Why You Should Consider Community College

Every senior dreams of getting out of their parent’s house and becoming an independent college student thousands of miles from home. However, unless your family is extremely rich and footing the bill, or you got a full ride scholarship, going to university straight after high school may not be the smartest option.

Many students don’t fully grasp the concept of debt and end up taking out 50K in loans. Part of the reason behind this is because the lender makes the loan sound easy peasy and like it's no big deal. They tell these vulnerable students that they won’t have to start repaying the loan until they graduate (so it's out of sight and out of mind for four years), they tell them about how affordable the payments are, and they tell them the lender has loan forgiveness if the recent graduate misses a payment. What the lenders fail to tell you, and what many students fail to realize is that:

- A large or ANY amount is a big commitment; one that should not be taken lightly. Many students don't realize that a well-paying career will be available to them after graduation. Thus causing graduates to call behind on payments and completely destroy their credit score. (We will address credit and its importance at another time) -Students are also not aware at the time they take out a loan is that certain hardships may arise afterwards. What happens if you forced to drop out of college due to a family emergency or illness? What happens if you decide your current major isn't the right one for you in year two of university? If that happens,(which it happens more often than most think) then you are not only stuck paying off a huge loan, but you are now paying off a huge loan that didn't even earn you agree. If you change your major you will be stuck paying off the loan that paid for original coursework, and will probably need to borrow more money to help pay for courses related to my new major.

- Those payments that they tell you are so affordable might not be as affordable as they let on. Your parents might offer to help you out for the first year or so, but what happens afterwards when you are five years post graduation and still struggling to find a job in your area of study? You can always rely on the thought of your parents coming in to save the day. Trust me a loan payment of $700+ a month for 15 years gets old really fast.

-Many lenders do have some sort of "loan forgiveness” policy in place that allows one to avoid late fees if you are late or missing a payment. What they fail to tell you is that every payment that is missed gets reported to the credit bureaus which can hurt your credit score. If you ever want to own a home someday, it's going to be difficult getting approved by banks for a mortgage. Your credit score is one of the most important things to you as an adult, it's like a dating profile of yourself that tells potential lenders or landlords how responsible you are with money. If you ruin your score by acquiring debt that you can’t pay off, it will make future transactions of all sorts very difficult to attain.

So the point of all this is that loans are bad, and you want to keep the amount you borrow as low as possible or none at all. Going to university straight out of high school is what will get you into lots of debt.

All college students are going to have some sort of general education requirements to meet before they can acquire a bachelors degree. These requirements can vary by state but are mostly associated with courses such as English, Math, History, and Science. In fact, most students will spend their first two years of college completing specifically those types of courses and spend very little time completing coursework towards their major. That’s why it’s a great idea to spend the first two years of your college career at a community college where you can complete these courses for little to no money.

You can still have a great college experience at community college, and still get to experience campus living when you finally do transfer to a university. All students should aim to graduate from college with less than $20,000 in loans, but preferably less than $10,000.

Making the decision to go to a community college isn’t just a decision that can help you financially, but it can also help you get admitted into some of the top schools across the country. For starters, transfer students generally have a lower GPA requirement. They also are given a slight priority to incoming freshman because they have already completed a lot of required courses.

Community College is also a great option for students who aren’t entirely sure which major they want to pursue. CC gives students time to think about a potential major, as well as allows them to take classes exploring different majors for little to no cost. You can change your major several times at CC guilt free because you aren’t spending tons of money for the courses. This way you don’t feel guilty for changing your mind. Changing your mind at a university is not just difficult (you might not get accepted into that particular major as it might be full), but it is expensive with the price per unit (most courses have at least three) costing student $300+ verses the $30+ per unit at community college.

The Difference Between Schools

Some people might say that it is easy to determine the difference between all of the colleges out there, but I remember being a fragile Junior in high school without a true understanding about all the options for education after high school. This guide will help. COMMUNITY COLLEGE Community Colleges are referred to as "two-year colleges." This means that you as a student should be able to finish your program in two years with either a degree/certificate and/or completed all of the requirements needed to transfer to a University. Community Colleges are notorious for being very affordable and allowing students to work on their general education requirements (classes like english, math, and science) so that they may focus on their true major if and when they decide to transfer. We will explore the world of Community Colleges throughout this blog. PUBLIC & PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES Universities are schools that can accommodate students for every level of their education. This is why they are called "four-year universities" because it generally takes four years to accomplish a bachelors degree. Many recent graduates opt to attend these schools fresh out of high school because they are looking for the classic college experience they see in the movies. This option is usually preferred by parents and counselors but is not always the smartest option for all students. Many students are not sure what major they would like to pursue and can spend over the recommended four years at the school, changing their major many times, and costing themselves and their parents more money than necessary. Next we will describe the difference between private and public universities. PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES The colleges are ran and funded by the state they are located in. They are non-profit, basically meaning any money you contribute to the school through fees or tuition is used to keep the school running by paying teacher salary, buying equipment, building new classrooms to accommodate larger demand, and more. In the state of California, there are two types of public universities. They are the CSU's (California State Universities) and the UC's (University of California). CSU's are notoriously cheaper than UC's by about half. Yearly tuition at a CSU varies but is about $6500 compared to the $14000+ a year for UC schools. This doesn't include the room and board costs that many students will need. Admission to these type of school is generally easier than private universities but still require some level of academic achievement. Many students choose this option for its balance of affordability and quality education. PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES Private schools are owned and operated by a single person or organization such as a church. Some of them are non-profit while some are. Generally speaking though they are still trustworthy institutions that provide a quality education. Private universities come with a hefty price tag though, with some having a yearly tuition that ranges from $30,000 to $70,000 a year. Many of these schools provide government aid and school based grants to help students with the high costs. Unlike public school, private schools can be more strict in how they admit new students. They usually require more academic achievements and ties to the school (such as a parent who is alumni) than public schools. This makes private school acceptance rates extremely low. Even though private universities are pricey, they can offer a more immersive and one on one experience with many courses having an average student to teacher ratio of 12:1. TRADE SCHOOLS Trade schools have become increasingly popular over the years because of how easy it is for a student to be admitted and achieve a degree. They generally have little to no admission requirements and offer many degrees entirely online. Trade schools appeal to students because they generally do a lot of the hard work for you. They figure out what courses you need to take and when, as well as can offer hands on experience in real life job situations. One has to be careful with trade schools though because they are strictly for-profit institutions. This means that the family or organization running it will be using the money you pay, to pay themselves. It is also possible for the school to make empty promises by telling potential students that they will get hired right after graduation and that the program you choose is completely affordable. Trade schools come with a hefty price tag that is comparable to that of private universities. Trade schools also do not offer as much financial assistance as the above types of schools because they are limited to government grants, which can leave students in massive amounts of debt that they struggle to pay off after graduation. Not all trade schools are a scam. Trade schools can be a great choice for healthcare careers such as medical billing, radiology or cosmetology/hair students where hands on experience is more beneficial. However, many community colleges can certify you for those types of jobs for little to no money. They are popular programs so a waiting list might be inevitable.

Introduction

Hello Everyone, I'm a recent community college graduate who will be transferring to a four year university in the Fall of 2017. There are so many things that I wish I would have known before I graduated high school that I know would have helped me make better decisions about my education. I also felt really lost as a young adult that eventually did decide to go back to school after a long hiatus, but many times I was very confused as to where I should start. I didn't understand the difference between schools, what classes to take, and what major I should choose. I was also concerned about the costs since I was independent from a very young age. I'm making this guide for people in all stages of life that want to get an education. This will help you make smart decisions about your education and ensure you accomplish your goals in a timely manner. Just remember that academic requirements vary by state and can change by each catalog year. The information provided in this blog with be based off the educational system of Orange County in California.