While there are 'many' different advantages that can be associated with attending a community college, there are also some disadvantages that I would be reluctant to mention. We all like to see the positive side of things and while community colleges are good in my opinion, at least as a springboard for university learning far more than bad. However, if you're considering community college as an option whether alone for your associate's degree or plan to advance to the university level upon completion, you should look at the big picture, not just sunshine and flowers.
The first thing you should be aware of, and this primarily applies to students who are planning to transfer, is to make sure that the courses you are taking at the community college level are always available to you at that college. In which you wish to participate. Are in line with the core requirements for the University. In many cases they are similar enough to be considered compatible, but there are exceptions, and it is better to detect it sooner rather than later. If you are planning on attending a university that is located near the community college you are attending, you should check and see if they have some sort of articulation agreement that allows associate degree graduates. Allows you to move seamlessly.
Many states are stepping in and passing laws that require colleges in their specific states to accept community college credit as transfer credit in an effort to keep qualified workers in the state. Some universities are also offering distance learning programs to associate degree graduates to allow access to students who live farther from campus and have access to educational opportunities they would have been denied in the past. Of course, if you live in one of these states, a prior loss may now work in your favor.
Many community colleges do not offer housing opportunities, and most of them are still largely commuter campuses rather than residence campuses. Instead of spending money on accommodation, these colleges reserve their expenses to support academic pursuits. Community college campuses in rural areas are much more likely than larger cities to offer housing. The lack of accommodation on campus makes it a bit more difficult to participate in sports and other activities as compared to colleges which are largely residential in nature.
If you decide to make a community college your last stop when it comes to your personal educational experience, you will deprive yourself of a huge earning potential during your lifetime. For this reason, you should seriously consider the benefits that transferring to a university will bring to your educational goals.
My biggest complaint when it comes to community colleges compared to larger universities was that there are so few opportunities to take specialized classes compared to those at the university level. You may find that you must stay within the sequence of your courses at the community college level, or you risk needing an additional semester or year to complete your associate's degree requirements. Universities offer more flexibility, especially in the lower level courses that are required by all to graduate.
My other big complaint when it comes to community college is that they often have much smaller libraries than universities. This seriously limits the ability in which students have to conduct extensive research, with the except of rare cases. Universities have deeper pockets than the average community college. For this reason, they will have ******* libraries and far more bells and whistles than the average community college. Hopefully we will see this change as time goes on. Despite the disadvantages associated with community college education, I think they are heavily influenced by the benefits that the community college learning environment provides.
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