Different Strokes for Different Folks..Choosing The Right College To Fit Your Lifestyle
Feb 24 '00 (Updated Nov 22 '00)
I had been out of the "college scene" for about 3 years when life finally settled down enough for me to think about going back. My biggest decision was "where should I go?" As a "more mature" student, being married with a child, I wasn't looking for the usually party-scene with dorms. For that reason, I chose to enroll at our local community college.
Community Colleges are a great alternative for students. They usually offer a two year associates degree for use to transfer to a four year university, along with many two year technical degrees. Currently, I am working towards my associates degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources.
Among the wonderful aspects of community colleges are:
1-FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Since many students are 'non-traditional' and may have families or also be working full-time jobs in addition to attending classes, Community Colleges usually offer a wider variety of class times, including weekdays, evening, night and weekend classes. This is an added bonus for people like myself, who try to schedule classes around their spouse's work schedule so as not to have to put their child in daycare.
2-TUITION: Tuition is so much more affordable at the community college level. I will pay less earning my 2 year degree at the community college than I would in two semesters at a 4 year university.
3-SMALLER CLASSES: After attending a university where my economics class had 500 people in it, I was rather relieved to find the smaller classroom environment at the Community College. On an average, my classes here have approximately 20 students in them. With the smaller class size comes some one-on-one attention from your professors, instead of being treated as a number.
4-OTHER NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS: It is so nice to finally meet some people who are "in the same boat" as I am. Many of the other students in my classes have families and/or work other jobs, so they can understand what it's like to juggle responsibilities.
5-VARIETY OF CLASSES: If you're undecided on a major, might I suggest taking some courses at the community college to help you decide where your interests lie? They offer a wide variety of classes, ranging from auto mechanics to college transfer classes to computer programming and beyond.
On the other hand, Community Colleges still offer a lot of the same things that other major universities offer, such as extra-curricular activities and student government. We also have honor societies and special interest clubs. The only downside is that most do not have sports teams, although you may be able to find some that offer non-competitive sports clubs.
Overall, I would highly recommend a community college if you are looking for a quality higher education with some flexible options.
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Epinions.com ID:
jma924
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Member: Jenn
Location: Willow Spring, North Carolina
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 111 members
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