ArticleGoing to a Community College
Being a graduate from high school can be exciting. Plans to go to colleges such as Harvard, Duke, or Princeton are always at the back of a grad's mind to pursue careers as doctors, lawyers, or politicians. But, from a new grad's point of view, there is so much more that has to go into college...money. To receive a degree doesn't have to be costly.
It sounds like the "bottom of the barrel" decision, but it really is not. By attending a community college for two years to get an Associates Degree, you will be able to get a job faster, save thousands of dollars, and be able to prepare your way to a university. The standard amount of money that goes into a year of attending a public university is around $10,000 for in-state tuition in NC for example. At a community college it only costs $3,136.90, at the in-state amount. You save around $6,000 by attending a community college. You'll be better off saving for an apartment, a car, or to pay for the other two years you need to pay for your BA.
I know a lot of students that started their freshmen year at a four-year university, and then dropped out or had academic expulsion the following year because they did not put in the effort to manage their time between friends, school, work, and parties. That $10,000 went down the drain, and the only way they could get back into the university was by attending a community college.
Also, going to a community college is a great way for those that would prefer not to leave home. Just graduating from high school and getting into the "real world" can be very traumatizing. Think of attending a community college as a way to prepare yourself for the real thing. By commuting from your parents home you don't have to worry about laundry, electric bills, rent, and there is always mom's cooking when you get back from classes!
Hopefully this article let's high school grads think of attending a community college, before making it a last resort.
Hint: If you do want to attend a community college, make sure that you fill out an application for Financial Aid. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to see if you qualify.
To find out more of the pro's and con's of attending a community college vs. a four-year university, read this article http://www.educatednation.com/2008/05/16/community-college-vs-university... .
Comments and views are always appreciated!
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I am a foreigner and I am not American, I need somebody's help to know the procedures and the availability of getting financial Aid for the tuitition fees of a community college, knowing that I can exclude the transportation/ rental and food..etc fees as I'll be staying with my aunt.
Go to the site fafsa.ed.gov Just fill out all the information it asks for. It will ask which college you would like to attend so just fill in the ones that you are thinking of. Once you have submitted all the information it will tell you what federal financial aid is available....grants and such.... Then it will send the information that it gets to the Financial aid offices of those schools you said you were thinking of attending. After you are done with that go to the site fastweb.com fill out all of the information that it asks for (it asks for a lot of things about you and your family). Once you finish and submit the data it will generate a list of scholarships that you qualify for. You can click on them and it will give you a short description of what it is and then a link to the original site that the scholarship is located at. If you need any more info just let me know. Hope these help you as much as they helped me. : )
Well, every community college is different. Although you are a foreigner, you can get help by contacting the Financial Aid Office of the college that you are interested in going to. Basically, tell them that you are a foreigner, and do not know where to start. The financial aid assistant, or directors will be able to help you through the steps and paperwork to receive financial aid. It is best to go to the community college you are interested in attending in person, than to ask for assistance over the phone or e-mail. I am sorry that there is not much that I can advise you on, but if you have any more questions, or concerns, let me know how it goes. Good luck!
you guys are so awesome for helping that person out, I remember when I didn't know what to do *sigh* :D
A lot of people have this misconception that community college is for losers. I got my A.S. at a community college and loved it! I'm currently working part-time for a company as a web designer, running my own web design business, and in school full-time at a university for Elementary Education and English.
I got the Pell Grant each year I attended community college, so I virtually paid nothing. Now that I've transferred to a four-year school, the Pell Grant doesn't cover everything, so I had to take out loans - which is way better than paying out of pocket right now.
I got a lot out of community college: I made some long-lasting connections, earned my A.S. in Multimedia/Web Authoring so I now have a stable career (that I love!) while pursuing my other dreams, and got the college experience for a lot less. Even the state university I'm at now is relatively inexpensive.
I went to a community college at a young age and then transferred to Duke this year as a junior. It's hard, but not impossible.
I HATE the misconception that community college is for dumb kids, kids who could not "make it", and is easy. I have had some hard as HECK professors at community college, as well as easy. Transferring next semester I am going to assume that this will be the same at the 4-year University. Sometimes some students need the "not so big" environment to begin with so they can keep on track and not BECOME stupid with the decisions they make!