Making the Most of Your Community College Experience
Community college is a fantastic place to start, continue or end your higher education journey. While many articles or advertisements geared towards college students are talking about dorms and moving away, millions of us are walking the buildings of community colleges. Whether you have always pictured yourself at community college or are still getting used to the idea, consider the following as you enter a new term in a place designed to help you succeed.
Get involved. It can’t be said enough and you’ll hear it over and over again but it’s even more important to get involved when you are at a commuter campus. Why? Because it’s simply too easy not to! It will be so tempting after class to hop in your car or grab the bus home and just chill away from it all. And while that is a great perk of community colleges, it’s also what leads to a lot of students feeling disconnected and less committed. Data shows that students that spend more time on campus have higher completion rates and higher GPAs. That means, you’ll probably see an increase in your grades when you pick a club, join an activity or choose the college library as your ground zero.
Network. Community colleges are filled with pros. Many of the faculty teach part time. That means they often work full time in the career path they teach. This business teachers that work in management or HVAC instructors that own their own companies. You will likely never find the kind of informational gold mine again so soak it up. Ask questions and go to office hours. Stay after class and ask your instructor about recommendations for transfer schools, internships and other advice they might have for a promising individual like yourself.
Explore classes. These colleges offer all of the general education of 4 year colleges along with some great technical offerings. If you are thinking about getting a degree in psychology, you can take the same general education courses as you would at a 4 year college but maybe you also want to make sure culinary isn’t your true calling? Take a chef taught culinary course to see. Or maybe you just want to learn how to tune your own engine, learn a programming language or get a medical certification to help you pay for the rest of your education. It’s all possible at your local community college.
Get to know your classmates by finding a study buddy in ever class. Again, it’s so easy to hit the road the second your instructor ends class. But give yourself a challenge. In every class, pay attention to who would be a great accountability partner. Maybe it’s someone that has the same odd work hours as you or someone that also wants to study the same program at their transfer school. Go out of your way to pick people that compliment you and can offer something you just won’t find if you attend a 4 year university. Watch how those relationships enrich your life.
Use the resources. Community colleges are meant to offer every single student a chance at higher education. In order to do that, they go above and beyond when it comes to supports. They often offer all types of financial assistance, career services and mental health help. Their tutoring centers are second to none and they usually have some type of success programming. Many even offer support with food insecurity, legal assistance or placement into specialty apprenticeship programs. Don’t forget the regular college stuff like great library staff and study abroad opportunities. You can really have it all!
Community college is filled with diverse, interesting students ready to take on the world. If you have found yourself among the millions that call community colleges home, don’t take it for granted or assume it’s just a stop on the road. These places transform lives and offer top notch services along the way. Enjoy the journey and, of course, stay curious!
P.S. If you chose community college because you want more exploration before you pick a major, check out the free “Should I Change my Major” guide to start the process of clarifying your choices!
