Thinking About Attending a Community College
If you happen to to live in a city that has a community college, maybe you should put in some time and effort to investigate what kind of classes that college offers that might help you to affordably and conveniently advance your education and your career.
You might be surprised to see all the different types of classes you can take at the community college level. These state schools are getting better all the time and offering more and more courses and fields of study, and sometimes are quite impressive.
Some people may think of community colleges as not being the ideal school to attend, but those opinions are starting to be in the minority as more students and the population in general learns more about these public schools. Community colleges have an undeserved reputation for being second class learning institutions when this should not be the case.
For example, a large percentage of the working nurses in this country are products of community college educations. In many states, the associate’s degree nursing program is quite rigorous and provides even more clinical experience than some bachelor's degree nursing programs.
In other words, students graduating nursing school with an associates degree in nursing might be better prepared to deal with patient care than those who have a four-year. This by no means is meant to be disparaging any nurses who have BS degrees.
Right now, most hospitals will not consider candidates for an administrative nursing position unless they have a Bachelor's degree. We just want to point out that a associate’s degree program can be quite competitive and inclusive despite some common misconceptions.
There are other benefits to learning at the community college level, at least for the first two years of your formal education. One of those benefits is the fact that teachers in community colleges are often dedicated to teaching. They are usually not working on research or writing a book. They are there for the purpose of helping students learn and achieve their goals, which means they don’t consider the students as an interruption in their pursuit of their own goals.
A community college also offers as a buffer for students who may not have been on top of their class academically in high school or students who are returning to college after a long absence from academia. Plus, you won't find the large auditorium classes filled with college freshmen at the community college level that major universities are somewhat infamous for having.
You may also find teachers that have more time for their students. There is usually a lower teacher-to-student ratio at community colleges so instructors will have time to address the needs of individual students.
Another benefit some students eventually see is that even if you do not go on to complete your four year degree after you get your two-year diploma, you may eventually find that your earning potential is significantly improved over the typical person who does not have at least a two-year college education.
Research also shows that students who complete a two-year degree program at a community college are more likely to actually finish and receive their four-year degree than students who had all of their educational experience at a four-year university.
There are a few problems that can be associated with these types of school though. You should be aware of these so that they do not become an issue for you.
Most importantly, a few universities do not accept most of the courses that are offered on the community college level as transfer credits. Make sure you know which courses are required at the university that you are planning to transfer to in order to avoid this from happening.
Most colleges are pretty good with letting you know which classes they will accept for transfer students. Most regional state colleges will accept most local community college credits, but you should check first.
You may also find that you are somewhat limited in the availability of courses you can take and the times of day in which they will be available. Make sure that you take all the somewhat limited courses well ahead of time so that you aren't taking another year of classes in order to get all the classes you need.
All in all, a community college education can be just as effective as a university education if you go into it with an open mind and a strong willingness to learn. Maybe you can take advantage of your local campus and finish your first two years of school there. You will save a lot of money on tuition and living expenses that you would have been paying at a four-year university.
Thanks to Community Colleges Online for help in writing this short post: Go to Community Colleges Online
Or find more at Wisconsin Technical College System.
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