My Higher Education Journey- Part 2: Community vs 4-year Colleges

Most high school students know that there is a negative stigma towards community colleges. If you go to a community college, it is because you are not smart enough. During my application process, I had the idea that community colleges were (for lack of a better word) trash. I did my first 2 years of undergrad at a community college and I can tell you there is more to community colleges than we are told. I graduated December 2018 from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland with an Associates Degree in Biological Sciences. I loved every minute of it. 

One of the biggest advantages of community colleges is the price. Compared to a four-year institute, community colleges are much cheaper. I used to pay around $5,000 for a year at my community college. Now (at my four-year institute) I pay around $11,000 a year. That is a huge difference, especially if you are paying out-of-pocket. I took the same gen-ed classes as my classmates for half the price. Another advantage of community colleges is the classroom size. I am the kind of student that doesn’t grasp concepts easily and asks

many questions. This is easier to do in a small classroom versus a large lecture hall. This is especially helpful in those difficult classes, like organic chemistry. The last advantage of going to a community college was the commute. It used to take me 15-20 minutes to get to campus and then 5 minutes to park and walk to the buildings. Now, it is a 30 minute drive and a minimum of a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the buildings. On cold and windy days, I miss my community college. 

I am not trying to be biased towards community colleges, I am trying to show you that the stigma around them is due to misinformation. Do not be discouraged about going to a community college. College is college and what matters is what you do with the information you learn.