By Simone Stephens

It’s that time of the year and seniors all across the nation have had to make the big decision: what to do after high school, particularly which college to go to. Typically, most seniors want to go to standard four year colleges or universities. A lot of those colleges can be pretty expensive though. A lot of seniors don’t like the sound of going to a community college, but is a community college so bad? Why not start off at a community college and then go to a four year?

The idea attending a community college has been given a stigma. People assume that community colleges don’t offer the same as four year universities and that the curriculum is much more relaxed. But this is not all true. According to fastweb.com, attending community colleges offers a number of different advantages.

The site states that “attending a community college before transferring to a four year university will save you a chunky size of money.” If that isn’t enough reason to help students consider community college, think about this fact; fastweb.com gave an example that in-district students attending Muskegon Community College here in Michigan only pay $60 dollars per credit hour compared to $768 dollars per credit hour at U of M. You save a ton of money for each credit then you would at a four year university. Who doesn’t like to save money if they can?  They also point out that “many students don’t know what to major in when they graduate from high school. Two out of three students will change their major at least once during their college career. Community colleges are good places to explore fields that interest you before committing to a major.”

Not only is saving money for a lot of students a good bonus, but boosting their GPA is also a great benefit. Fastweb.com points out that “if you don’t have a high GPA after graduating high school, take some classes at a community college can help boost and improve your GPA.”  Given that community colleges have an open door policy, unlike a lot of four year colleges and universities, this is the best place to boost your GPA so you can transfer to the college you have interest in.

Considering these benefits of community colleges, many students still prefer to go to four year university as opposed to community colleges. Some like the atmosphere and the feel of living on campus and going to classes. They would argue that the bigger environment is good place to meet new friends and start new bonds. Although this is true, is it really worth the money?

Community colleges and four year university are similar when it comes to after high school destinations, but when it comes to the pros and cons the difference is substantially different. Many would automatically choose a four year university because of the name and the glamour, but to get that would cost a pretty penny. Going to community college would save you money, boost your GPA and still give you the chance to go to a four year university. So when choosing your after high school educational career, choose wisely my friends!