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Garrett Judd

Professor Hellmers

English 1201

19 July 2020

Community College, the Option For Everyone

“I learned law so well, the day I graduated I sued the

college, won the case, and got my tuition back (Allen.)” Over

time, the price of university and college has gone up in the US

at an alarming rate. Alongside the climbing price, the need for a

degree to work has also gone up with time (Find College: College

Planning Step by Step Guide.) More and more people need degrees,

but are losing access to them, which is where community college

steps in. Acting as a middle ground, community college can help

students without the time or money to attend college to get

degrees and pursue the careers they want. As the stigma

surrounding community college disappears, it is becoming clear

that community colleges will have a large part to play in the

future of higher education as more and more students consider the

switch away from the traditional path through university.

Community college can help students pursue the careers they want

by offering a lower price of entry to college, flexible and

adaptable schedules, and the education students need to either

continue their education or be a productive part of the

workforce.
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One of the biggest reasons that community college has seen a

rise in popularity and use as a way to get a degree over the

years is the increase in need for a degree. In 2016, 34% of the

United States workforce was made of people who had a bachelor’s

degree, and another 30% are made up of people with an Associates

degree or some college experience (.) Even when compared to only

eight years prior, the amount of people who have some college

degree that are competing with those without degrees for jobs has

skyrocketed. With this huge rise in the need for a degree in

order to stay competitive, community college has become a system

that not only can help those just graduating high school to

transfer smoothly into college life, but also as one that can

help those already in the workforce to readapt to school.

Alongside the need to be competitive when looking for a job,

college has now become something that many high school students

feel is expected of them. With pressure from both the education

system itself and from those around them, more and more students

feel forced into college before they are ready, losing a large

amount of time and money to an unsuccessful first year. Community

college can help these types of students by acting as a

transitional period. Not only is this option better for those who

aren’t ready, or don’t want to attend college by costing much

less, but community college shares a lot of similarities with a

traditional high school, allowing for an easier transition.

With the need and expectation of students attending college

on the rise, the stigma of attending community college has

dropped as more students realize that they can gain the same

experience for a cheaper price tag. Traditionally, community

college wasn’t a path that many Americans took in order to get a

degree. Community colleges were seen as only for those who

weren’t smart enough to get into college, rather than as a tool

to help someone transition into or afford college. Over the

years, community colleges have increased in quality and standing

in the eyes of the people. Community colleges have had a

significant increase in successful graduates or students who

transfer into a four year university in the 2000s (Jephcote.)

Instead of seeing community college as something for people who

aren’t as smart as those in college, it is now seen as a smart

financial choice when obtaining a degree (Jenkins.)

Much of how universities and community college operate has

changed over the years, from thoughts on students going to

community college, to the requirement of a degree. One thing that

has increased drastically over time for the traditional four year

university compared to community colleges is price. The price of

attending a full time college has been consistently going up for

years now with no real sign of stopping (Staff, Getting Smart.)

Community college’s price point may have been something that

previously hurt it, not being significantly cheaper than college

in the past, but now because of its price stability, it has

become something that is much more affordable to the average

American household or student. Looking at the price of tuition

alone between a college like the University of Cincinnati (UC)

and a community college like Sinclair University, it is obvious

why many students have turned to community college for financial

aid. Between the year 2000 and 2020 UC’s tuition costs have

increased by about $6,000 to a total of about $11,000 for tuition

alone, where Sinclair’s tuition costs have only increased about

$400 in the same time period to a total of about $3,000 (Volume

24.)

In the past, college was still an expensive endeavor, but

the price was still within a range that allowed students to take

loans that wouldn’t cripple their future for life. In recent

years, the number of students who are a part of the group that

can really afford to go to college has lowered further and

further. This huge gap in affordability has created a space that

allows community colleges across the country to help those with

less achieve more.

The financial side is not the only thing that makes

community college accessible. An aspect of community college that

separates it from a four year college in its entirety is the

flexibility of not only the schedule a student can create for

classes, but also the pace for which they will complete their

degree plan. Having the flexibility to work around the schedule

of a student that is also working is one of the biggest appeals

of community college. This adaptability allows for people of any

age and at any point in life to work going back to school into

their lives and can allow for a more educated populace as a

whole. Community college’s adjustable schedule and format also

lends itself to those students moving from high school to college

by having the freedom of class choice that colleges offer

students, but also not having the same overbearing hour

requirements. The concept of class flexibility goes hand in hand

with the price of community college to form its identity as an

accessible, effective, and less chaotic way to go through higher

education. Most people seem to agree that community college is

accessible to most people who want to pursue a college degree.

Accessibility is something that is incredibly important for

community college as this factor is what gives community college

its place in the education system (Roohr 331.) The accessibility

is something that also can help students who are looking for long

term education, like those for doctorates or law, can start at

community college in order to stay financially stable (Jenkins.)

In the past, when considering community colleges, students

have been concerned about scrutiny of the associates degree and

their ability to be successful in the workplace vs pursuing a

bachelor’s degree. Recent tests and studies have shown time and

again that community college graduates do have success in both

the working world and their ability to transition to either a

four year plan and beyond. In the working world, it has been

shown that workers who attended community college over no further

education past high school have a better time in the workplace,

and are seen as better workers by their supervisors (Roohr.)

Those with some higher education tend to be more comfortable in

their work environment quicker and are able to sow results faster

than those without any higher education. Employers also have

expressed the idea that an associate’s degree is more competitive

than nothing, even though it isn’t a full bachelor’s degree.

For those continuing their education, there is still a huge

benefit to going to community college outside of the financial

gain. Students who move from community college into a full

university are able to adjust more easily and problems students

experience because of the change are irregular (Gauthier.) The

process of transferring from community college to a university is

seen to be less strenuous on the student than the switch from

high school to college. Students who attend community college are

also keyly not behind those who have gone through the full time

college for the entire time. Even though community college may be

seen as easier, the material learned is of the same depth and

quality that a student would receive from a university.

Although community colleges can mirror much of what a full

time college can offer, one thing that community colleges

struggle to recreate because of the ease of access and

flexibility is a campus life. A large part of attending college

is having the first chance for young adults to branch out on

their own and begin to create their own life outside of their

home. With dorms, regular in person classes, and “campus town”

colleges are able to have a space where students can not only get

their higher education, but also have time to explore the

freedoms of adulthood while still having the safety net of home.

While most community colleges don’t focus on campus life because

of their commitment to their format, there is still plenty of

room for sociability and a wider range of people to meet in

classes. Community college classes have a fairly unique

experience of not only having college age students, but also high

school students in college prep courses, and students who are

returning to college at a later age. Community college classes

that are online also can have people from all across the country
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choosing to take an extra class along the way to their degree.

Community college may not have the overarching campus life, but

it does offer a wider range of perspectives from all different

places and age groups.

Over the past 20 years, community colleges across America

have grown to fill the need of those seeking higher education. By

having the ability to stick to their low price compared to

universities, community colleges are helping Americans join the

workforce more confident and more competitive than they could

have before. As more and more people realize the value of

attending community college for even just an associate’s degree,

these colleges will continue to shape the higher education of the

future. Through their flexibility and results community colleges

continue to prove that although they were looked down on in the

past, now community college is an important option after high

school that all students should consider as a main path for

defining their future.

Works Cited

“Compare Colleges and Universities: College Planning Tools.”

Compare Colleges and Universities | College Planning

Tools. Accessed July 19, 2020.

[Link]

Evans, Colleen A., Rong Chen, and Ryan P. Hudes.

“Understanding Determinants for STEM Major Choice Among

Students Beginning Community College.” Community

College Review 48, no. 3 (2020): 227–51.

[Link]

Gauthier, Thomas. “Exploring Employer Perspectives of

Community College Career and Technical Programs.”

Career and Technical Education Research 45, no. 1

(2020): 63–76. [Link]

“Going to University Is More Important than Ever for Young

People.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper.

Accessed July 19, 2020.

[Link]

-to-university-is-more-important-than-ever-for-young-

people.

“‘I Learned Law so Well, the Day I Graduated I Sued the

College, Won the Case, and Got My Tuition Back." - Fed

Allen.” shaffer. The Shaffer Law Firm | Attorneys

Serving DC, MD, and VA, February 24, 2017.

[Link]

post/2017/04/26/%E2%80%9CI-learned-law-so-well-the-day-

I-graduated-I-sued-the-college-won-the-case-and-got-my-

tuition-back%E2%80%9D---Fed-Allen.

Jenkins, Rob. “Don't Let Prestige Bias Keep You From Applying

to Community Colleges.” Chronicle of Higher Education,

October 19, 2018.

Jephcote, Martin, and Rosalind Latiner Raby. “A Comparative

View of Colleges of Further Education (UK) and

Community Colleges (US): Maintaining Access in an Era of

Financial Constraint.” Research in Post-Compulsory

Education 17, no. 3 (2012): 349–66.

[Link]

November 30, 2017, 2017 September 13, 2017 May 9, 2017 March

2, and 2017 January 25. “Volume 24 - 2017 Archives -

Aaup:Uc.” aaup, November 30, 2017. [Link]

volume/volume-24-2017/.
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Roohr, Katrina C., and Kri Burkander. “Exploring Critical

Thinking as an Outcome for Students Enrolled in

Community Colleges.” Community College Review 48, no. 3

(2020): 330–51.

[Link]

Staff, Getting Smart.

“College Degrees More Important Than Ever.” Getting

Smart, December 24, 2016.

[Link]

more-important-than-ever/.