<p>Forty years ago, if a student went to community college in my state, it was seen as a sign that, ‘You couldn’t get into a ‘real’ college’ – implying that four-year programs were the only ones worthy of our attention. My pals and I would laugh at the thought of attending a community college. As someone who now teaches at a two-year school, I wish I had started at one myself back then. Yes, the irony of it. I would be on a different professional track, and would have gotten a very high-quality education in the field I originally wanted. Community colleges often have smaller classes, great tutoring assistance, and as several people have posted, good developmental/ ESOL programming. The teachers are just as educated and dedicated as what one can find in four-year schools, and the students who attend my school transfer to programs all around the country. The only drawback is that our system is totally commuter-based. There are no dorms, so that piece of a ‘freshman’ experience can be missing for someone who wants to live away from home. A lot of our students do live in apartments near campus, but just as many live at home. Also, while we have lots of clubs and organizations, we don’t have sororities/frats. Thus, there are aspects of it that are different at times from a four-year college experience. Two-year schools can be more affordable, have technical majors that other colleges don’t, and can get people into good careers at a fraction of the cost/time of a four-year college/ university. That’s my two cents.</p>