Community College Before Transferring to a University
 
by: Khrista Cendana

 
Many students think that it is cheaper and easier to go to a university straight away after high school. Do you think that’s right? No! If you look at the tuition for both community colleges and universities, you clearly see that community college is less expensive. So why go to community college? In this article, some facts for students about which college to attend first.
 
Columbus State Community College
$4,000 – $9,000 / year
http://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/ohio/columbus-state-community-college/price/
 
Ohio State University
$12,000 – $22,000 / year
https://www.ohio.edu/admissions/tuition/index.cfm
 
Reasons to attend community college first:

  1. Finish basic education first, like General Education courses
  2. Transfer basic core classes to a university
  3. Counseling
  4. Good time for deciding what to do with your career

 
Community college is generally faster, taking about two years to complete. However, there are cases in which a student may not be able to finish within the two years, for reasons such as:
 

  1. Failed classes
  2. Change of major
  3. Taking a break from attending classes

 
I took longer at my community college because I wasn’t used to taking so many classes and I was still deciding what to do. I was able to finish community college, and it was cheaper, but not within the two years’ time.  
 
At first, I didn’t want to go to community college; I wanted to go straight to a university. I really hadn’t thought of all the pros and cons of the two choices.
 
Reasons for going to a university:

  1. To prove that I could do it
  2. To meet people
  3. To go somewhere new rather than a closer college
  4. Opportunities

 
I wanted to go to the University of Phoenix because I had found an awesome program there, but it also had very expensive tuition compared to a community college. Instead I went to Riverside Community College and transferred to Cal State University San Bernardino (CSUSB).
 
My community college awarded me an associate degree; you can either get an associate of arts or associate of science. The classes I took, like math, English and reading, were transferable to the university I attended, where I didn’t need to take the core classes. The major that I wanted to do had transfer classes to go to a California State University (CSU):
 
https://www.rcc.edu/services/counseling/Documents/2017%20Fall/CSUtrn2017-2018.pdf
 
The community college should be able to tell the student if his/her classes are transferable to the university they want to attend.
 
It only took me two years to finish a major at CSUSB, and it was for a Bachelor of Science degree. Granted, the CSU colleges are public universities and have somewhat cheaper tuition than private universities:
 
https://studentloanhero.com/featured/public-vs-private-college-attend-which/
 
Community colleges may be helpful to students. I was able to decide what to do with the help of counseling and financial aid; in fact, financial aid helped me through both colleges. If I had gone to a university first, with no idea what to do, I might have wasted money. It is up to you, however, where you want to study after high school. Whether you want to go to a community college or to a university, it is your choice.
 
Helpful links to websites:
 
Columbus State Tuition & Cost
http://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/ohio/columbus-state-community-college/price/
 
Ohio UniversityTuition & Financial Aid
https://www.ohio.edu/admissions/tuition/index.cfm
 
Riverside City College Courses Transferable to California State University
https://www.rcc.edu/services/counseling/Documents/2017%20Fall/CSUtrn2017-2018.pdf
 
Should I Attend a Public or Private University?
https://studentloanhero.com/featured/public-vs-private-college-attend-which/
 
Understanding College and Post-Secondary Education Options
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-Resources/Family-and-Community-Engagement/Getting-Involved-with-your-Child-s-Learning/Ohio-Resources-for-College-and-Career-Planning/Understanding-College-and-Post-Secondary-Education
 
Six Reasons to Attend a Community College
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/highered/six-reasons-05.pdf
 
The importance of directly asking students their reasons for attending higher education
http://www.iier.org.au/iier21/kennett.pdf
 
College and Post-Secondary Options New Heights Educational Group
https://school.NewHeightsEducation.org/students/NHEG-student-resources/college-and-post-secondary-options/