Is it Smart to Attend a Community College First and Then Transfer?

This is a question that a lot of college students ask themselves. If a student didn't do so well in high school, then going to a community college first may be the only option. But if this isn't the case, then the advantages and disadvantages of each option should be carefully considered.

- Advantages

Tuition is substantially less per credit at a community college. It's so much less that if you qualify for a grant then your tuition might be paid for in full. Unlike student loans, grants don't have to be paid back.

If you didn't take the SAT in high school, many community colleges don't require the score of the test. And if you transfer enough credits from the community college to the four year school, you may not be required to take the SAT.

The teachers tend to be more accessible outside of class at a community college since the class sizes are smaller. This is very helpful if you need some individual one on one time. While faculty at a community college may take offense at this, the truth is classes tend to be easier at a community college. At my four school college, the local community college was jokingly called graduate high school. When classes include people who haven't been in school for many years or have people with a learning disability, the class tends to move at a slower pace. For example, I once had a foreign language class where we only covered a few chapters of the book because we had a person in the class with a severe learning disability.

Attending a community college also offers the benefit of living at home and commuting to school. This is a huge benefit if you don't like the idea of living on campus. Community colleges tend to offer online classes more than four year schools. However, this is changing with each passing year. If learning at home is your preference, then a community college might be the better choice.

- Disadvantages

Most students either don't or can't complete the necessary prerequisites at the community college that are required for their major at the four year school. This means that you may not graduate in a total of four years.

Community colleges typically don't provide on campus housing. Living on campus provides unlimited access to the university's resources such as the library. And the full college experience just can't be done without living on campus.

Not knowing enough teachers at the four year university due to attending a community college can be a problem. The recommendation letters from your teachers are almost as important as that bachelor's degree. But if you don't know many teachers, there may not be anyone willing to write you a letter.

When applying to graduate school, it simply doesn't look good that you weren't at the four year school for a full eight semesters. They are fully aware that the course work is easier and they may question if you'd have a bachelor's degree if you had attended that university for the entire four years.