By Brooke Huling
Special to In Motion
High school students should strongly consider community college as their first step after graduating and their schools also should be encouraging them more to attend state or community colleges. There are cost benefits, as well as convenience to consider rather than opting for a university after high school graduation.
The nonprofit College Board, established in 1900, conducted a 2015 survey to see how much students spend on average at a variety of institutions. “Average” students who attend a 4-year university spend $8,000 more annually than a student attending a community or state college. Broken down to include tuition, fees, books and supplies, that figure does not include many other factors effecting individual students’ budgets. Based on the College Board’s survey, students pay twice the amount in tuition, fees and supplies at a university rather than a community/state college. The Institute for College Access and Success says the average 2014 student loan debt was $28,950.
Starting out in life up to your ears in debt is not an ideal scenario for students, especially with an American economy still recoving from the Great Recession of 2008.
Not immediately enrolling in a university gives students different options for financing their education. They can attend a community college for two years and then transfer to a larger university to finish their degree,which will save them tens of thousands of dollars or at some state schools, they can complete a bachelor’s degree before going on to their master’s or PhD. At Daytona State College there are a variety of bachelor programs specializing in education, nursing and business.
Now a common counter-argument is that students receive a better education when they attend four-year universities. But honestly it all depends on the student and their learning style. At the University of Florida and Florida State University, students sit in large lecture halls with 300-plus students versus here where you sit in a class with 20 others students. For some this may make a huge difference or it might not matter to them at all, but in huge classrooms students don’t get one-on-one interactions. They may never actually meet their professors and that may inhibit how much they learn. But then again, there is always the 2 + 2 plan — go to a community college for two years and finish your degree at a university. You’ve saved a ton of money and gotten a good education for far less money and a future guaranteed not to be burdened by student debt.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that in the 2013-2014 academic year; 46 percent of students who completed a four-year degree were enrolled at a two-year institution at some point in their previous 10 years. Attending a community/state college is not only cost effective, but it also can be beneficial to the student by encouraging them to graduate. Students most often attend a community/state college that is close to home and convenient to them, thus reducing the high stress that many face when having to leave home. Some are not ready to leave the environment they are comfortable with to begin a life completely self-dependent. State colleges are a great stepping stone for students to learn to adjust to life after high school and it can set them towards a better path for graduation in the future.
At 18 years old, students today are often expected to know what they want to do and where they want to go for the rest of their lives. That can be scary and overwhelming. They need to be given all of the information that is available so they can make smart, conscientious decisions. Students in their final year of high school should be encouraged to look into attending a community or state college based on their affordability, convenience and students’ own comfort levels.