College is expensive. We all know that. And for more and more people, college is becoming prohibitively expensive. Several states are doing what they can to combat this by offering free community college to students who meet certain qualifications. If you are debating on going to community college or jumping straight to the 4-year university of your choice, let me show you the benefits of going to community college before you make your decision.
MUCH Lower Cost
When picking the right college, there are a lot of choices.
First, if you want to go into a trade, a vocational school is a great way to do it for a relatively low cost.
Also, most vocational/trade schools are two years. So that means that you can be done in a relatively short period of time.
As far as community college is concerned, don’t knock it! I went to community college before transferring to a 4-year university. And I know several other people who did the same. Many of those people (including me) now have post graduate degrees as well.
Community college is also a GREAT way to drastically reduce the amount of student loan debt that you might take on.
First of all, there are a lot of community colleges out there and it is likely that there is one close to you.
And second of all, they are very inexpensive (compared to four-year schools). The average community college costs about $3,800 per year! That means that for less than $10,000 you can get an associates degree and either be done with school altogether or transfer to the university of your choice.
If you intend on transferring to a four-year university, just make sure to contact that university as well as your community college to make sure that your credits will transfer properly.
In most cases they will, but make sure.
Also, several states even offer FREE community college to their residents. Each state is different and have different qualifications though. Usually the qualifications aren’t too strenuous. They are something like a 2.5 GPA, don’t get arrested, maybe a little community service, etc.
Here is a list of all the states that offer free or reduced cost community college.
You Achieve a Degree in Just Two Years
The second of the benefits of going to community college is that you achieve an associate degree in just two years.
Most of us already know that an associates degree is a two year degree. But when you go to a 4-year university it will take you 4 years to be able to put something other than “some college” on a resume for a job.
If you go to a community college, you get to put “associate’s degree” on your resume after two years.
That degree is locked in for the rest of your life.
A lot of things in your life can change. And often those things change very quickly. If you FINISH a degree in two years you will have that degree forever. Even if you go to a university the next year and then have to drop out because of health issues, family issues, moving, etc. You will STILL have that degree.
Going to Community College Buys You Time
Also, one of the benefits of going to community college is it gives you more time to decide what you want to do in life.
I know that I had no clue what I wanted to do when I was 19 or 20.
If you go to a community college, you can take all (or nearly all) of your prerequisite classes for a subsequent bachelor’s degree.
But if you still don’t know what you want to do for a living that is okay because you have already locked in your associates degree and now you can join the workforce and try out a couple different career paths before you transfer to a university and have to pay a LOT more in tuition.
Final Thoughts
College isn’t for everyone. Just like the military isn’t for everyone. And just like insert career isn’t for everyone. But there are some major benefits to going to community college before a four-year university. You save money, you earn a degree faster, and you can buy some time to make a decision of what you want to do for a career.
You can do this!
I am here for you!
Until next time!
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