Community College Student Analysis

This article provides an insightful view into the perceived and real status of community colleges in relation to their university counterparts. Once thought of as a place merely for underachievers to attend for workforce training, Trowbridge points out these institutions now have more to offer. They provide an affordable opportunity for students to complete the same courses that are available at the university for a fraction of the cost. Noting the financial savings in comparison to the traditional university, along with the overall quality of instruction, local community colleges have become a viable alternative for those seeking a college education without the incurring unnecessary amounts of debt.

Students nowadays face many challenges when it comes to obtaining a college education. We evaluate an institution’s quality based on what we need the most. The qualities sought out may vary by each person’s personal point of view. However, as a student, I’ve found that most students seek for an institute that benefits them the most. Attending a community college has been an enormous advantage towards my education. I have been attending San Bernardino Valley College for the last two semesters. I have come to respect their philosophies and values. The institution has now been in business for 87 years. They venture to encourage both students and faculty towards high standards of achievement and progress into exceptional members of the society. They now offer a variety of degrees, transfer programs and certificates for a wide range of students. San Bernardino Valley College has an accomplished staff, student support services and technological tools that pave the road towards the conquest of a quality education.

The first determinant of one’s fate is their family’s background. Almost none of the children from low-income families made it through college. With the expenses of college today, I’m actually not surprised by that statistic. Of the children from low-income families, only 4 percent had a college degree at age 28, compared to 45 percent of the children from higher-income backgrounds. "That 's a shocking tenfold

Recently there has been a lot of debate about the importance of college education. Students are asking if it’s worth the debt to attend a four year university or community college. Some are thinking what are the benefits of a degree is in the workforce. With college tuition increasing and state fundings lowering, low income students are struggling to attain a higher education. College institutions should have a role to provide students higher education and equal opportunity to students to increase social mobility yet intergenerational reproduction of privilege has produced inequality in education.

Community college is a great institution for students to start their educational journey. Especially when they do not have the funds or lack some of the prerequisite that a university would require. Community college was created to serve the community, traditional and non-traditional students with the best higher education and lifetime learning opportunities. The faculty and staff members at a community college is there to provide leadership in education while going above and beyond to recognize the needs of the students and the community by providing excellent educational programs and support services that are available to all who have the opportunity to take advantage of them. “Student services now include recruitment and retention, counseling, student activities, student health, financial aid, academic support, career centers, transfer centers, and supplemental services such as transportation, child care, and services tailored for specific populations of students” (Cohen, Brawer, & Krisker, 2014, pg. 209). My philosophy in fulfilling the role and mission of the community college, is to establish the mission, vision, goals and values to guide all students on their journey to strive to become successful both in school and in today’s economy.

Community colleges in the United States develop rapidly and have become a vital component of the postsecondary education delivery system. As of 2011-2012 school year, 45% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in public two-year colleges, approximately 8.3 million students (Knapp et al., 2012. Cited by AACC Fast Facts). And it seems that with globalization and Obama’s education agenda, the trend of growing enrollment in community colleges won’t change. A high school graduate who decides to pursue postsecondary education may face with a dilemma--whether enroll in a community college or a traditional four-year college. Even within a community college, a student may be faced with a choice—enroll in a vocational program and enter workforce after graduation with a vocational certification, or choose an academic program with an intention of transferring to four-year institutions.

The graduation rates for community colleges are shockingly low. This is an issue that impacts Central Ohio Technical and the nation. The question is, what can be done about the costs of attending a community college in order to increase the graduation rates? An increase in the costs of tuition and fees, a significantly longer length of time that is spent in order to obtain a degree, and the inability to afford the gap in cost between financial aid and school costs, are all issues that pertain to the costs associated with attending a community college and their effects on the graduation rates of those schools. This paper will present these three issues along with a proposed solution to each one in more detail and present the best solution to this problem.

Since Obama’s announcement of his idea to provide free community college an uproar of an argument has arose with two distinct sides: community college should be free and community college should not be free. The idea behind free community college is to help individuals reach towards a college degree just as people are easily set forth to reach for a high school degree. The hope is that by deleting the financial barrier that comes with community college more people are willing to aim for an associates degree and possibly higher. There are states that have decided to take the matter into their own hands and are planning to implement this idea. However, the idea of having free community college implemented throughout all states is still questionable

In Trainor’s article, “How Community Colleges Change the Whole Idea of Education in America” he explains the influence community colleges have had on America’s post high school educational options (2015). When colleges initially began, they were elite academic communities usually only available to wealthy, upper-class, white men; due to the cost of the educational institutes (Trainor, 2015). That did not change the fact that the freshmen enrollees were forced to sit through general education subjects for the first two years of college (Trainor, 2015). Not until the students reached their junior and senior years of college would they be taught specialized education subjects (Trainor, 2015), which seemed to be such a waste of a four year Ivy

Therefore, students begin dreaming of college; where they will attend and what they will become when they grow up. Unfortunately, the absurd college and university tuition hikes have forced many prospective college bound students to shift gears on their journey to receiving a college degree. One of the modifications made to the dreams of many, is college selection. Thousands of students have opted to start their college careers at a community college. Community colleges are designed to serve as a pathway from high school to college and most offer two-year transfer or university parallel programs that prepare students wishing to earn a bachelor’s degree from a four-year institution. Community Colleges are generally more cost efficient therefore, grant access to many more students desiring a higher education. CNN Money journalist, Kim Clark reports that, “While community college tuition posted a sharp 8.7% gain, it's still a bargain: only about $3,000 a year for full-time tuition” (Clark). Clark also suggests that due to recent increases in federal grants and tax benefits, the average total aid was raised above the average tuition price of community colleges, therefore, “the typical community college student got the cost of tuition and most textbooks fully covered” (Clark). According to the College Board, “four out of 10 graduating high school students begin their college careers at community colleges” (Why Community College?). Typically, courses that are

I strongly believe that every failure is a learning experience that should be taken as a lesson to grow from. I previously attended a 4 year university that became too much for me; attending school full-time, working 35 hours per week while trying to figure out what it is that I really wanted out of this university experience. I ended up failing most of my classes, putting my health at risk drowned by the tremendous amount of stress and just wanted to completely give up. Looking for a fresh start I decided to leave my university, and attend Norwalk Community College. Though this decision created self-doubt in the beginning, it soon came to my realization that it was the best decision I ever made. Immersed in an environment full of positive people, I was able to grow from the experience.

From the politician to the student, everyone agrees that education is key in creating upward mobility, but the community colleges in California are turning out to ineffective in serving the students that need them the most. There is a huge conflict on what type of changes need to be implemented to reform the community colleges, but as with most debates and no central consensus, nothing is being done about the community colleges in California. Burecracy from the central governing body to all the way at the administration of each community colleges seem to stagnate the changes required for improving community colleges.

When it comes to continuing education either in postsecondary education or as adult learners, there are several options that students can choose from. Students can go to a public or private school. They can attend a 4 year institution or they may decide to attend a community college. Most students who attend a community college go there to obtain an associate degree, to complete some type of certification, or before they matriculate to a 4 year institution. The cost of attendance to a community college is cheaper than the attendance to a 4 year institution. Research states that African-American students’ graduation rates are less than any other group of students. Since this is an issue at 4 year institutions, I wanted to review this perception at the community college level. In this article, I will review and discuss the content of an article entitled, Calling Out the Elephant: An Examination of African American Male Achievement in Community Colleges by Edward C. Bush and Lawson Bush, V. that was published in the Journal of African American Males in Education in 2010.

In The Biggest Misconception About Today’s College Students, Gail O. Mellow discusses the struggles many community college students face: paying for living costs. Students are overworked because they must have a job—sometimes two—and still must study, attend classes, and, in many cases, take care of their family (Mellow). If students are unable to afford food, shelter, and transportation, they must focus on being able to pay for those rather than focusing on schoolwork. With their priorities shifting form academics, many students are unable to succeed in college, and many drop out. Some don’t even apply in the first place, because they feel like they can’t pay the living costs, even if they had scholarships and grants to pay for tuition. The severe lack of academic focus for these students prevents them from receiving the quality of education they deserve, because they don’t have the time for

I am currently a fourth year doctoral student within the the pharmaceutical sciences graduate program at the College of Pharmacy. I have finished the course work and passed the preliminary comprehensive exam. I have also completed an oral pre-defense for my dissertation, in which I presented the first 3 chapters (introduction, literature review, and research methodology) in front of the designated committee members.