The benefits of a community college

In my years in higher education, I have always been impressed with community college students. While in admissions, I actively recruited associate degree students from across the country. Now that I work at a community college, I have made a significant discovery: The students are great because of the education they received in their first two years.

In the past, community colleges were seen as primarily offering a financial break for the first two years. That continues to be true—in most cases, students can expect to save from $5,000 to $25,000 each year, depending on the four-year college or university they would have otherwise attended.

Community colleges also provide students with outstanding academic preparation. Most associate in science and associate in art degrees help students accumulate a variety of liberal arts courses that will satisfy general education requirements at four-year colleges. Combine that with small class sizes, faculty who take active roles in students’ learning and extensive co-curricular offerings, and the product is a well-prepared student.

I have also found a maturity level in community college students who transfer to four-year schools as juniors that is different than that of non-transfer students. The students from the two-year colleges traditionally take a full-time academic load, hold a part-time job and juggle family obligations. They have excellent time-management skills and learn to problem-solve early in their academic lives.

"During your two years at a community college, you'll have different experiential learning opportunities that students at four-year colleges may not have until junior or senior year. Study abroad, internships and independent study are opportunities that many community college students take advantage of to enrich their education experience."

Community colleges offer outstanding opportunities for students to gain high levels of academic preparation that put them on par with—and in some cases ahead of—their peers at four-year colleges.

Looking for more proof? How about the fact that four-year colleges and universities actively recruit transfer students from community colleges? Four-year colleges are seeing how prepared community college students are in the classroom, student body and campus. It seems the benefits come not only to community college students, but also to the colleges and universities that continue to challenge these students.

Jennifer Mailey is transfer coordinator/career counselor at Corning Community College in Corning, N.Y.

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