Diary of A College Student

My life is not much different than the millions of other college students out there struggling right now, dealing with a pandemic, working, and doing school work, all at the same time. Not to mention the various other tasks that inhibit our bleak days.

I am a sophomore at a community college, transferring this Fall. I know there is a stigma about community college, but you honestly can't tell me that I should be spending the same amount or more for normal college right now during covid. Now I didn't plan to do my first two years of community college during a pandemic, but I guess it worked out in my favor.

In a way you could consider me one of the lucky ones, I dodged a bullet that many college students couldn't. My friend, for example, went to a Christian college, a very expensive one at that, but aren't they all, just to get the tuition raised during covid.

College: Yeah everyone is losing their jobs, seems like the perfect time to raise tuition!

In this pandemic, it almost seems like most colleges assume that you are not part of those that have been affected. Considering college students tend to be some of the poorest young adults, I think I speak for everyone when I say that they need to try and care about their students as much as they care about the money they bring in. But I guess that's too much to ask.

In between going to work, doing school work, being in a committed relationship, and so on, I don't have time to deal with raised tuition, and I know you don't either. So if you are a high school student, a senior, or possibly even a junior, I highly recommend taking the community college path, especially right now during covid.

I know the stigma community colleges have though, so I want to take this time to list out the benefits of going to one.

1. Tuition: I'll make this one brief, as I already made it pretty apparent. Tuition is a huge pro of going to community college. It is much cheaper if you go to a community college, and you can also get tons of grant money to lessen your student loans.

2. Gen. Ed. : For the first two years of college, no matter where you go, you will take general education (gen. ed.) courses. This means that depending on where you go, you could pay tons of money for the same courses you could take at a community college, which are required everywhere. Don't waste your money at a "prestigious" college, just to regret it later.

3. Transfer Admissions: Because going to a community college is not as popular as it should be, transferring into colleges is usually easier than getting in as a first-year. There isn't as much competition, and it could give you a second chance if you got rejected as a first-year student.

4. Location: Community colleges are literally everywhere. Meaning if you wanted to stay local, or go far, either way, it is going to be cheaper, especially in the case of an out-of-state school.

5. Work Load: So it's no surprise that community colleges are usually much easier than the average university. This means that you have time to get a good GPA those first few years, without worrying about a ton of work. As long as you manage yourself well, and keep up with the little bit of work you do have. This leaves time for a job so that you can save up for that more expensive college you will have to transfer to during your last couple of years.

Thanks so much for reading! If you want to hear more about the community college experience, and how transferring works, leave a like!