Why College? Part 7 – Community College Changed My Life

So why college? “I hate school.” “It’s just not for me.” “School is boring, and it’s a waste of time.” “I don’t need college to be smart.” These are common responses people give when they finish high school and are suddenly asked why they don’t want to continue their education. Those statements can be valid reasons for certain individuals, as they were once valid for me when I was in high school. However, one day, I got a miraculous wake-up call. Hopefully my story can be yours. My parents came to the United States from Egypt 30 years ago. Today, they still can barely speak basic English and haven’t been educated beyond high school. My parents, my three older brothers and I live in a two-bedroom apartment, which forces me to share a room with my parents. My household has always consisted of constant yelling, fighting, putting others down, and [...]

Community Colleges Part 3 — Critical to higher ed.

Today, the Los Angeles Times published an immensely informative opinion piece on the largely ignored importance of community colleges within higher education, using California’s 110 community college system as an example. The authors (Camille Esch and Christopher Cabaldon) point out that not only are community colleges critical to the success of the four-year university system, but that Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger must ensure that these schools receive at least some of the funds he plans to set aside for colleges by 2014. Here are some highlights of the big role community college plays in California alone: Nearly 3 million California students attend community college. Half of all Cal State students and 30% of UC students attended community college. Community colleges are California’s number one provider of workforce training (especially for jobs that require technical skills, but not necessarily a bachelor’s or higher degree). An increasing amount of low-income students, laid-off employees, [...]

Community Colleges Part 2 — A solution to budget cuts?

Everyone knows that public education has taken huge budget cuts in response to the recent state of the economy. As a result, public universities (read: the Cal States and UCs) can no longer accommodate the same huge numbers of students as before, while being forced to raise fees and tuition for existing students. Many students get put on waiting lists for public colleges or simply can’t afford the increased cost of attendance. Part of the reason many students choose to begin their college education at a two-year local school is to save on costs. Especially for students who are undecided about a field of study and aren’t yet ready to commit to a specific campus for four years, community college is a good choice to begin chipping away at those “general education” classes, such as Freshman Composition, Speech 101, Critical Thinking 101…. You get the picture. And while every college [...]

Community Colleges Part 1 — Speech & Debate

As BetterGrads will continue to produce college admissions and acceptance-related posts for those anxiously awaiting bulky packages from first-choice four-year schools, we will not fail to serve those prospective college students looking to further their education at a community college. This will be a series of posts, and I encourage readers to submit their comments and feedback regarding two-year schools. Let’s cut to the chase. Community college has a bad rap. While I could have a field day listing numerous stigmas and stereotypes about community colleges, I’d rather divulge the impressive accomplishments I’ve witnessed from my peers at two-year schools. While I bypassed community college (adding onto my ever-growing student loan…) I look back on the debt and general education classes and wonder if I wouldn’t have been the same–or better–getting those first two years out of the way at one of these underdog institutions. Perhaps next week’s post will [...]