Deciding whether to attend a community college involves considering various factors, with the two most important being your lifestyle and financial considerations. But how do these considerations play out in real life?
Do you need a flexible class schedule that accommodates your daily routine, or will you be prioritizing school? Are you willing to take on debt for your education?
These questions should help you understand how lifestyle and financial considerations, will greatly effect your decision of going to a community college or not.
What's Your Lifestyle?
A person’s lifestyle can greatly impact their decision to attend a community college. For example, those with busy schedules often prefer community colleges over universities.
This preference is largely due to the variety of class times offered by community colleges, including evening and weekend options.
As most people who work full-time are only available at these times / days.
Another reason is that community colleges typically have multiple branches, making it easier to find a local campus that is conveniently close to both work and home.
On the other hand, you might not have a lot of responsibilities and your willing to move into a dorm and dedicate your time for school. In this case, the convenience of a community college won’t be that appealing.
This is why you need to look at your lifestyle and decide weather a Community College or university fits it better.
Financial Considerations
It’s no secret that community colleges are significantly more affordable than universities.
On average, tuition and fees for a full-time student at a public community college is $3,990 per year, compared to $11,260 at public four-year institutions (AACC).
Many students justify attending a prestigious university and taking out student loans by believing they’ll land a good job and pay off the debt quickly.
Personally, I’m not an advocate of this approach. If you’d like to explore this topic further, check out the article “Why University is Not Worth the Debt.”
In short, attending a community college can help you save a lot of money and avoid student loans altogether.
So ask yourself, can I afford the tuition of a university? If not, are you willing to take out student loans for your education? This will help you decide which institution will be a better choice for you.
General Pros & Cons of Communtiy College
On the positive side there is substantial cost savings, Flexible schedules, Smaller class sizes and community colleges are often closer to home.
However, there are some cons to consider. Community colleges may lack the extensive campus life and extracurricular activities found at larger universities.
I personally don’t find this as big of a con, but I heard students complain about that. Also, some specialized programs may only be available at four-year institutions.
When Shouldn’t You Go to a Community College First?
One, If you have received a substantial scholarship that covers all or most of your expenses at a four-year university.
Or if you can afford to pay for university upfront without taking out student loans, it makes sense to take advantage of that opportunity.
Lastly, if your career path requires a specific program that is only available at a four-year institution, then you really don’t have another option.
