There seems to be a common misconception amongst the college-bound that community college courses are somehow not as serious as the classes offered by their 4-year brethren.
Perhaps this has something to do with the assumed association between cost and quality, or maybe it's because community colleges offer only associate's degrees and certification programs rather than baccalaureate diplomas.
But the truth is that you'll get a relatively equal education in general coursework to what you would receive if you opted to attend a 4-year university instead.
Difference Between Community College Classes And University Classes
The major difference is that the environment at community college vs university is one of transformation. You might think of it as a sort of educational transition that eases you into the demanding world of adulthood.
In short, community college is a stepping stone that prepares you for the life changes that will occur when you reach the university level.
When you think about it, community college courses can definitely be seen as a useful and often necessary juncture between high school and university.
For one thing, most students going to community college before university continue to live at home during their time on a local campus. While they are in charge of their own schedule (and the onus is on them to maintain it), they still have the security blanket of parents and the comfort and familiarity of home to fall back on. Of course, they also have some boundaries, like a curfew, that come with living under the supervision of parents.
This allows them to begin taking on responsibilities without getting thrown into the deep end.
[For more benefits of community college, you may be interested in reading 17 Little Known Benefits of Going To Community College]
Now, lets see how this applies to the classroom...
How do community college classes prepare you for attending university?
Aside from the fact that they give you the knowledge you need to move on to your major study, community college classes differ from the high school setting in several key ways that are crucial to preparing for transfer to a university.
For starters, many do not have mandatory attendance.
In high school, failure to show up for class could result in detention, suspension, or other punishment.
In college, there is no such thing.
However, absences can count against you in other ways. You may receive a lower grade if you don't show up for class, whether because you are not available to participate or because you're missing out on important information that you'll need during exams.
At the community college level you will be responsible for showing up and you'll have no one to blame but yourself for the consequences that come with failure to appear.
If you have to learn this lesson at the university level it's going to be far more expensive.
Especially, if you go from community college to Ivy League!
Community College Classes Prepare You for the University Environment
Of course, instructors at the collegiate level also have a different set of expectations for classroom behavior. Since you are paying for your education and everyone has elected to be there (unlike high school, where attendance is mandated by law), it is expected that you will take the process seriously, showing respect to professors, to fellow students (who have also paid to be there), and to yourself.
It is a lesson you must learn by the time you get to the university level.
If you don't, you can expect to be kicked out of a lot of classes and watch your grades suffer as a result.
It doesn't take a masters degree in counseling online to know that your future is in your hands, but maturing is a process, and attending community college classes at a community college will give you a little extra time to get there before you are thrown into a situation where the stakes are much higher.
