Advantages to Community College: Close to Home

Many 18-year-old high school seniors are dying to get out of their house and off to college. Although there are a great deal who couldn't be more ready to leave the nest, there are also some who are scared to death of moving out and need to stay home for a little while longer. Community college has a lot of advantages and some disadvantages, and being close to home can be considered either depending on if you want to move away or live at home. For most people who choose community college, they consider the fact that it is located close to their home an advantage.

Freshmen year of college can be an extremely stressful time for new students. Some students who have been close to their family their whole lives or get home sick easily dread going off to school and leaving their loved ones behind. An advantage to choosing community college is that those students can stay at home for a couple more years. Of course, there are sometimes public and private colleges close to their homes, but they are not as common as community colleges. Most of the time, a student can find a community within half an hour of their home, if not less.

It is not uncommon for students heading off to college to want to live at home. Even if students are living somewhere other than their parent's home, they can still live close and have easy access to their family members. Many four-year universities require that freshmen students live on campus their first year unless they are planning to live at home, so if you don't want to live at home or on campus, community college is a great choice. This is also a great way to save money because you won't have to pay the housing fees of a four-year university or pay rent for an apartment.

Another great advantage to community college is that students can better prepare themselves to move out of their home instead of being pushed off into a whole new world. By choosing community college and living at home or close to home, students can experience part of the full college experience and adjust little by little. This will give them a chance to move on to a university without being completely shocked and overwhelmed. If the student chooses to move on to a career instead of further education, they can also be better adjust to being thrown out in the real world by gradually taking steps for their future.

There are some truly great advantages to choosing community college and moving on to a four year university after or moving on to a career after. Even if a student is not planning to attend a university after community college, an Associates degree will get you a lot further than a high school diploma. Don't overlook community college when making decisions for your future, consider all the advantages as well as the disadvantages and then make a choice.