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Community College versus University:

Attending a Community College is better than Going to University

Abstract

Transitioning from high school to a higher institution of learning is part of the requirement for the continuation of education. Choosing between attending a two-year community college or the traditional four-year university is among the big choices that students and parents will make. Both institutions of higher learning contribute to the American education system largely. Community colleges have easy access, as they are located in the neighborhood, making accessibility for higher education more accessible. This paper will discuss the history of the American community college and make a comparison with attending universities. It will also present the cons of a community college, trends in community college enrolment, and absorption into labor markets after graduation from the community colleges as well as provide recommendations based reinforcing the idea of attending these institutions.

Introduction

Modern lifestyle has caused a need to take much lesser time spent in intuitions of higher learning in preparation for future work. The emergence of community colleges has made it easier for preparing these students for such an environment because of the two-year program ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”HbPpz7f6″,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Ma and Baum)”,”plainCitation”:”(Ma and Baum)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:735,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/8AME6YWX”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/8AME6YWX”],”itemData”:{“id”:735,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Trends in Community Colleges: Enrollment, Prices, Student Debt, and Completion”,”author”:[{“family”:”Ma”,”given”:”Jennifer”},{“family”:”Baum”,”given”:”Sandy”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2016″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Ma and Baum). Community colleges started their operation earlier, especially in the western states. The reason was the reforms on democracy and women empowerment, which provided a favorable climate for their establishment and functioning. Due to diversity, it was possible to organize, control, and finance these community colleges ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”TbWU8pG2″,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Cohen and Brawer 12)”,”plainCitation”:”(Cohen and Brawer 12)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:731,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/9ULBR5RB”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/9ULBR5RB”],”itemData”:{“id”:731,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Since it was first published in 1982 The American Community College has become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Throughout this important book, Arthur M. Cohen and Florence B. Brawer describe how community colleges fit into the American educational system, the services they provide, and the effects they have on the community. This completely revised and updated edition contains information about recent changes in the community college landscape, including consolidation of faculty power, mandatory testing and placement of students, the greater prominence of developmental education, and the attention given to state-level directives regarding institutional functioning and funding. The authors also present the current information on a number of other topics, including student flow, instruction, student services, and curricular functions. In addition, The American Community College includes updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-7879-6790-1″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: tJ5znCB9G3IC”,”number-of-pages”:”536″,”publisher”:”John Wiley & Sons”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”The American Community College”,”author”:[{“family”:”Cohen”,”given”:”Arthur M.”},{“family”:”Brawer”,”given”:”Florence B.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2003″,2,3]]}},”locator”:”12″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Cohen and Brawer 12). After the Civil War, the boom in the economy and financial benevolence causes a favorable condition for supporting the program. Between the years 1960 and 1970, community colleges opened doors to more than 30% of students. Some states in Europe origin had challenges of changing technologies, child upbringing differences, and shifting to a workforce culture, which made it harder for them to embrace the community college programs. The Morril Act of 1862, after the Civil War, became the root of the growth of community college that made access to education possible by everyone. Every state was supposed to set aside land for the establishment of these colleges according to the federal laws. Their establishment as a means of bringing prestige into those communities as per their leaders ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”DY3uH8te”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Cohen and Brawer 21)”,”plainCitation”:”(Cohen and Brawer 21)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:731,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/9ULBR5RB”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/9ULBR5RB”],”itemData”:{“id”:731,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Since it was first published in 1982 The American Community College has become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Throughout this important book, Arthur M. Cohen and Florence B. Brawer describe how community colleges fit into the American educational system, the services they provide, and the effects they have on the community. This completely revised and updated edition contains information about recent changes in the community college landscape, including consolidation of faculty power, mandatory testing and placement of students, the greater prominence of developmental education, and the attention given to state-level directives regarding institutional functioning and funding. The authors also present the current information on a number of other topics, including student flow, instruction, student services, and curricular functions. In addition, The American Community College includes updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-7879-6790-1″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: tJ5znCB9G3IC”,”number-of-pages”:”536″,”publisher”:”John Wiley & Sons”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”The American Community College”,”author”:[{“family”:”Cohen”,”given”:”Arthur M.”},{“family”:”Brawer”,”given”:”Florence B.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2003″,2,3]]}},”locator”:”21″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (21). Community colleges’ policy was accepting students with a lower performance from high school. The open door made to a rapid increase in schools across the majority of the American states.

Recently, community colleges competing against the traditional four-year university are on the rise. Expansion of access to education made possible by community colleges has made significant contributions to the education system in America. They led to the demystification of getting access to a higher education post-secondary because, in the past, only a few populace in the middle class were could afford higher education through attending university ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”xdDNQn0t”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Cohen and Brawer 18)”,”plainCitation”:”(Cohen and Brawer 18)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:731,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/9ULBR5RB”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/9ULBR5RB”],”itemData”:{“id”:731,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Since it was first published in 1982 The American Community College has become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Throughout this important book, Arthur M. Cohen and Florence B. Brawer describe how community colleges fit into the American educational system, the services they provide, and the effects they have on the community. This completely revised and updated edition contains information about recent changes in the community college landscape, including consolidation of faculty power, mandatory testing and placement of students, the greater prominence of developmental education, and the attention given to state-level directives regarding institutional functioning and funding. The authors also present the current information on a number of other topics, including student flow, instruction, student services, and curricular functions. In addition, The American Community College includes updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-7879-6790-1″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: tJ5znCB9G3IC”,”number-of-pages”:”536″,”publisher”:”John Wiley & Sons”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”The American Community College”,”author”:[{“family”:”Cohen”,”given”:”Arthur M.”},{“family”:”Brawer”,”given”:”Florence B.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2003″,2,3]]}},”locator”:”18″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (18). Cohen and Brawer define community college as an institution that has received accreditation to award associate degrees in both art and science faculties. Today there are many community colleges in every American state. Access has become smooth across geographical regions, in practicality, financially and virtually.

Trends in community colleges enrolment

As a result of growth in science and technology, there was a need for more training of workers whose qualifications were receiving a form of education by attending two-year level colleges. These junior colleges, usually branches of universities, offered vocational and technical training. Highly competitive institutions of higher learning had many restrictions for admission. Therefore students who have not performed well in high school or had a scarcity of finances were advantaged to join the early community college in the United States, Joliet Junior college in 1901 ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”G8typx4r”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(PHILLIPPE and SULLIVAN)”,”plainCitation”:”(PHILLIPPE and SULLIVAN)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:739,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/279JY374″],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/279JY374″],”itemData”:{“id”:739,”type”:”article”,”title”:”National Profile ofCommunity Colleges: Trends and Statistics”,”author”:[{“family”:”PHILLIPPE”,”given”:”KENT A.”},{“family”:”SULLIVAN”,”given”:”LEILA GONZÁLEZ”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2005″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (PHILLIPPE and SULLIVAN). Students enroll in community colleges on a part-time or full-time basis. The technique of attending depends on continuity or intensity, whereby the former means semester enrolment in spring, summer, or fall, and the later means the student attends the college part-time or fulltime. However, the regular attendance of community colleges faces difficulty owing to the fact of time taken in hours to attend during fall, spring, and summer ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”tW7xYZym”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Crosta)”,”plainCitation”:”(Crosta)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:736,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/XY62SERT”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/XY62SERT”],”itemData”:{“id”:736,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Trends in Enrollment Patterns Among Community College Students”,”author”:[{“family”:”Crosta”,”given”:”Peter M.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2013″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Crosta).

The growth of community colleges early into the 20th century was slower. However, by the year 1914, the number increased to 46 public and private colleges ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”iKUYy6j3″,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Drury 4)”,”plainCitation”:”(Drury 4)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:737,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/FEEFB986″],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/FEEFB986″],”itemData”:{“id”:737,”type”:”article-journal”,”issue”:”1″,”page”:”1-6″,”title”:”Community Colleges in America: A Historical Perspective”,”volume”:”8″,”author”:[{“family”:”Drury”,”given”:”Richard L.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2003″]]}},”locator”:”4″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Drury 4). Most colleges started by offering arts courses preparing students to join universities. Along the way, debates arose discussing where to place community colleges, whether part of secondary education or high education.

Comparison between community colleges and university

Costs of tuition

Compared to a public or private four-ear university, attending a community college saves on tuition costs. This proves the biggest advantage to students when choosing where to proceed with their education after high school ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”zyJEQVTB”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Chen)”,”plainCitation”:”(Chen)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:740,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/U966TXT2″],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/U966TXT2″],”itemData”:{“id”:740,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Why More Students are Choosing Community Colleges over Traditional Four-Year Schools”,”author”:[{“family”:”Chen”,”given”:”Grace”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2018″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Chen). In a comparison of paying $3440 for a community college and up to $32,410 in universities, this cheap option makes it possible to further studies after secondary education.

Admission requirements

Admission requirements for community colleges are more lenient for some programs than in a public university. One is certain of receiving an acceptance letter to join, except in some fields such as law and nursing, engineering, and public health that are strict on the requirements. On the other hand, universities have more strict policies. These require students to complete a certain course before joining, answer the essay provided a question, and have a minimum score in tests.

Type of programs and degrees offered

Community colleges offer 2-year program associate degrees, which depend on the intensity or continuation as earlier discussed. These include certificates and diplomas preparing one on their career path that they are suitable for. They also offer programs for credit transfer to join a university of choice. Programs offered in universities lead to bachelor’s, masters, or Ph.D. programs in a period of four or more years. Besides, within universities, there are smaller faculties and colleges. An example is the College of Education or Engineering, and this means one has a variety of options to choose from.

Flexibility

According to ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”UF8fyJfY”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Josuweit)”,”plainCitation”:”(Josuweit)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:741,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/C355EDDP”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/C355EDDP”],”itemData”:{“id”:741,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Why Starting At Community College Is Better (And Why It’s Not)”,”author”:[{“family”:”Josuweit”,”given”:”Andrew”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2017″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Josuweit), he presents an argument that community colleges are flexible in terms of attending classes. The flexible schedule shown by choosing a part-time or full-time course provides opportunities for some students to work during the times they are not at school. Universities provide residential places for students as they are in school. Therefore, some may not have a chance to look for work if they wanted. Further, community colleges have a smaller class arrangement structure. Therefore, they have a better opportunity to get in touch with their lecturers or mentors in guiding them through their schoolwork.

Absorption into labor markets after community colleges

Depending on the educational background, one may find an easy absorption into the job market once they graduate from a community college. The skills and knowledge gained provide an opportunity for easier access to a job. Completing one’s program places the graduate in a better position to receive higher earnings than those without any credentials for a certificate or diploma course ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”7i3pOC0f”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Bahr et al.)”,”plainCitation”:”(Bahr et al.)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:738,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/V6A76XCD”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/V6A76XCD”],”itemData”:{“id”:738,”type”:”article”,”title”:”FROM COLLEGE TO JOBS: MAKING SENSE OF LABOR MARKET RETURNS TO HIGHER EDUCATION”,”author”:[{“family”:”Bahr”,”given”:”Peter Riley”},{“family”:”Booth”,”given”:”Kathy”},{“family”:”Kelly”,”given”:”Patrick”},{“family”:”Whitfield”,”given”:”Christina”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2014″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Bahr et al.). It is important too to note that in the current times, many employers do not put much consideration in academic performance. Rather they look at skills and competencies that qualify one to stand to handle a given task. However, students may need to further their education to earn a higher status, which will place them in places where they will earn more wages in the significant labor market. Additionally, fields such as construction industries, computer technology, public health require the associate certifications that are offered at community colleges.

Cons of community college

Some may have the impression that community colleges are only for the older populace wanting to return to school .they are also considered an extension of secondary education rather than institutions for higher learning. Students may also lack the opportunity to experience the social life on campus as many operate on a part-time enrolment basis. Social life, such as forming close bonds with friends, attending parties, are among the experiences that students may miss. Besides, they may not be inclusive of in-campus or extracurricular activities if they have families or work during their off-campus time to look at money for their tuition.

Besides, studying in universities provides ample opportunities for forming study groups, which may not be entirely possible for community college attendees. Findings indicate that study groups have an important role in preparing students for future job markets. Students can acquire interpersonal skills that are important while conducting and attending meetings.

An argument by ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”UgrPmc2O”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Denning)”,”plainCitation”:”(Denning)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:733,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/SPFFQQSL”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/SPFFQQSL”],”itemData”:{“id”:733,”type”:”article-journal”,”abstract”:”This paper examines the effects of community college tuition on college enrollment. I exploit quasi-experimental variation from discountsnfor community college tuition in Texas that were expanded over timenand across geography for identification. Community college enrollment in the first year after high school increased by 5.1 percentagenpoints for each $1,000 decrease in tuition, which implies an elasticitynof −0.29. Lower tuition also increased transfer from community colleges to universities. Marginal community college enrollees inducednto attend by reduced tuition have similar graduation rates as averagencommunity college enrollees. (JEL H75, I22, I23, I28)”,”container-title”:”American Economic Journal”,”page”:”155-188″,”title”:”College on the Cheap: Consequences of Community College Tuition Reductions†”,”author”:[{“family”:”Denning”,”given”:”Jeffrey T.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2017″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Denning) states that community colleges have a history of international students, the majority coming from families with a history of families discriminated based on race, academic achievement, and generally low-income households. Students may be viewed as financially incapable and intellectually incompetent after they decide to attend a community college. However, on many occasions, this may not be a valid argument because the majority of these students sponsor their tuition rather than relying on student loans ad aids alone.

Conclusion

Higher education in the 21st century is termed as key to success. Community colleges serve a diverse majority of students from various backgrounds, financial status, class, race, and ethnicity. They are a means of obtaining an education post-secondary as students find their niche in the career that they will best fit in the future. Therefore, just like any investment, it should reap benefits for the students, their facilitators, and institutions in general. Subsidized education should benefit the larger community because of economic improvement. Earning an education is one way out of poverty for both an individual al their households. Therefore, community colleges have brought this dream to reality because reports indicate an improved economic status in the USA. This signifies that many people are gaining opportunities in workplaces and obtaining earnings to sustain themselves and the economy. Policymakers should provide sustainable measures pointing to circumstances under which these students should enroll. To many, attaining a diploma or degree after high school is the ‘American dream.’ many have and will continue to have the opportunity to attain their dream due to a variety of these colleges.

Recommendations

The majority of students always desire to obtain a bachelor’s degree or a career program. They should not be rigid in deciding to attend a community college because, currently, an associate degree program is a requirement for many organizations. Community colleges need competent teachers and trainers to handle the students in preparation for the relevant job markets across various fields. However, advancement in technological tools and training staff has a financial pressure on managing and running these resources. Despite the challenge, policymakers should train more teachers from various departments. This will ensure that students will have a smooth experience even when they would wish to transfer to different colleges. Leaders at the forefront should work to resolve problems that arise from credit transfer requirements. Another critical measure is maintaining updated training curricula, laboratories for public health, nursing and engineering disciplines, libraries to ensure that the training will equip them with skills, competencies, and a chance for them to gain faster absorption into the competitive job market.

Works Cited

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {“uncited”:[],”omitted”:[],”custom”:[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Bahr, Peter Riley, et al. FROM COLLEGE TO JOBS: MAKING SENSE OF LABOR MARKET RETURNS TO HIGHER EDUCATION. 2014.

Chen, Grace. Why More Students Are Choosing Community Colleges over Traditional Four-Year Schools. 2018.

Cohen, Arthur M., and Florence B. Brawer. The American Community College. John Wiley & Sons, 2003.

Crosta, Peter M. Trends in Enrollment Patterns Among Community College Students. 2013.

Denning, Jeffrey T. “College on the Cheap: Consequences of Community College Tuition Reductions†.” American Economic Journal, 2017, pp. 155–88.

Drury, Richard L. Community Colleges in America: A Historical Perspective. no. 1, 2003, pp. 1–6.

Josuweit, Andrew. Why Starting At Community College Is Better (And Why It’s Not). 2017.

Ma, Jennifer, and Sandy Baum. Trends in Community Colleges: Enrollment, Prices, Student Debt, and Completion. 2016.

PHILLIPPE, KENT A., and LEILA GONZÁLEZ SULLIVAN. National Profile OfCommunity Colleges: Trends and Statistics. 2005.