors and flexibility of my schedule. But I began to wonder if all my hard work would count when I went to college in the fall.

By November of my senior year, I had been accepted to Ohio University and picked a major. I contacted the admissions office at OU to make sure all of my credits transferred. I also asked them for information about the general education classes that I would be required to take.

By finding out what I should be taking, I was able to complete my core classes before transferring, instead of just arbitrarily choosing classes at the community college.

Finishing my general education classes a year ahead of time and having more credit hours than my peers gave me priority registration for classes at OU.

Overall, my transfer experience was seamless. There are some classes on my transcript that I took at the community college that don’t have equivalents at my new college, but the hours I earned still count toward my graduation.

What is community college worth?  Look into your high school’s partnership with a community college and you, too, might be able to skip right to the classes about your major.

Meghan Bender, a student at Ohio University, transferred from Lorain County Community College. She is majoring in broadcast journalism.

What are the benefits of starting at a community college?  What is a community college worth?

• Cheaper tuition than a four-year school.
• Good way to get a feel for college-level work.
• Transfer your credits to a four-year school.
• Priority registration with the more college credits you have.
• Fulfill both high school and college requirements.
• Figure out your major before transferring.
• Choose from more classes than available at high school.
• Take advantage of the libraries, clubs and study abroad opportunities.