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The Pros And Cons Of Community Colleges

651 Words3 Pages

I believe that two main issues in community college are closely related, and they are: bad college reputation and low retention rates.
Low retention rates are a problem number one for most community colleges in the country. Graduation rate in community colleges is only about 18-20 %. (New York Times, 2015). Despite the increased focus on excellence that we see, community colleges are still struggling to graduate students. Even though the number of students who attend community colleges increase every year, graduation rate is dropping. U.S. community colleges have been dropout mills. So the goal today should be to increase the graduation rate all over the country. Last year President Obama proposed to make first two years of community college …show more content…

Many people still have this stereotype that community college serves only low-income and low-class families, people in need, less gifted students for whom community college can be the last chance to get a higher education, those who for some reason can’t afford going to four-years university. There are plenty of myths surrounding community colleges around the country and these myths should be destroyed. They have very little to do with the reality. It’s unfortunate that community college suffer from such poor public image, when in fact plenty of people with Bachelor’s degree would be just better off going to community college. The reason for that is that so many students at community colleges nowadays already have their bachelors in a field they were not able to find a job in; so they are back to school again pursuing more valuable associate’s degree. Not to mention, how much money a student saves by going to two year school instead of going straight to University. If student decides to change major –which happens pretty often- he/she can do it very smoothly at a community college and with minimum money and time loss. Community colleges today offer great academic programs, excellent variety of degrees and certificates, great flexibility with classes, high-end technology on campuses, experienced full and part-time professors as teachers. Bad reputation often comes from low retention rate. But it has a lot to do with poor student’s readiness; community colleges do not have high requirements for student to get admitted, which make community colleges admission friendly and open to the

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Addison said that the community college experience is more critical to the nation than that of former beatnik types who, lest we forget, did not change the world. When it comes to community colleges, you can get the same work as you can get at a four-year college. A lot of people believe the transition is smoother because the college campuses are not as big as a community college. It will make people feel like they are still in high school because of how small the campus is, and it makes people feel more comfortable. Community college students are more likely to be racial and ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged, first-generation student, and immigrants compared to students at four-year

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I ‘m one those people fortunate enough to be able to take classes right outside my own neighborhood at the local High school. GRCC has many evening class you can take there, and it’s nice to only have to drive 2 minutes to class. I also believe that the education is very well structured at GRCC just like many of the Universities around the area. GRCC has just as many facilities for the students to use as most Universities have. Community colleges provide an excellent opportunity for student, who don’t have the money for a university, or are simple not ready to take on the whole university

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In the article “Two Years are Better than Four” Addison addresses community college as “America’s hidden public service gem” (Addison). She explains how community college has been often not even thought of as an option when young adults are

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There is a low number for community college graduation rates, and there are many ways to improve it. The low graduation rates call for changes that must be made within the system. The article written by Alina Tugend on how to improve the graduation rates explains in detail why there is a low number of students graduating and the ways that it can be raised. I agree with the article “Revamping Community Colleges to Improve Graduation Rates” written by Alina Tugend for these following reasons: lowering costs, providing more guidance, and require less remedial classes.

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Revamping Community Colleges There are multiple choices to be made when going to community college. Numerous people miss out on the opportunities that community college has in store for them because colleges make it tough on students. In the article “Revamping Community College to Improve Graduation Rates” we can see how improving community college systems can dramatically change the number of students who become graduates. Revamping community college helps improve graduation rates by lowering the cost of community college, hindering the requirement of remedial classes, and helping community colleges gain a more structured environment for their students. One key reason students are not attending/graduating college is because of the cost that

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Applying for college is an experience that can be fun but also overwhelmingly stressful. This is because many students struggle to decide which college they should attend to. One of the biggest decisions is whether to attend a community college or a university. Many students look the other way when it comes to attending a community college because it comes off as second rate to them. To them community college is for those who aren’t good enough to attend a university.

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There are pros and cons to community college. There are many pros to community college. In What’s wrong with going to a community college? How two-year colleges can be better than four-year universities, it states, "Most of those are 'middle-skills jobs,' positions that demand more than a high-school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. There are roughly 29 million of these jobs today.

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These three reasons are financial, academic and social reasons. First, it is financially because, it is easier to get a student loan in a community college then a four-year college because of price wise from both colleges. If I attended a larger college it will cost me triple or more the amount I paid in a community college. Secondly,

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I thought otherwise because I actually experienced being a student at East Los Angeles Community College. Community college is a great transition for students that come from high school and for those who are still not prepared to go to university or who are unsure of what it is that they want to study. Students that go to community college should also not be considered as getting less education than a student at a university, it is easier for students to go to community college because of the easy transition, cheaper school, and more resources. I started taking

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As the month of November comes along annually, every single high school senior is forced to decide which path they are going to take after graduating. For some, it is easy to choose which college to attend and how to pay for it. But, for many, it is extremely difficult to figure out a way to get the funds for college. So, they choose the community college route. Community college is drastically cheaper than tuition at a four year university.

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In the United States a community college is defined as a nonresidential junior college offering courses to people living in a particular area. They are post secondary schools and are also referred to as junior colleges, vocational or technical schools because generally the course of study is for two years. The student can earn an associates degree or certification and/or continue their education by transfering to a four year college to complete their educational pursuits and earn a Bachelor 's degree. Community colleges started in the late 1800’s and have grown and evolved over the years. Today many four year colleges and universities have become so expensive to attend that many prospective students are opting for the more affordable alternative of a community college for their first two years of study where they can save money by living at home and taking classes that will transfer to a four year institution, however, there are students that cannot afford the lower cost of community colleges.

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Clearly studying at a community college has an obvious financial advantage over a

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Community colleges are important because they provide an affordable alternative to postsecondary education. They offer open admission, flexible schedules, and convenient locations. Community colleges make up a large part of the higher education system, enrolling more than six million students and growing rapidly. They help students become prepared to enter the workforce or transition into a four-year school. But even with all the steps taken to make community colleges accessible to all, there are still thousands of students who cannot afford to attend.

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There are many different people in community college including veterans, of marital and maternal status, and middle-aged men wanting to improve their employment prospects (Hanks). Hanks shows how diverse and ambitious the community college environment is. One might object that the efficiency of the student might decline because of how social the college is and how prone the students are to distractions at a community college. To some extent this is true however, President Obama’s proposal prevents this from

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The idea of community colleges to me is a place to get a good education and explore different options, and meet some great people. On the web site of the American Association of Community Colleges it says, “The mission of the community college is to provide education for individuals, many of whom are adults, in its service region”. This means that

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