Why Do Students Transfer From Community College?

College is a huge investment. The working world is full of people with college degrees, and the job marketplace is becoming scarce for those without them. A degree is the foot in the door, so to speak, for most jobs; in fact, many places will deny upper level positions without at least a Bachelor’s degree and prior experience. Students spend thousands of dollars every year on books and classes, which will help them achieve a degree in their desired field. For many, starting at community college gives incentive to pick a continuing education because it costs less than regular universities. Because most community colleges are only 2-year institutions, students can take classes there and then transfer to a university of their choosing, but only
if the institution will take their credits. Many schools have transfer agreements with each other, but the ones that do not, have various hoops for students to jump through, before delivering a verdict as to whether or not they will take the credits being offered up. For thousands of students in the United States of America, this transfer process is long and tedious - and, often, fruitless. When a college or university does not accept a student’s credits, the student has to retake the class, of course. This results in thousands more dollars spent on retaking classes, which will result in a more expensive degree than was initially intended. The logical solution to this problem is to revise current transfer agreements, or, rather, remove state-level agreements and come up with a nationally-binding agreement between institutions.
Firstly, it is important to note that transferring from community college to university - or in the reverse - has its challenges, the most pressing of which is that credits do not always transfer between institutions.
This is problematic because many students choose to go a non-traditional route, by taking lower-level credits at the community level and then transferring them to their university of choice. Due to state standards, there is almost always the possibility that credits one has taken at a previous school will not transfer to the new school, resulting in, essentially, wasted money on precious ventures. Millennials, the current generation taking up most of the population of colleges and universities all over the country, are working their way through college, working tirelessly day in and day out to pay for classes that will result in a good future. Compared to their generational predecessors, millennials are less fortunate with their pay to school debt ratio, as inflation has not been even when raising the cost of living and school prices. (Graf, Hodara,
Fink)*
Additionally, credits do not magically disappear when they cannot be transferred. They have already been paid for and are owned by the student who took them. Many students have to retake courses they have already passed, when these credits do not transfer, and more money to be spent on doing the same thing over and over again. It is preposterous! The working world is already relatively difficult to get into, with no degree to back a person up. Most jobs that do not require a degree barely pay a minimum wage and are not set up to be careers one has forever (e.g. retail, food service, etc). While millennials are considered “the most educated generation”, one must ask: At what cost? (Fry)* A degree does not necessarily mean someone will be able to make back what they owe, considering many college graduates end up working in retail and other non-specialized jobs after graduation because the job marketplace is so intense. It would be nice if there was a general consensus that, if the world is to require a degree to get a well-paying job, perhaps it should not be so hard to get the degree in the first place. While there are already procedures in place, what can be done? (Fink, D’Amico)*
Thusly, taking into account that college is such an expensive venture - that just so happens to be necessary in today’s job market - a revised transfer agreement system would be advisable. Such a transfer agreement would need to be a national standard for success, or it could be proctored by a third-party organization that primarily deals with such tasks. The proposed plan would do well to be modeled after such transfer agreements as the one currently instituted in the state of Maryland. The transfer agreement is called the University System of Maryland, and essentially what it does is allow students in any of the participating collegiate institutions to take classes at any of the other schools while still enrolled at their primary school. The plan would not replicate this, obviously. One cannot simply get into Harvard by proxy, but perhaps one could take classes at Harvard with requisites that were verified through this kind of program. Maryland’s transfer agreement is for the good of the student, and it relies on principles of consistency in education and cooperation of all involved parties. These principle elements are vital and could be borrowed from the state’s University System. Such institutions as the College Board are able to provide school standards, using the SAT, ACT, and CLEP exams, so why wouldn’t another such organization be able to do something similar with transfer credits? The plan would definitely involve further consideration and planning - and would need to not infringe upon state standards and rights - but it could be possible. The state of Texas has a standard of education for all of their public schools, meaning everyone learns the same thing. There would be no discrepancy between who is the better doctor. There would be a more equal playing field for low-income individuals, who maybe could not afford to go to more prestigious schools. Having such an agreement, it seems, would result in more degrees because anyone could afford them. (Neault, Lichtenberger, Fink, USM)*
The choice to go to college is not one to make lightly.
Such a decision can mean the difference between a life of relative ease - having a well-paying job that pays one’s bills and provides for one’s family - or a life of hardship - having a low-paying job that keeps one living paycheck to paycheck and wondering where money will come from to pay bills and other important expenses. Working for a retail establishment at the lowest level, because the lower level jobs do not require degrees, does not pay the mortgage. It does not help ends meet. Having a degree though? It is a necessity to get better-paying jobs, and those who invest in them are generally better off for them; however, the ones who are not should not be penalized for their struggles either. The job marketplace is a jungle. It is a fight for survival, and, to survive in this world, most people need to work. College is expensive. It is so expensive that the current generation in college is going deep into debt and financial hardship. Starting at community college and moving up to a university is common practice, but sometimes the credits from community do not transfer to university. Sometimes, students have to retake classes, and no transfer agreement can save them that money or that time they already spent. The logical solution to this issue is to propose an intensive revision of transfer agreements in the United States. Such an agreement would have to encompass all schools, everywhere. Every person deserves to
provide for themselves and live a life in the “pursuit of happiness”. (History.org)* Struggling every day for the rest of one’s life is probably not what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote that line. Institute an all-encompassing transfer agreement between collegiate institutions. Save a student some money. Help the future leaders of America become the leaders they are meant to be. Congressmen go to college. CEOs go to college. But they cannot go to college if they cannot afford it.