Community Colleges vs College Universites- Compare Contrast

Community Colleges VS College Universities

When graduating high school many students are concerned with choices they have to make as to which college they would like to attend. Some may have more options than others that have to be considered as far as their lifestyle, current jobs, other responsibilities they may have, personality and their academic goals. Choosing a college can be quite difficult. You can either decide on a college university or the local community colleges in your area. Community colleges are smaller than universities. Students will find them to have fewer enrollments which mean smaller classroom sizes. They have a better chance of getting hands on learning, asking more questions and learning course material better. Community colleges have strong advising systems and the advisers know their students well. The courses are usually taught by professors unlike some universities whose courses may taught by grad students. Small colleges as these do not offer near as many courses or academic programs as universities. Tuition at community colleges are so much more cheaper than universities, you may have tuition as much as $3,500.00 to 5,500.00 at community colleges versus $30,000.00 to $50,000.00 at universities and that itself is a great deal to consider. Another great thing about attending a local community college in your area is that most people can drive back and forth from their own home. They do not have to worry about dorm cost or finding apartments to rent when going away to college universities. College Universities may be for you if you’re interested in having much more degree programs to choose from, if you’re a go getter, not afraid to speak up for yourself and take advantage of opportunities. You may also want to attend a university if you are ready to get away and adventure out from your hometown and meet a whole new diversity of thousands of people. If attending a university you can expect a much higher number of students than a community college. Universities have a wide range of majors and class courses. They tend to have better stocked libraries for all of your researching needs. A lot of students choose universities because of the more programs that are offered and they feel when graduating from a university it looks a lot better having a diploma from a university than community college when applying for a job you have majored in. They also like the fact that there are many activities and a large number of sporting events. They also have a chance to break free and are not tied down at home with their parents. Succeeding at a university requires knowing what areas or subjects you are interested in and motivated about pursuing. Class sizes can contain up to hundreds of students and with that many people in one classroom it can be very hard to keep focus, ask questions and get hands on learning like you can at community colleges. Some students love the environment and find it exciting with that many students but on the other hand others feel depressed and overwhelmed because they may not be able to ask questions and find out the exact information they need to learn. Students who attend universities can be ready to hit the books hard each week and be sure to have a lot of study time. Professors are going to expect a great deal of their students and pile a lot of work on them at one time because they are considered as top-notch schools and they want their students to be well educated and really know the material. It can be very stressful for students who work jobs while in college but they have to make money and support themselves some way or another. Even though universities require a lot of work, students still find time to participate in extracurricular activities such as student organizations or community services. Some even join fraternities and sororities. Universities are likely to have great athletic teams and have a NCAA Divisions with games that are on television. Students love to support their college by wearing school colors on game day and attending all of their games whether they are home or away. Students enjoy the tailgating and party time that comes along with the games, too! Students will either live on the college campus or just a short distance off campus. Most students who stay in dorms have roommates. Some may know their roommates and others may be complete strangers and it can be very uncomfortable for them until they learn who and what kind of person they are. You must expect to sleep in the same room as your roommate, share the bathroom and have no privacy. It’s takes a lot amount of time to get from one place to another on a college university campus because of the number of students. You can expect a rush during lunch hour and a timely wait. There will also be very long lines when trying to register for classes and buying books. It’s up to the person where they choose to attend college. Community colleges and Universities can be very similar but again it’s a whole new world especially when living on a University Campus.

Works Cited

Alexa Harrington. “Educated Nation” 28 Feb. 2012. http://www.educatednation.com/2008/05/16/community-college-vs-university “College Board” Sizing up Colleges 28 Feb 2012 http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/campus-life/37003.html Jackson, Jessica. Personal Interview 27 Feb 2012

Cited: Alexa Harrington. “Educated Nation” 28 Feb. 2012. http://www.educatednation.com/2008/05/16/community-college-vs-university “College Board” Sizing up Colleges 28 Feb 2012 http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/campus-life/37003.html Jackson, Jessica. Personal Interview 27 Feb 2012