JUCO vs. universities

Chelsea Cover, Flashlight Contributor

If someone would have told me in ninth grade that I’d be attending a community college just 20 minutes from my house after high school – I would have looked at them like they had three heads.

Attending a four-year university after high school is just what people do, right? Wrong. Making the jump from a small-town high school to a four-year university is not all that easy, in fact, according to an article published on collegeatlas.org, 30% of college freshmen who attend four-year universities out of high school drop-out after their first semester. Based on this statistic and many more reasonings, I, as a community college graduate, will never shoot down the idea of attending a community college after high school.

Not only are community colleges cheap and affordable, but the campus sizes are also typically small, creating a smaller professor to student ratio – which proves to be very useful when adjusting to the college lifestyle, and helps generate a close-knit campus life as well. Now, I understand that being on a campus where everyone knows everyone can sometimes be a little much, but in the long run, it’s something that when it’s gone, it is missed.

Transferring to a four-year university was something that I was not at all looking forward to. When I began my sophomore year at my community college, I started taking everything in. Those that never attended a community college most likely won’t understand how attached an individual becomes to their school. When having to leave their respective schools, after just two years, with that type of attachment, it’s awful.

Choosing to go to a community college after high school was hands down the best decision I’ve made for myself. I received my degree, made some life-long friends, met some of the best professors (and some interesting ones too), and when it comes down to it, not only did my community college give me the best two years of my life, it gave me a second family that I’ll cherish forever.

Photo courtesy of mycollegeexpert.com