Community College Doesn't Suck After All!

Freshman year of high school me was constantly looking at schools to go away to. It ranged from North Carolina to South Jersey. They were all universities or colleges. I never even looked at my county’s community college until the beginning of my senior year. That was the time I realized that no school would accept me because I had stopped trying. I didn’t even bother applying to the schools I dreamed of going to because I would have been wasting my time. It sounds silly but looking back, I don’t have a single regret. Not only am I saving a crap ton of money, I attend the best community college in New Jersey.

Let me rewind a little bit to my first day as a freshman again. Day one of college. I was terrified, way overdressed, and totally lost in direction. Thankfully, I did not walk into the wrong classroom thank goodness. I knew absolutely no one in any of my classes and I felt so alone. Some of my friends were there, sure, but none of them had any of my classes. By the time the next week rolled around, I had told myself I was going to make one friend in every class. Luckily, I met a girl in my first class who was in another one of my classes. She quickly became one of my best friends and we are basically the same person. We met so many people as our other class together was theater (and if you know theater, you know they are extremely friendly). Making friends came pretty easy with her because she was very open when I was shy to start (which was only a few minutes). We formed a little group and by the next semester it had quadrupled in size. No joke.

My classes without her were my classes for my major (education with a focus in history). Luckily for me, future teachers are similar to theater kids. Very open. I struck gold I swear. I met many people in the first couple weeks and even more as the semester went on. I matched schedules with a few people so I would have at least one class with them. I even met a few older ladies who seriously inspired me to keep going as they were coming back for a degree. (Go them!)

I am now in my second semester of college and am still meeting friends and making more best friends as I go! I was even able to apply for the Disney College Program which would have been difficult if I had attended a four year (with my major). Every day I meet someone inspirational and I am constantly reminded of how I would have never met any of them if I had not gone to a place I had once dreaded.

Community college does not make you weak. It does not make you stupid. It does not make you less. It saves you money and gives you one heck of an experience.