| When high school students are considering college | | | | dreams when they transfer, but they can take an |
| choices, it is becoming more and more common to | | | | alternate path to get there. |
| consider a community college as the starting point for | | | | An additional benefit of community colleges is that |
| their college career. Called a "2 +2" approach, the two | | | | classes are smaller and professors are much more |
| years spent in a community college prior to completion | | | | accessible to the student. This allows your student to |
| of their degree at a four-year institution can be time | | | | have more opportunities to interact with their |
| well spent. This route will save money, give students | | | | professor, get assistance as needed, and receive |
| greater access to professors, and allows students to | | | | more individualized instruction. Transitioning into college |
| focus on study habits, learning, and completion of basic | | | | this way has been a very successful route for many |
| course requirements while still making progress | | | | students. They can spend necessary time honing their |
| towards their degree. | | | | study skills and organizing their learning so that they |
| In the past, this route might have been considered less | | | | earn higher grades and perform more consistently. |
| desirable or only for adults returning to school, but | | | | Students also have access to many extracurricular |
| community colleges offer an affordable route to | | | | groups and organizations, and at smaller community |
| college for all students, regardless of age. Particularly | | | | colleges, this becomes a wonderful resource for |
| for college bound high school students though, there | | | | making connections, both with the faculty and with |
| are significant financial savings when choosing a | | | | other students. Faculty connections are a priceless |
| community college over a four-year college. Class | | | | resource to develop during this time as those |
| fees for the hourly rates are reduced, and there are | | | | recommendations and their impact can open many |
| likely not to be as many supplemental fees. For | | | | doors down the road. |
| instance, at most four-year state universities, the trend | | | | Recently, an informal poll was taken among some |
| is to require freshman to purchase a meal plan | | | | college students on Facebook. Students were asked |
| regardless of their intentions to eat at the cafeteria. | | | | what they wish they had known before attending |
| This can add several hundred dollars to the cost of | | | | college. Among the answers that came up more than |
| that school. That is before the library fees, gym fees, | | | | once is the hindsight realization that they wish they had |
| resource fees, buildings and grounds fees, etc. are | | | | considered a community college option prior to leaving |
| added into the bill. These fees are typically not a part | | | | for their four-year college. They agree that while there |
| of a community college tuition package, thus making | | | | might seem to have been a stigma attached to this |
| this option very appealing. | | | | option from high school students at the time they were |
| The National Center for Education Statistics estimates | | | | in high school, once they were in the college, this |
| that the average cost of one year of tuition, room, and | | | | stigma disappeared. The realization that they could |
| board at a public four-year school is $13,424. Compare | | | | have gotten a solid footing with fewer academic and |
| that to the same reporting agency's estimation for a | | | | social adjustments all at once has been one of the |
| two-year school of only $6,966. If your student lives at | | | | lessons that they wish they had known earlier, not to |
| home for the first year of that two-year community | | | | mention the difference in expenses that could have |
| college path, then that figure will be even lower. That | | | | been saved. |
| factor is one that is hitting college graduates hard in | | | | Taking all of this into account, high school students |
| today's economy as they graduate from college with | | | | would be wise to pursue this path to a college degree |
| significant debt related to expenses at those four-year | | | | and with adequate study skills, time to settle into a |
| schools that could have been reduced. With facts | | | | college routine at the community college level, and an |
| such as this at your disposal, considering a 2 + 2 | | | | economical place to do so, they are much more likely |
| approach is a wise consideration for your student. | | | | to be successful at a four-year school. |
| They can still look forward to the college of their | | | | |