Is community college a good idea?

Reasonable
Mon, 01 Dec 2014 16:26:53 +0000

I’ll speak from my experience as a domestic transfer student from Illinois who transferred to UIUC.

First, undoubtedly, if your goal is to save money, community college will save you boatloads. On a per-year basis, you save maybe $25,000 a year and I’m sure it’s even more extreme for international students as I know many of my friends here pay double for tuition. Unless you have incredible stats, it is highly unlikely that the aid you’ll receive will surmount the costs you save by attending community college.

However, looking at a more long-term perspective, I’m not sure it’s the best way to save money in the long-run. That’s because community college just doesn’t give you the same experience a four-year university does, which puts you at an extreme disadvantage your first couple semesters (half of your four-year university experience) so you have to learn a new culture, make new friends, get used to a more rigorous academic curriculum, and aggressively job hunt. I know at least 7 domestic transfer students that were not able to land junior-year internships. That means you’re either doing an extra 1-2 semesters to give yourself additional time to find the right job or you’re taking a job that’s less competitive, thus either way there’s a long-term financial impact that you have to consider.