I’m sure that many of us thought as high school seniors that we would never attend a community college and that a four-year school was the only way to go. I was one of those people. I wanted a real college experience, which was (supposedly) “impossible” to have at a 2-year school.
My mind was made up, but then, my parents started giving their all to persuade me go to a community college. They gave me every reason to not go away, but my heart was still set on leaving. This was an on-going conflict for a while. My guidance counselor even vouched for me saying that I was ready to accomplish bigger and better things than what a community college could presumably offer. My parents won the battle, though – it was bribery at its finest.
This meant that while everyone was applying to his or her dream schools, I was applying to the 2-year school right down the road and nowhere else. And, while everyone was receiving their acceptance letters, I already received mine for my open admission college. I was constantly feeling belittled, at the time. However, now I see why I this should have been my first choice the whole time.
The reasons are plenty.
Real talk: The cost of attending a community college is oftentimes a quarter of the price of a public four-year school. Don’t even get me started on private schools! Do they even make a fraction that small?
Maybe you didn’t do as well in high school as you hoped? This is your second chance! Once you graduate a two-year school, the four-year universities only look at your previous college grades without taking your high school grades into consideration.
There is indeed a social life. I made plenty of new friends from surrounding high schools who became some of my best friends; this expanded my typical group of comrades. Now when I come home from being away at college, I hang out with those who I met at community college. Awesome, right?
Whether you go to Harvard or a community college, you’re required to take basic general education classes. So, why not get them done at a two-year school where it’s much cheaper? Most likely, it will also be easier to excel in a smaller class with less campus distractions.
So, here I am now. I received my Associate’s degree from a community college in just a single year rather than the usual two, and I got into the school of my dreams. I don’t think I would’ve been accepted into it straight out of high school, honestly. I have less student loan debt than most graduates will have to pay off in the end, and I have some really great friends back at home that I made at my community college. Just remember, when you’re going for that job interview, they’re going to look at where your diploma is from, not what steps you took beforehand to receive it.
Oh! Thanks for having amazing bribery tactics, Mom and Dad.
