Why You Should Consider a Community College

The Bottom Line: Community college is an economical way to do two years of college as long as you are smart with your classes and work hard.

I am a college graduate who started out my college career at a community college (or junior college as mine is still called.)  I know many people who look down on them as being inferior or for those who aren't serious about their college education.  Frankly, that depends more on you and your goals than on where you get educated.

There is a simple reason to go to a community college - cost.  I must admit I haven't researched the prices of all community colleges across the entire country, but when I attended one, I paid around a tenth of the going rate at even the state colleges around me.  Yep, I was able to get a great education for much less than I would have attending a traditional four year college for my entire college career.  Plus, since I lived at home, my room and board costs didn't change at all.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad.)

Academics can be a concern, but that can be the case anywhere.  I've talked to some people who attended a community college and didn't feel they learned enough so where behind when they transferred.  Of course, I also had that conversation with a classmate who attended a state university first, too.  My community college, on the other hand, prided itself on tough academics.  My economics professor bragged about his class being tougher than Stanford (after someone in the class said her boyfriend, in the equivalent class at Stanford, had no idea what the stuff we were learning was.)

However, much of a student's academic success or failure can be linked to how hard they try.  All four years I was in college, I applied myself and worked like crazy.  That included my time at the community college.  If you apply that standard, you can get much more out of your time there than you can just by doing the minimum to get by.

Often, the bigger colleges and universities are so focused on research that the professors don't really have time to teach.  I actually had one professor who had left a larger college because she wanted to actually teach.  All of my professors, in fact, seemed to be very interested in teaching their students.  My classes were never so big I felt lost in the crowd.  This allowed me to ask questions, both in and out of class, to make sure I understood the material.

A community college is a great option if you don't know what you want to major in yet.  You can take a wide variety of courses until you find something you really enjoy for much less than you would at a traditional college.  And if it takes you a few years to figure that out, it's still not costing you as much as it would to attend somewhere else.

I know my community college offered many remedial classes that a traditional college doesn't.  So if you are graduating from high school but don't feel you can quite handle college level work, this would be a much cheaper way to fill in the gaps in your education than heading straight to a four year college.

Just because it is a community college doesn't mean the student life is dead.  Every semester, we had club days, where all the clubs would set up tables in the quad.  We had at least 20 clubs every semester out there waiting for students to join.

A community college also offers a wide level of diversity.  I had classes with mothers going back to college to finish a degree, people changing careers, as well as students my own age.  I had every race and both genders in my classes.

If you aren't sure if college is for you, definitely go this route.  Dropping out after one semester is definitely less costly than deciding college isn't for you after your first semester at a four year college.

Not this isn't to say there aren't pitfalls along the way.  After all, if your plan is to get a true college degree (not the two year associates degree most community colleges offer), you'll need to transfer somewhere for your final two years in college.  The sooner you decide on your transfer college of choice, the better off you'll be.  You can make sure your classes will transfer before you take them, so you won't have to repeat course work later.

If, like me, you are the world's most indecisive person (I think I am, anyway), you need to be even more strategic in your decision making.  My community college offered a list of classes that were accepted at the state schools, and I made sure every class I took would work there.  Because I had planned my schedule so well, all but about 5 units (two or three classes) were accepted by the private college I wound up attending.  And those classes they didn't take?  I knew when I signed up they wouldn't transfer, so it was no big surprise.

Really, the secret to making good use of a community college is planning.  If you blindly take classes and don't worry about the future, you'll wind up there longer than two years or at your transfer university longer than two years.  But if you make wise choices, it is possible to transfer and graduate with a total of four years in college.  I know.  I did.

Many people write off community college without even weighing the benefits.  Like all college options, it isn't for everyone.  But if money is a big concern, with a little work you can make it work for you.

On Socializing and Homeschooling

There are lots of issues connected to homeschooling. Since I was homeschooled during majority of the 80's, I've heard most all of them. Probably the biggest I still hear is "But what about socialization? How will the child know how to interact with other kids?"

Actually, the social aspect was one of the reasons my parents decided to homeschool me in the first place. I was the student that everyone picked on. By the third grade, I often ended the school day in tears.

So let's be honest. All social interaction is not good. Kids can be cruel to one another. Bullies aren't just a thing of the past but still a very real problem today.

Now I can hear you saying "But Mark, isn't running from a problem a bad thing?" It can be, but it depends on the situation. Looking back, I can see that I would have developed some serious behavioral problems is I had stayed in a traditional school setting. My parents homeschooling me from 4th to 10th grades allowed me to develop a more mature response to this kind of behavior.

Schools place kids in groups their own age. Since I graduated from school, very few of my close friends have been my exact age. I've got some five years either way, but some of my best friends are even older and younger then that. School grades create an artificial age separation that doesn't reflect real life.

And we can't forget peer pressure. Drugs, sex, alcohol, and cigarettes seem to be issues for students younger and younger every year. Kids need time to be kids. Let them remain innocent for as long as possible. They'll have their entire lives to be adults. Plus, it's easier to teach them how to avoid the potential hazards of these things when they aren't being faced with it every day.

Then there are group projects. While they are supposed to teach students how to work together constructively, let's be honest. The one student who cares about his or her grade does all the work while everyone else rides their coattails. I can't tell you the number of times I carried a group to an A all by myself. Only in my senior year of college did I find myself an equal contributor to group projects.

So by now you probably think I am down on all socialization. You couldn't be further from the truth. Everyone, no matter their age, needs friends and family to interact with. So, how can you get that while homeschooling? Let me count the ways.

1. Let's not leave out the importance of family. Who says that the only socialization that counts is peers? Siblings, cousins, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. all count as social interaction. After all, our entire lives we need to know how to relate to those older and younger then ourselves. And we need the same basic skills if the person is related to us or not.

2. There's the neighborhood. My brother, homeschooled from K through 12, always had lots of friends in the neighborhood. I did off and on when there were kids my age. Granted, it's an easy approach to socialization, but it is perfectly valid none the less.

3. Just about every community in America has a homeschool support network of some sort. I know when I was homeschooled, we went on field trips with other homeschoolers to a tortilla factory, a marsh, and a dairy to name three that stand out 20+ years later. Once a month, we got together for book club. Every student and mother would share about some book they had read and enjoyed. With the variety of ages, we had reports on Dr. Seuss side by side with Nancy Drew and adult authors. But it was lots of fun and I looked forward to it every month. By the time my brother was in Jr. High, there were enough homeschooled teens in the program that they got together once a month for fun activities such as bowling, pool parties, or mini golf.

4. Many schools are open to homeschool students participating in their organized activities. I know kids who have done everything from sports to choir and band.

5. Don't forget community organizations. Depending on the area, there are local non-school soccer, baseball, basketball, and football leagues to name a few. Then there are the Boy and Girl Scouts and all their various clones. They are a great way for kids to meet their peers.

6. Churches are another great way for kids to make friends. I don't think I or my brother missed a meeting during our teen years. Obviously, this option won't appeal to the non-religious.

7. Good old fashioned play dates. Have some kids over to play, either one on one or in a group.

These ideas are off the top of my head, and I'm sure if you do the research and some brainstorming, you can come up with many more ways on your own.

Just because someone is homeschooled doesn't mean that they have to have no social life. It takes more work on the parent's part, but homeschooled kids can have just as a good a social life as their traditionally schooled peers.