The Pros And Cons Of Community College

Columbia University Senior Research associates and consultants Melinda Karp and Rachel Bork theorized that community college students were not unable to finish college due to academic unpreparedness like originally thought. Instead, through a series of interviews and surveys, they surmise that college students completion rates were dropping due to the fact that students are not socially and mentally prepared to handle the trials of community college. They create multiple tips for student success. In their paper, “They Never Told me What to Expect, So I Didn’t Know What to Do.” that was published in May 2014, they condense their data into key points and tips that help new community college students succeed in becoming apart of the community,

That means that the student has to plan times to use such resources outside of class so they can return with the knowledge they need to continue forward. If they do not, students will likely fall behind in class. The problem many students run into is that they overbook their schedules. Karp and Bork argue that students need to have their main priority be college. Everything else, including jobs and other extracurricular activities, have to come second. This is not an option for many students and because of this, they are not as successful as they could be. Furthermore, they make the point that due to the lack of strict class schedules, students struggle to initialize a schedule that works for them. As previously stated, students are likely to want to have a job as well as make use of the resources provided. Since they are not forced to attend class, they have to find their own methods of staying punctual and finding where they need to go. In an interview Karp and Bork gave, one student stated that when they first came out of highschool and were left to find their classes without

With close inquiry, we see that trying to compare the two to get a point across is pointless because the meanings and purposes behind them are so vastly different. Going to school, finishing their education, will eventually pay off by giving the student a degree and maybe a career. Nonetheless, for the years it takes a student to get their degree, they are usually struggling to keep the job they have with their crazy schedule. The comparison of a job and college is not only inaccurate but it may even come across as insulting. To go to college, students have to make many sacrifices. Sacrifices that will better their future, but at the time, will be hard to cope with. Going to college and making it the number one priority in their life means, spending less time with friends, being away from home, losing a lot of money. For many, this even means getting rid of their actual job. To say college is “as a job” is almost like throwing all of that back in their face. Because the one huge difference between having a job and college, is that most jobs do not require 110% percent of someone’s time and energy. Even still, jobs that do come with immediate rewards such as money to pay bills, buy food, and take care of themselves. In college, even community college, students struggle enough with school, let alone maintaining a job that can actually support