4 Year Community College Pros And Cons

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When students are in high school, is the end, they are finally free after 13 years of schooling, but for many people graduating from high school is just the beginning. After graduating from high school, students are faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to continue on with their education. And if they do decide to continue on with their education, what form of education will they choose. There are a variety of different options open to students each accompanied by their own pros and cons. These options include; no school, 4-year university, or 2-year community college.
The option that is rarely seen as a viable one for people, is not continuing on with their education at all. Many people view this as someone accepting the fact …show more content…

The common idea of college comes in the form of the 4-year university. Going to a university, students are exposed to the “traditional” college experience, which is a unique experience that many people wish to have. The experience isn’t the only thing that draws people to this option, the more common reason that draws people to a 4-year university is the potential to make more money than a non-college graduate, and according to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2014 the average income of a young adult who worked full-time with a bachelor 's degree made approximately $49,900 a year, which is 66 percent higher than young adults with only high school credentials, who only make approximately $30,000 a year. Attending post-secondary school also has been proven, according to the population reference bureau, to improve a person 's overall health, “ For example, remaining life expectancy at age 25… is about a decade shorter for people who do not have a high school degree compared with those who have completed college.” (Hummer). So, attending a postsecondary school not only improves your income, but it can affect you physically also. Even though 4-year university seems like a clear path to a bachelor’s degree and a large profit potential, the downside can easily outweigh the …show more content…

In comparison to a 4-year university a 2-year community college is much more affordable option. Even if a student ultimately transfers to a university, those first two years at a community college can still save a student ten-of-thousands, and some cases hundreds-of-thousands, of dollars, “In 2011-2012, after accounting for grant aid from all sources, net tuition and fees… at public two-year public colleges was effectively zero for students from the two lowest income quartiles.”(Jenkins). Along with saving students money overall, community colleges allow students to work while going to school, so it gives students the pros of both not going to college, and going to college. The one downside of community college is the lack of degree options, but there is still a large selection of degrees that can be acquired at community college, just not as many as a 4-year university. When comparing all three of these options, the community college option seems like the only option where the pros heavily outweigh the cons while with the other options, the cons can easily overpower the

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