Got Ivy Leagues on your mind? Join the club. Not too long ago all I knew was Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, etc. and coming from an Asian background only reinforced that viewpoint. So why is the title of this post not "10 Reasons to Attend Ivy Leagues"? Well first, I don't need to convince you. Second, I didn't attend any of these institutions and third, I'm so glad I didn't. Here's why...
1) They're affordable!
If public state universities are a discount, community colleges are on clearance...at Goodwill. On average, private schools are about $144,000 for four years, public universities $36,000, and community colleges... *drum roll* not even $10,000 (I paid even less than that!). Actually, let me correct myself...I actually got refunded over $5,000 for my first year of attendance at Parkland Community College, which was where I attended, due to my scholarship and financial aid. I would later use that money to start my investing career in the stock market but more on that later! Also, at least at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, freshman are required to stay in dorms during their freshman year compared to community colleges where, if you don't decide to stay at home, you can rent out apartments or houses right away. Either way, beats shelling out a couple more grand for dorms.
2) They teach gen eds too
So the cost isn't a problem for you, huh? Well get this, you're paying more for basically the same general education credits at private universities than if you just went to community college. For example, all of my credits from my two years at Parkland College transferred over to the University of Illinois where I attend now and are transferable to many other schools in Central Illinois, etc. However, the important detail to remember is that they are not transferable everywhere so make sure to do your research beforehand and ensure you're actually looking at the right community colleges for the four-year college you intend to attend later on. You can actually check this on Transferology which is completely free! But again, think about four-year universities and community colleges like choosing between Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Frosty Corn Flakes. The latter sounds corny (HA! I'm sorry, I had to...) but man, are they grrrrrrrrrrrreat (think I put too many "r"s but oh well)!
3) Teachers tend to teach
Many of the famed institutions are renown for their research which draws an abundance of professors and brilliant minds to these campuses. The University of Illinois is no exception however, their studies tend to occupy much of their focus and although their teaching is much more suited for upperclassmen and graduates, underclassmen tend to receive the shorter end of the stick. In comparison, community colleges are more intent on teaching and making sure you get the best marks! In addition, classes tend to be smaller and teachers (not teacher assistants) are available for office hours when you need them most. Think about it...Community colleges have a lot to prove themselves as the up and coming route to approaching college and therefore try to put their best foot forward. In fact, many of the teachers at Parkland are former University of Illinois professors who were hired on for their teaching ability, not their research. So students here actually receive comparable, if not better, quality of education than the first two years at the university and this is the case for other community colleges as well.
4) Helps you transition into a four-year college a lot better
For most individuals, attending community colleges allow individuals to adjust to the work load of a full-time student while still staying at or close to home to ease the transition process. In essence, this allows for one to build a stronger foundation and, because the educational support tends to be so much stronger and affordable, students that go off to four-year colleges after completing community college often boast a higher average GPA and better study habits. This also allows for people to keep in better touch with their communities and talk to teachers, neighbors, community leaders, etc. as they grow up and discover more about themselves while developing perspective (instead of going somewhere new and starting all over again). But some will argue that they simply don't want to miss out of the precious college experience when honestly the only aspect you'll be missing out on is student debt. And perhaps I got lucky that I just happen to live right in between Parkland and the University of Illinois but I didn't miss out on anything. In fact, I had a little more pocket change than my friends here at the university for bars, bubble tea, (insert other college stuff) and even if this isn't the case for you, less debt is better than more debt.
