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  • CHARITY
  • CONTACT
  • TEACHER RESOURCES

The Community College Advantage

Top 10 Reasons to  Consider Community College
By Professor Paige C Davis

1. Affordability – Tuition rates at community colleges are a fraction of the cost of state and private colleges.  We’re talking pennies to the dollar.  
2. Open Enrollment – Didn’t do so hot in high school, or bombed a semester at the university? No worries…community colleges are all about forgiveness.  Admission requirements are typically limited to a high school diploma (or GED).  The local community college is a great place to fix past mistakes or simply to get back on track.  It's also a great place to get started!
3. Uncertain About Career Path – If you have no idea what you want to be “when you grow-up”, the community college route is a safe way to go until you figure it out.  You can take general education courses with low tuition rates while you “find yourself.”
4. Flexibility – Community colleges are known for their dedication to students who work and/or have family obligations.  That’s why many community colleges have a variety of flexible course offerings such as evening courses, weekend classes, online classes, etc…
5. Your Career Path Doesn’t Require a Degree – If you intend to pursue vocational career path that does not require specifically an associates or bachelor’s degree, the community college may be the best or only venue for obtaining the necessary credentials for such a career path.  Examples include cosmetology, welding technician, auto technician, etc…
6. Dedicated Teachers – Unlike most colleges and universities, the community college does not require their faculty members to focus on research. This means (in theory) that they can focus on the classroom.  You won’t have to worry about a student teaching assistant teaching your class because community colleges don’t have them.
7. Class Size – Generally speaking, the typical community college classroom is less than 35 students.  I have yet to see a community college embrace the “mass lecture hall” mentality.  So, if attending a class with 200 of your peers doesn’t sound appealing, the community college will undoubtedly boast a much lower class size.
8. Diversity – My favorite part of teaching at a community college is the diversity of the student body.  There is no such thing as a “typical” student.  My classes represent all walks of life & we all learn from eachother.
9.  Networking Potential – The community college is known for its relationship with the general community (hence the name).  Local businesses and companies often work in partnership with the community college systems in their area because this creates a mutually beneficial relationship.  This means that students have increased opportunities to network with local companies with career potential.
10. I Turned Out Okay – I realize that this assumption is subject to scrutiny and opinion. However, I firmly believe that starting my education at a community college was the best path for me.  Although I was only there for a semester, I gained self-confidence, a high GPA and the ability to transfer to a 4-year institution (an ability I did not have upon graduating high school). I went on to obtain a master’s degree and have been gainfully employed since graduation, which I think is good thing. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, there are many noteworthy Americans who began their education at a community college including  J. Craig Venter, the person who mapped the human genome; Richard Carmona, former U.S. surgeon general; Eileen Collins, the first NASA female space shuttle commander; Nick Nolte, actor; Harry Reid, Senate majority leader; and Nolan Ryan, retired baseball pitcher. Several Nobel laureates, state governors, members of Congress, famous sports figures, famous actors, and distinguished business executives got their start in community colleges, but so have many thousands of nurses, skilled technicians, artists, police officers, firefighters, and EMTs.


How my Community College Experience 
 has Influenced my Life  
- By Dena Horne

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     My journey towards a degree began immediately after high school graduation in 1999. After only one semester attending full time though, I became convinced that college was not for me and dropped out. I had attempted to get help from the teachers prior to withdrawing, but the school I had chosen was very large and this meant that conference time was almost unheard of. I was a lost eighteen year old who was uneducated, frustrated and scared for my future. With this in mind, I used what little resources I had and joined the workforce.
     I longed for an education, but my first college experience had been so negative that I did not entertain the idea of returning for several years. I reached a point of necessity though shortly after moving to Houston in 2009 when I was laid off from my job. I searched exhaustively but I quickly realized that my work experience did not equal a degree. I was contemplating my future when I received an advertisement in the mail for the local community college system and decided to look into it. The small campus and small class sizes appealed to me, so I bit the bullet and enrolled for a full course load.  This decision became a turning point in my life.   
      It was during that first semester that I discovered several amazing things. First, I learned that I have a passion for the study of communications.  Paige Davis, my Interpersonal Communications professor showed me the human side of the field that I never knew existed. I was able to associate almost every lesson she taught into my other classes. In addition to her teaching, her genuine concern for my personal life gave me the courage I needed to face the daunting task of returning to school. She was the catalyst for my choosing to pursue a career in human communications education.
     My second discovery was as much a shock to me as it was to anyone who knows me. I enjoy history class! I thought every class had to be boring and revolve only around dates, but Professor Andrew Dunsky changed all of those misconceptions. His energetic and unique teaching style has driven me to pursue a minor in history. More importantly, he has given me an appreciation for the importance of history and the relationship it shares with my chosen field.
     My final discovery seems simple, but it has been truly life changing. I learned that I am capable of doing very well in school. Upon completion of my first semester I enrolled for another full course load and completed it with straight A’s. This allowed me admission into the Honors
Program and subsequently the unique opportunity to coordinate a service learning opportunity through an Honors Contract. These are all things that I never would have thought possible before attending college. 
      The combination of my hard work and a network of very supportive teachers have given me the resolve to raise my GPA from that sad 1.14 to a 3.735 in only 3 semesters. I am proud to say that I will complete my Associates in Arts and graduate with honors after completing the spring 2011 semester. This will mark the completion of the first critical step towards my Masters Degree in Human Communications.
     Through my experience with community college I have been blessed with an abundant amount of support while on a journey of self discovery. The teachers here have encouraged me through patience and tolerance to see in myself the success that I never knew possible. They have truly helped to change my life. It is my hope that when I reach my ultimate goal of teaching at a community college that I will have the same impact on my students that my teachers have had on me.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ARTICLES & LINKS:
Community College Trends
Community College Finder

© 2019 Paige C. Davis