Is Community College the Right Choice for you?

 At 13 or 14, it’s still very early in the game to make a  final choice about the super important decision between  community college and a four-year university. However,  there are a number of factors that you should begin  considering now to ensure that you make an informed  decision, and the one that’s right for you. When it comes  to community college versus a four-year university,  students generally opt for one over the other depending on the following three factors: grades, finances and their career/future plans.

Grades
Grades are an important factor when it comes to college admissions, and a solid, consistent grade point average (GPA) is what admissions officers look at closely when considering you to attend their four-year school. If you are very active in extracurricular activities, such as volunteering or after-school sports, you hold a part-time job, or if for any other reason you’re finding it difficult to keep a high GPA, then community college might be the right choice for you.

Community colleges are open-enrollment, which means that anyone can enroll, and your high school grades are not used to determine admission. However, keep in mind that four-year colleges still look at your high school grades when you apply as a transfer student, so don’t think that you can coast through high school just because you have community college to fall back on. It is also important to note that community college courses are college classes, after all, and they require the same amount of discipline as any other college course, so the study habits you pick up in high school are important.

Finances
If you are thinking about opting for a community college just because it is cheaper, DON’T. While it’s true that you and your parents will save thousands of dollars as you work towards your bachelor’s degree by having you attend a local, two-year school before transferring, it is also very true that there are countless scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid to help you pay your way through college.

A good suggestion is for you to sit down with your parents or a counselor, and come up with a realistic estimate for the total cost of attending the school of your dreams, and the amount of financial aid you qualify for (including loans and grants). The difference between these two amounts is what you and your family will need to finance your education. If after these calculations you and your family are absolutely certain that you cannot reasonably afford to pay for your education, then attending a junior college first might be the route for you.

Future Career
Depending on the career you wish to pursue, it oftentimes makes more sense for you to attend your local community college because these tend to specialize in specific professional programs, which makes them a great alternative option for you to obtain top quality training in professional fields such as nursing, information technology, paraprofessional careers, and more. Once you have decided what is the profession you will pursue, a little bit of research can help you make an informed decision about where to study. Log in to “ranking” websites like The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com) to find out how the schools you are considering rank in specific programs. If you are considering nursing, for example, it would be a more cost-effective choice to attend a local two-year school with an excellent nursing program (which isn’t hard to find), where you’ll receive outstanding preparation at a fraction of the cost you’d pay at a larger, more widely renowned four-year school.

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