Why community college?

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 370.

Importance to students. One of the most attractive features of many community colleges is their wide range of technical trainingprograms. Less than a third of the community college graduates continue their studies for bachelor's degrees. Special occupational programs allow students to take only those courses that interest them or that qualify them for better jobs.

Many community colleges have an "open-door" admissions policy. This policy allows students who might not qualify for admission to other colleges to continue their education.

Community colleges are often called "commuter colleges." Students within commuting distance may live at home and work at part-time jobs while they attend classes. Many community colleges have set up special programs for students who work during the day. The students may have classes until 10 or 11 p.m., or later. Evening classes are so popular that some community colleges have a larger number of evening students than they do day students. Some community colleges have established "weekend colleges" so that students can earn associate's degrees by attending classes on the weekends.

The cost of attending most community colleges is relatively low. Tuition and fees at these colleges average about $1,300 a year for residents.

Importance to community. Many community colleges try to provide educational programs that will benefit local business, industry, and government. They may conduct surveys to determine what types of trained personnel the community needs most. They may also ask community leaders to help plan courses of study. For example, colleges located in resort areas may offer courses in restaurant and hotel management, and colleges in rural areas may emphasize agricultural training. Some community colleges in large cities have developed special social and educational programs for disadvantaged minority groups. Many community colleges emphasize programs for older adults, including job retraining and cultural development.

In many states, high school graduates who want to go to college enroll first in community colleges. Florida and some other states have established upper-division universities, which have classes for juniors and seniors. These universities are especially designed for community college graduates, though not limited to them.