The Upside of Attending a Community College

Getting into college can be intimidating. Community Colleges were originally created to make a college education available to all Americans. A majority of public community colleges have open admissions policy and affordable tuition costs make college accessible to people of all backgrounds. This means you don’t have to worry about getting in.

Many people believe that the only way to get into college is to get straight A's in high school, score perfect on the SAT's, and have an excess of extracurricular activities. Applying for a freshman position at any university is very competitive. With the increasing number of applicants and without an increase in spaces, the chances of getting accepted dwindle each and every year.

Applying as a transfer is usually easier than applying as a freshman. Although this is not the case for all colleges. One reason for this is that there are many high school seniors applying for only a few freshman openings. With the right study habits, you can get into prestigious universities like UC Berkeley, Cornell, and even Harvard as a transfer. Of course it won’t be easy, but it can and has been done.

Attending a community college for one or two years can be the most affordable solution to going to college. In the two years you spend at junior college, you can expect to spend between $20-$40 for a unit as opposed to upwards of $20,000 a year for private university tuition and fees.

If you are unsure about your future career goals, attending a community college can afford you the time to experiment with numerous subjects and courses without worrying about the expensive university prices. Many courses are offered at different times of the day which allow you to fit school around your schedule.