College Decisions

December is just around the corner, and many people are furiously filling out college applications. Some of these people are high school seniors while others are adults who have decided to go back to school. Yet, regardless of their current situation, all of these college-students-to-be are often confused about which schools they should apply. Most of the time, potential students need to decide whether a community college or four-year university is more suited to their particular needs. For many students, this is the most important decision in their lives thus far. Therefore, students must learn the differences between community colleges and four-year universities in order to make the best decision based on their individual needs.

Community colleges offer low cost, convenience, and small class sizes, but they tend to offer less career advancement post graduation. First of all, tuition at community colleges is considerably less than tuition at four-year universities. In fact, for the cost of taking one class at a university, a student can take an average of three classes at a community college. Furthermore, community colleges usually offer more convenient course offerings. Because community colleges have a high percentage of working students, they offer classes during a variety of times including mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends and via distance learning. This allows most students to fit their education into their own unique schedules. In addition, community colleges generally have smaller class sizes than universities. Because the classes tend to have twenty to thirty students per class, professors usually know each student by name and students do not feel like just a number in the classroom. However, because most community colleges are geared toward preparing their students for entry into the workforce, courses tend to be more applied in nature and geared to the needs in the local community.

The opposite is true of four-year universities. They tend to be more expensive, located further away from home, and have larger class sizes, but they have greater career potential post graduation. Although four-year universities are expensive, they offer more resources to their students. Four-year universities often have more extensive computer and library resources, more up-to-date equipment, an array of academic choices, and more opportunities for research. Although most community colleges have relatively small class sizes, introductory classes at four-year universities often consist of hundreds of people packed in auditoriums. However, most professors offer office hours to explain concepts introduced