Why Going to Community College Was the Best Decision I’ve Made
During my last semester as a senior in high school, I was devastated that I would not be attending any of my preferred colleges the following academic year. I had been rejected from schools like San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach, and didn’t even bother applying to UCLA because I knew I didn’t stand a chance of getting in. I decided to settle for Cal State San Marcos for two main reasons: it was far enough away from home that I could live on campus, and it was close to the beach (one of my absolute favorite places). Although it was not on the top of my list, I had been accepted and felt more willing to attend after visiting and enjoying the feel of the campus. By the time of my graduation in June, however, I had backtracked and decided not to attend any four-year university.
Attending a university straight out of high school had become daunting to me. I had struggled to excel in my AP courses, nearly failed trigonometry my final semester, and ended up graduating with an unimpressive GPA. In addition to this, I was a first-generation college student from a working class family. I lacked the financial and educational resources that would have significantly aided me in succeeding at a four-year university. The cost of tuition, room & board, and other educational expenses, as well as the fear of going into debt, ultimately proved decisive and deterred me from going to my anticipated university.
“I didn’t immediately realize it, but after a few short months I found that I was getting just as good of an education as I likely would have received at a state university.”
Not once did I consider attending community college prior to my final weeks of high school. At the time, I believed that community colleges were inferior compared to four-year universities and that only subpar students attended these types of schools. Even if I was an average performing high school student, I had passed two AP exams, was involved in leadership positions in ASB, and became president of my school’s Interact club. I had become susceptible to the stigma surrounding community colleges that I had seen in the media and heard about in social and academic circles. I personally believed that I was better than the students who decided on that route, even though I would eventually meet some of the most brilliant and talented individuals at these same institutions.
Shortly after graduation, I registered as a student at Riverside City College (RCC) where I started classes in the fall. I didn’t immediately realize it, but after a few short months I found that I was getting just as good of an education as I likely would have received at a state university. My professors were not just professors at RCC, but also professors and scholars at four-year universities throughout the region. They were teaching me the same material they taught at universities, except I was receiving it at a fraction of the cost. I also had greater access to more individualized attention from my professors that I would later yearn for once I transferred. Most of my courses, besides a small handful, had no more than thirty students enrolled per class. In the Honors Program, which I decided to join right into my first semester, the number of enrolled students per class never exceeded anything over twenty.
Upon enrollment, I assumed that community college courses would be easy, but I soon discovered the opposite. Although course difficulty varied by subject and professor, there were plenty of courses for which I had to commit numerous hours to adequately complete assignments and study for exams. My honors courses in particular were challenging, and it was primarily because of these courses that I was able to successfully develop my reading, writing, and research skills that would later assist me in successfully transitioning to a four-year university.
“I also met some incredibly talented, intelligent, and genuine individuals at this school…”
Beyond the classroom, attending RCC also provided me with the opportunity to become a part of a community that I learned to love and appreciate. Although most students chose to simply go to class and leave soon after lecture was over, I decided that I wanted more out of my college experience. During my three years at community college, I was extensively involved in extracurriculars, most notably student government where I served as a student senator, student body president, and in my final semester, as Student Trustee Pro-Tempore of Riverside Community College District. I also worked as a Supplemental Instruction Tutor for five semesters where I was able to help other students excel in their courses. These experiences not only provided me with immense personal and professional growth, but also taught me to love and appreciate my community college and all that it had to offer me. I also met some incredibly talented, intelligent, and genuine individuals at this school, including not just faculty and staff, but also students that had decided to attend RCC for a variety of personal reasons, some of those reasons being similar to my own.
In high school, it is often easy to want the same things your peers are striving for, and to listen to counselors and teachers that encourage students to go straight to a university without ever bringing up the local community college as an option. Universities also have a practice of touting perks to entice students to apply and commit to their schools. 26:1 faculty to student ratios, excellent professors and staff, and generous financial aid are just some to name. Although these benefits may be real, they similarly exist at your local community college where talented professors are more accessible, classes are smaller, and the cost of tuition is relatively low, often even zero, compared to universities. If I didn’t consider all of the educational paths available to me, I may have missed out on knowing this and taking advantage of all that my community college had to offer to me. To date, attending community college was one of the best personal, professional, and financial decisions I could have made for myself, and I feel incredibly grateful for all of the growth it provided me.
