Whenever seniors in high school approach graduation day, they come across a common question from many people. This famous question is, “So what are you going to do with your life now that you are done with high school?” Most of them will tell that curious individual that they are going to college, going into the workforce, or heading to the armed forces. For those who choose college, they only have two options, a cheap, local community college or a university that costs a lot of money. The most important thing that should matter to every student is which of these learning establishments will better prepare them for the real world. Students should attend four year colleges or universities over community colleges because four year institutions provide more opportunities to prepare them for life after college
Many students have different interest and goals in the world, but finding out what they want to make their profession can be hard. This is normal for students who have not yet established what they want to major in while they were in high school. That is why community colleges and universities offer many different fields of study to their attendants. Every student gets the benefit of learning, whether they have already found out what they want to major in life or not. Four year universities, however, offer a larger variety of undergraduate major programs for incoming freshman. For example, statistics measured from the UMD website show that University of Maryland has 90 undergraduate majors made available for students. Based off information from the PGCC official website, Prince Georges’ Community College only offers 42 undergraduate majors. Students who decide to enroll in a four year university after high school will learn more and gain a lot more in terms of higher education. What they personally gain can include better social skills, better taught knowledge, and self independence. The comparison between these two learning establishments explains why new college students should invest their education in a university with four years of study. Community colleges would not be able to teach and prepare their students as much as a university would for the real life.
Students who attend a four year university gain more independence than students who attend a community college. They learn how to live on their own when the learning establishment they attend is far away from home. Universities also include dorms and residence halls for the students to reside in while they get an education. Campus environments give all students a way to interact with each other while learning at the same time. However, community colleges are local meaning that they have to live home while gaining their higher education. Most community college students have a limited time to learn and interact with their peers. Since community college students still live at home, they do not get the chance to experience full independence on their own. Something that is very rare for a community college to have is dorms and residence halls. Universities are better at showing students how to live on their own and gain a sense of independence. For example, when college students live on campus they get introduced into new things such as grocery shopping, laundry, building connections with new people, and proper time management. All of these aspects create a foundation of independence in all college students, no matter what year they are.
No school likes to be a boring one. One way that colleges try to get their students active is through clubs and organizations. Some of these clubs consist of SGA, athletics, fraternities, sororities, cultural groups, and many more. Becoming members of these various organizations can help boost an individual’s self esteem and moral. Universities with four year studies have a lot of fraternities and sororities for their students to join. Living on campus can help strengthen bonds between the people who join clubs and organizations. Community colleges also offer clubs and organizations, they just do not have as many to offer. These certain clubs might not attract all of the students that attend a community college. This causes most of them to be left out of the extracurricular activities available. A community college ranked with a very low division in sports might not include a lot of sports that most of the students would be interested in and the clubs they contain might be boring or dull. People wouldn’t be interested in getting involved with the community college activities if they only had a few with little interest. There is a greater possibility of students being more involved in school clubs and organizations if they enroll in a four year college.
Everyone might not agree with the opinion that universities are more beneficial than community colleges. In fact, Liz Addison disagrees with community colleges being less beneficial than a four year university; she writes, “They offer a network of affordable future, of accessible hope, and an option to dream”. Addison is referring to community colleges in general, stating that a good future is available for students who attend a community college. Community colleges are used to prepare their students for an even higher education. However, attending one right after high school can give students more years of higher education.
Students who do plan on attending a four year university after high school will benefit more than those students who plan on attending a community college. The future for them will be brighter in terms of better preparedness. Their major profession, individual independence, and social interaction skills will be enhanced after attending any four year university or college.
WORKS CITED
Addison, Liz. “Two years are better than four.” They Say I Say With Readings. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff. Ed. Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. New York N.Y: W.W Norton & Company, 1923. 211-14. Print.
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