10 Reasons Why It's Best to Start Out at a Community College

When deciding on a college to attend, you may be tempted to start out at a university because you think the university will be superior to a community college. This is exactly what I thought, but I ended up attending a community college anyway. There were a few reasons I ended up choosing a community college. Community colleges do not have a drawn out admissions process that takes several months and a community college has smaller classes. I was accepted to several universities, but I'm so glad I chose a community college to start out with and here's why.

1. Smaller Classes: Rather than going to a university and sitting with 30 - 40 other students, why not attend a community college and have classes with as few as 9 other students? I have four classes this semester, at my local community college, and none of my classes have more 10 students. In fact, my community college will not allow more than 15 students into a class. That's something to heavily consider because if there are a lot of students, it may be hard to get the help you need from an instructor.

2. Cheaper Tuition: A community college is a great place to start out because the tuition is so much cheaper than it is at a university. At the universities I've looked at, you can expect to pay around $3,200 per semester, while at a community college you will pay around $1,000 per semester. Why pay that much for electives and other classes you don't want to take (such as College Algebra), when you could pay much, much less?

3. Class Availability: Classes fill up quickly at a university. When attending a community college, you will be able to get the classes and schedule you wantt. At a university it is a constant fight to get into certain classes.

4. Instructors: 99% of the instructors I've had, at my community college, were more than helpful and did everything they could to make sure my semester was a good one. Because the class size is so much smaller, at a community college, you will have access to your instructors. Instructors are available for a one on one discussion and are happy to help you with any problems you may be having with the course.

5. Parking: Here's a little secret that I learned about one of the biggest universities in America and it is also true for most other universities as well. Universities sell more parking tags than they have parking spots. What's that mean to you? Well, it means you may not have a place to park. At most community colleges, you are just required to have a tag or sticker, but you are not designated to a certain spot. You can park anywhere on campus and there are always parking spots to be found.

6. Programs: Getting into the program of your choice, it much easier if you start out at a community college. For example, if you do a pre-major at my community college, you are guaranteed to get into that program at the university you will be transferring to. Why is that? That's because you have proven yourself by making it through the courses at the community college and graduating. When you try to get into a program without going to a community college, you will have to take all sorts of tests, fill out several applications, and meet with advisors of that program just to see if the university will let you in.

7. Financial Aid: Colleges only have so much financial aid funds to reward. When attending a university, there may be a few thousands people competing for those funds. At a community college there are a lot of people who will be trying to get financial aid, but there will be a lot less of them and community colleges work very hard to make sure those who need aid receive it.

8. Smaller Campus: Getting use to a college campus is intimidating no matter where you go, but a community college campus is much smaller than a university campus. If need be, you would have no trouble making it across a community college campus for your next class. A university campus is a different story all together. A community college campus will help you get use to the campus feel.

9. Close to Home: The university you want to attend might be in a different state. You may not be ready to leave home, so why not start out at a community college that is close to your home? That way you can get your electives out of the way and when you transfer to a university you will have an easier time getting into your program of choice.

10. Get Ready: All and all, a community college prepares you for a university. If anything a community college saves you money. Many students change their mind a few times before finally deciding on a major. If you're at a community college, all those changes will cost you a lot less.