The Concept Of Community Colleges (Junior College)
Most communities in Canada and the United States support colleges that are
intended for the students of their community. These community colleges provide
post-secondary education and grant certificates, diplomas and associate's
degrees. For those students who are unable to join a four-year college or
university due to any reason whatsoever, a community college is an ideal
alternative. However, before taking any decision the following advantages and
disadvantages of these community colleges should be considered.
Disadvantages Of Community Colleges:
- Limited choice: There is a limited choice with regard to the courses/majors
as the community colleges are basically 2-year schools. For a wider choice of
courses and majors, community colleges are not completely suitable.
- Lack of on-campus living fun: The fun of living on-campus is missing in
community colleges, as such an option is not provided by them. You would
thus be deprived of the pleasure of sharing a dorm room and waking up just a
few minutes before school time.
- Dearth of social activity: Since there is no campus life, the social
interaction with fellow students is minimal. Moreover, there is dearth of
big sporting events and other social activities. A community college is not
the right choice if you desire to join a college with plenty of social
activities.
- Inability to transfer some credits: The biggest disadvantage is that you
might not be able to transfer some credits if you decide to transfer from a
community college to a four-year school. It is possible that you might have
to retake some of the courses that you have already completed. The
completion of your graduation could, therefore, get delayed. It is essential
that before you make the switch from a community college to a four-year
school, you should know which courses are transferable and which are not.
Advantages Of Community Colleges:
- More interaction with fellow students: The class sizes being smaller in
community colleges, there is more scope to interact with fellow students and
participate actively in group discussions as the discussion groups would be
smaller. Moreover there would be a greater opportunity for hands-on learning
which would enable you to learn more than by simply attending classroom
lectures.
- Greater scope for interaction with professors: Professors at community
colleges get greater opportunity to know their students on a one-to-one
basis and helping them out with their problems as there are fewer students
to handle. Moreover, the professors would be teaching the small school
courses rather than the teaching assistants who undertake this
responsibility in larger universities.
- A good stepping stone for entry to a four-year school: A community
college can provide you the platform to improve your grade point average and
achieve a higher score on standardized tests in case your aim is to go to a
four-year school and you have failed to meet their initial entrance
standards. You will also be able to gather a wider knowledge of specific
academic subjects and having improved your academic record you will be
better qualified to enter the four-year school.
- Less expensive: Since community colleges are not as expensive as
four-year schools and universities, you can save money by going to a
community college for the first two years. Moreover, if you are not sure
which majors to choose, you can take all core classes in the first two
years, making sure that they are transferable.
Consider where you will be more comfortable:
Having weighed all the pros and cons, you can decide whether to attend a
community college or not. However, you must consider where you will feel more
comfortable and which school will fulfill your needs to the largest extent.
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