Life At A Community College Essay, Research Paper

Life at a Community College

Through the old ages, community colleges have ever had a negative stigma attached to its name. Even today, this negative stigma is still present. However, the misconception of an undergraduate course of study from a junior college is inferior to an undergraduate course of study from a university is going widely accepted. The popular impression that people foresee in a community college is that it is chiefly a topographic point for those people who did non possess the cognition to go to a four-year university. This, nevertheless, is a large premise towards some of the pupils that attend community colleges because many people enter into a community college for many different grounds. One ground, for illustration, people attend a community college foremost is the fiscal disadvantage many people have ; hence, it seems that traveling to a community college is their lone pick. The monetary value for a general instruction in a community college is significantly lower than that of a general instruction in a university. Because of the lower costs, the possibility to have a quality instruction or trade comes into range for everyone who is financially challenged or hasn & # 8217 ; T made a calling pick. Despite the negative

misconceptions of junior colleges, they bridge the spread between high schools and universities and create chances for more of the United States population to accomplish higher instruction.

Understanding the demand to set up a college, of which, provides an chance for the United States population to accomplish a higher degree of instruction, William Rainey Harper, the first president at the University of Chicago, created the first junior college in the twelvemonth of 1892. He did this by spliting the university into two different parts ; one was called the upper division and the other called the lower division. The upper divisions were known as the? Senior Colleges? while the lower divisions as the? Academic Colleges? ( Witt et al. 14 ) . Harper wanted these two separate colleges to concentrate on the different degrees of preparation ; chiefly, the? Senior Colleges? was to concentrate more on the advanced classs while the? Academic Colleges? focused more on the less advanced classs. Harper besides envisioned that a biennial school would shortly stand on its ain ; nevertheless, it would still be affiliated with the university.

Junior colleges, besides largely known and referred today as a community college, were foremost thought approximately because pedagogues began to recognize that pupils needed more educational chances after high school. The thought of these smaller colleges came approximately because pedagogues saw that a batch of pupils were non able to travel off to a four-year college after high school and they besides saw that widening high schools for two more old ages could ne’er go on ( Brick 8 ) .

Although Harper was extremely associated with these thoughts in the creative activity of a biennial establishment, he was non the lone one involved with them. Alexis F. Lange, Dean of the School of Education at the University of California, besides wanted to promote pupils to foster their instruction. Lange realized that there were a batch of pupils that did non necessitate, nor want, to travel on to a four-year college and he felt that community colleges should concentrate more on supplying vocational readying. Therefore, he urged college decision makers to forestall the? incorrect individuals? from trying to carry through transportation demands when these classs would merely ache them alternatively of assist them. Lange proposed that community colleges should fix pupils to be active and effectual in community life. As more people became cognizant of the many benefits that a community college would offer a pupil, the creative activity of such an thought was inevitable to halt.

The first existent junior college was Lewis Institute in Chicago and was established in 1896. Since so, 100s of junior colleges have been established throughout the United States, with most of them being affiliated with a major university. This besides made it easier for pupils to reassign to upper degrees of instruction. To day of the month, there are 106 junior colleges in the province of California, of which, San Diego encompasses a good part of them ( Mesa 1 ) . These include City, Mesa, and Miramar community college. As of yet, Mesa community college is one of the most esteemed of these colleges.

The impression of set uping a San Diego community college was in 1914 when the Board of Education authorized a determination to convey the many benefits of a community

college into San Diego. In 1916, the first existent community college categories were held in the schoolrooms of San Diego High School, but subsequently moved into its ain installation. Having merely 4 module members and 35 pupils, categories were comparatively little with small benefits given to the pupils. This, of which, is apprehensible because of the fact that the category size was so little. In 1939, San Diego Community College provided college categories in the eventide ; as a consequence, this would let grownups who are unable to go to categories in the twenty-four hours to go to categories in the eventide. Leting categories in the eventide greatly increased the figure of grownups returning to college to foster their instruction. It besides greatly diversified the environmental factors in the community college. In 1964, San Diego Mesa Community College was opened to pupils and provided a 1,800 capacity bound at that clip. Five old ages subsequently, San Diego Miramar Community College was opened. Although Miramar College merely emphasized vocational instruction, it subsequently on changed their course of study to supply countries in general instruction. With these three community colleges greatly stressing course of study in general instruction, the end intended for a community college to possess was fulfilled. In 1972, San Diego community colleges became its ain territory when the electors decided that these community colleges would beneficially supply better services to the pupils if it were to go its ain territory. Bing separated from the San Diego Unified School District has changed the manner the course of study was run and besides provided new services and plans to their pupils. As seen through the old ages, community colleges have greatly increased in size, the norm

figure of go toing pupils travel up to the 1000s in size each twelvemonth, supplying better benefits in higher degrees of instruction for those who want it.

Along with the benefits of go toing a junior college, there are some negative facets associated with it every bit good. The most dramatic negative facet is the impression that junior college is inferior to four-year universities. Unfortunately, this sentiment is held by many in our society runing from journalists to pupils who attend junior colleges. By many, junior colleges are viewed as? high school with ashtrays? or? ? topographic points you went if you couldn? t get in anywhere else, couldn? T afford anyplace else or didn? T know better? ( Featherstone 87 ) . Yet for some, a junior college is a last resort for pupils who were unable to go to a university, but this does non stand for every pupil at a junior college.

This premise causes apprehensiveness and embarrassment to the pupils who attend junior colleges for grounds other than the? last resort? .

Junior colleges allow anyone to go to which gives everyone a opportunity to foster their instruction. Since anyone can go to, another premise arises. It is thought that junior college pupils are lazy or miss the cognition to go to a four-year university.

Yet junior college have become a primary span taking pupils into four-year

universities. Therefore, junior colleges are adequately fixing pupils to vie at a university degree.

The addition in tuition and competition are doing many pupils to take junior colleges over universities. Junior college offers many pupils a inexpensive option to

tantamount expensive university categories. They are non blowing their money on required categories that have small impact on their major. These pupils who are go toing junior college to finish the general instruction demands are doing wise pecuniary determinations. At any degree, junior college or university, a pupil must be serious about larning to accomplish an instruction. Thus it takes more than wise educational determinations to make a successful pupil. Yet the stigma attached to junior colleges is a impression pupils learn to accept.

Community colleges are different from other colleges and universities in many ways. The tuition fees are the most noticeable difference. Unlike universities, community colleges are lower in cost and size. The cost of go toing a university could intend paying more than $ 10,000 a twelvemonth. The fact is that many pupils desiring to go to a university are non able to afford that sum of money. Some are forced to trust on a 2nd occupation or happen some type of fiscal assistance to assist help them for the outgos. At a community college you can acquire the similar classs you would acquire at a university for a much lower monetary value. Not merely is it lower in cost but the population of pupils compared to a university is much smaller. There are a figure of pupils who are non able to take the classs they

privation due to the fact that the categories they choose are overcrowded with pupils. In community colleges, schoolrooms are non as overpopulated therefore enabling more pupils into the class.

In California, community colleges have a low cost per unit. Each pupil is required to pay $ 12.00 per unit, and typically a class is between three and five units. Twelve units per semester are considered full-time, which means a full-time community college pupil pays merely $ 144.00 for their classs. This equates to $ 288.00 per academic twelvemonth. This is significantly cheap compared with fees from other colleges and universities.

State funded schools are typically less expensive than private universities. In San Diego, both San Diego State University ( SDSU ) and University of California San Diego ( UCSD ) are province funded. SDSU charges its pupils two different rates. These rates are based on the sum of units the pupil takes in a semester. A pupil taking less than six units pay $ 618.00 per semester, whereas the pupil who takes more than six units pay $ 950.00. A full-time pupil pays $ 1900.00 per twelvemonth to go to SDSU ( Emanski 319 ) .

Subsequently, UCSD has a different payment doctrine. They believe all pupils should be full-time, hence all tuition fees are comparatively equal. UCSD bases its academic calendar on the one-fourth system instead than the semester. This means per one-fourth, pupils at UCSD spend $ 1400.00 on their classs, which amounts to $ 4200.00 per twelvemonth. Yet this is besides comparatively cheap when compared with private universities ( 329 ) .

Private universities, such as University of San Diego ( USD ) and Point Loma Nazarene, are really dearly-won. They do non have fiscal support from California therefore

their grosss are created straight from the pupil & # 8217 ; s tuition. Courses at USD are $ 510.00 per unit, which means full-time pupils pay $ 6120.00 per semester and $ 12,240.00 per

twelvemonth ( 333 ) . The tuition is practically mirrored at Point Loma Nazarene ( 316 ) . There are other cost considerations such as books, supplies and parking licenses, which have non been equated into their tuition costs. These other disbursals will further increase the cost of go toing college.

Yet cost is non the lone difference between universities and colleges. Each school offers a limited scope of grades. These grades can run from Associates grades ( A.A. , A.S. ) , to Bachelors grades ( B.A. or B.S. ) , to Masters and Ph.D & # 8217 ; s. Associate grades are offered at community colleges. This grade requires approximately two old ages of class work, compared with the four to six old ages for a unmarried mans. Unfortunately, community colleges are limited to associates grades. Yet a community college allows pupils to reassign their classs to a university where higher grades can be attained.

Universities offer unmarried mans, Masterss and Ph.D grades. It is at these universities where pupils are exposed, in deepness, to their major ( 316-333 ) .

A pupil must finish many classs to obtain their grade. Within these classs, pupils are exposed to schoolrooms, research labs and talk halls. Universities are known for holding larger category sizes than community colleges. An introductory talk & # 8217 ; s mean category size at UCSD is 300, where at a community college it is normally less than 40. Schools with smaller category sizes typically have greater success rates normally

because teachers are able to give more attending to single pupils when the category size is little. The student/teacher ratio is another factor sing the success of the pupil. At SDSU, the ratio is 21:1, whereas the ratio at a community college is closer to 13:1 ( 316-333 ) . Each of these differences contributes to stereotypes of the single schools and the pupils who attend them.

The misconception that the junior college is a topographic point for the educationally challenged, or that it offers an inferior instruction, is complete bunk. The junior college pupil will by and large happen the degree of instruction to be on par with the four-year colleges. As we have seen, the community college has become an indispensable portion of the educational system in our society by being the right measure for many different people with many different fortunes. For some pupils it provides a vehicle to passage from high school to the four-year college or university. For those people that are sing a calling alteration, the community college provides the chance to larn a new accomplishment or trade at an every sensible cost. Yet for others, it simple affords the chance to go on 1s educational ends, whenever one decides to restart his or her instruction. Education is of import in life. Had there non been a community college system, many people would non hold realized their educational ends. As research has shown, without a formal instruction, most people are less likely to tap their full gaining possible. It is of import to look at the positives that the community college system provides to communities across the state. If the people who discredit the community college system

would take a deep expression into it, they excessively would see the great carry throughing value of this establishment known as the community college.

Bibliography

Brick, Michael. Forum and Focus for the Junior College Movement. New York:

Teachers College, 1963.

Emanski, Joseph G. , ed. Four Year Colleges. New Jersey: Peterson? s, 1998.

Featherstone, Liza. ? The Half-Price Diploma. ? Rolling Stone. 797: 87-90.

Mesa College 1998-1999 Catalog. San Diego: SDCCD, 1998.

Witt, Allen A. , et Al. America? s Community Colleges: The First Century. Washington,

District of columbia: Community College, 1994.