Community College was a blessing for me, and could be for you too

Many people look down on Community College’s because people believe everything is a competition. Some may say, “I’m better than people because I went to an Ivy League” or “I’m not enough because I’m not in an expensive University”. You either feel like crap or are treated like it depending on what decisions you make. Even so, it’s no one’s problem but your own whether you go to an expensive college or not. In the end, those people that look down on you for going to community college’s are mostly all in debt, so don’t feel too bad about what others say. Focus on your own happiness and your journey and don’t let anyone get in your way!   Let me explain why I don’t regret going to a 2-year College. Maybe I can convince you to try a Community College too! 🙂  

Why I Loved Community College

   

It’s free (or leaves you Debt-free after graduation)

I went free because of government funds and hopefully you can too! I’ve heard most people can’t because they work, are dependent from their parents who work, or don’t have citizenship. At the time, I never worked and neither did my mom so we were both kind of dependent on ourselves. Also, I was living alone with my partner and my baby cat so we needed all the government funding we could get.   Tip: definitely apply for FAFSA if you’re married! I don’t know why but the government gave me much more because of that.

You get constant support from staff

I got a lot more support from teachers and staff and there was even a tutor room. If you’re thinking of going to community college, don’t worry about not having any help because there definitely are people who are being paid from your taxes and tuition in order to help you. Take advantage of all that your school offers! I personally think that if you’re in a smaller institution, staff will want to help too because they’re gonna bump into you eventually, so there’s really no way for them to avoid you lol

It gives you opportunities

The opportunities I was offered was having a student aide job in the field I was studying, having access to a tutor/mentor, job fair events, and even a linkedin photo-shoot event. I wasn’t in clubs nor did I attend many events. Even so, a shy person like me could find a lot of things to do that could benefit my future endeavors.  

Size DOESN’T MATTER

Going to a small school made it easier to get things done. The place was small but not so it could get crowded. Sure sometimes it gets busy but I wouldn’t say it ever got crowded. It’s also easier to know your way around the place and focus since the classes are filled with around 20 to 30 students. I even had classes that had 4 students including myself.  

No Need to Transfer after an Associates

This is def not true for everyone, but it was for me. Since I don’t really need a degree for what I studied, I decided I didn’t need to go to a four year. More degrees would get me in debt, and I would be really unhappy in the end. I have friends who are studying to be Psychologists and Optometrists, so I wouldn’t recommend they drop their studies after getting their Associates. For some people, there’s no need for an Associates, you can just get a certificate for a certain subject and that alone will help you get job offers. That was almost the case for me! Just talk to your counselor. Hopefully yours will be as helpful as mine were.

Diverse Community

I like to avoid people, but I don’t like to avoid complete strangers who are studying along with me. Community College smaller, but there’s many people from different areas with different backgrounds and ages who all have an interesting story to tell. This is a PERFECT time to reach out to more people and get to know others you never had the chance of getting to know. For me personally that would be getting to know more white and asian students. Growing up there were barely any white or asian people in my schools, so College was perfect for me to grow a diverse community.  

You get to be with HS friends for at least a year longer

I was really happy to get away from the people in my high school since I was so different from them. Honestly, I knew I wouldn’t miss anyone. Even though I had no one to miss, I’m glad I could continue studying with the few friends I had after high school. They made it fun and less nerve wracking to have a change of scenery after doing the same thing for the past 4 years (high school life be like that).  

It prepares you for University

The school I went to was nothing like the 4 year school I visited for orientation. I realized then I was truly under-prepared for a four year school. My high school didn’t prepare us for adult life at all, but which high school has? For at least 2 years, you will start getting the hang of doing things solo, driving yourself to important places, making connections and all that adult junk. Most students will transfer to a 4 year after their time in a community college, so I just think it gets you prepared for the more challenging stages in adulthood. The suffering continues, don’t it? The college I went to was good at making you an independent person, which def prepared my friend and other people for a four-year!

You can meet your new LOVE

To be honest I was looking and looking and everyone in College still seemed innocent and sweet and a good match. There are many striking people because College has people from different ages and backgrounds. Not saying that you should date MINORS AT ALL. I’m saying you can date older people if you prefer that, like myself. My best friend for example was still able to see her crush during college, nothing came from it, but at least you can still have some eye-candy during that time.  

Still not sure if community college is right for you?

You may want to experience dorm life, or may need to get away from home, and maybe you just want to start your 4 year now! That’s perfectly fine if you know that’s where you will thrive the most. But if you need more convincing, here are a few celebs who attended community college and made it out okay:

• Morgan Freeman (LA City College)
• Tom Hanks (Chabot College)
• Halle Berry (Cuyahoga Community College)
• Queen Latifah (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
• James Dean (Santa Monica College)
• Clint Eastwood (LA City College)
• Amy Tan (San Jose City College)
• Guy Fieri (American River College)
• Jim and John Belushi