How do community colleges work? They are an essential component of the higher education system, allowing students to get a second chance academically while increasing accessibility to higher education. Also known as junior colleges or county colleges, community colleges work because they are funded a combination of local government funds, state government funds and tuition paid by students. Since community colleges do receive significant funding from local and state government, tuition is much cheaper than the average college credit price.
At community colleges, students have the opportunity to earn an associates degree and transfer to 4-year colleges. An associates degree is a two year degree that is recognized in the working world and can get you started in a career after only 2 years. Or, if you're interested in furthering your education, you can transfer from community college to university. Students who do well can transfer to Ivy League and Tier 1 universities.
How Community Colleges Bridge The Gap
Without community colleges, there would be a wide gap in the higher education system. Students who did not do well in high school would have a tough time getting accepted into colleges and rebuilding their academic record. By going to community college first, these students have a second chance to do all their homework assignments, study hard for exams and achieve academic excellence.
Like wise, instead of being able to start up at a local community college and transfer to Ivy League universities, adults who want to go back to school would have to attend a 4 year college straight away. This would be much more difficult for the returning student who may want to earn a bachelors degree. As a result, the accessibility to quality education would be much more difficult without community colleges there to "bridge the gap."
How Does Community College Work To Save You Money?
There is an additional benefit of transferring from community college, huge savings. When you transfer credits from community college to a university, you're credits are accepted as equivalent credits at your transfer university. That means if you paid only $100 per credit in community college and your new school costs $500 per credit, you've saved yourself $400 per credit!
In many cases, doing your homework and taking exams at community college first can save you over $80,000 in just two years. That's $80,000 that you don't have to pay towards your bachelors degree. You can use that money to be put towards something else like a graduate degree or a down payment on a new house. At the minimum, you'll be saving yourself from taking on student loans and future debt (that will start building up quickly 6 months after graduation).
The Key Is Transferring From Community College
While many community colleges in the US have fantastic career opportunities, the majority of community colleges work as stepping stones for students transferring to 4-year-colleges and universities. If you're ready to keep up with your classes, without online homework help and ace your exams, you'll be able to take advantage of everything community colleges does have to offer you. Who knows, you might end up transferring to Harvard or Yale!
This post is partly contributed by www.homework-desk.com, a website offering resources related to, but not limited to, homework help, tips and insights.
