I am a community college success story.
President Barack Obama recently announced plans to make two years of community college free “for those willing to work for it.” Even though community colleges are already relatively accessible, this plan would allow more students to engage with the many resources and benefits that a community college provides.
My first year of community college was free because I was still in high school. At 17, not even graduated with a diploma, I joined the newspaper at my community college as the assistant sports editor. It all went up from there. Though the school was large, the journalism department was small, giving me the incredible opportunity to be a part of the newspaper. I went on to become the copy editor, sports editor, managing editor, and editor in chief. I also landed two incredible internships.
After three years, I graduated with two associate degrees and completed over 70 units. The community college experience was rewarding on so many levels. First and foremost was laying the groundwork for my future career by giving me hands-on experience. Second was saving money by paying $46 a unit while living at home. Third was establishing relationships. In fact, my former managing and copy editor is getting married this summer, and I’m in the wedding.
I also had the opportunity to attend multiple journalism conferences for community college students. At these conferences, I was able to hear from professionals in the field who inspired me to continue striving to make myself a better journalist. I also participated in reporting competitions with colleagues from all over the state, where I received multiple awards.
If others can have the same kind of experience I did, I think it’s worth it. The funding for the plan would be 75 percent from the federal government, and the rest from individual states. This plan would certainly increase the attendance of community colleges; however, they are already quite big. My community college had an average enrollment of 30,000.
This plan would be excellent for students, but it should be acknowledged that community colleges will have to make adjustments for a new influx of students. They will need to hire more faculty and expand both class sizes and class times. Before this plan gets put into action, students need to be guaranteed that they will actually be able to get into the classes that they need.
According to the Daily Beast, community colleges only have one guidance counselor for every 1,500-2,000 students. This raises concern because if students aren’t able to see a counselor to help them guide their way through degree programs, they may not spend their two years wisely.
I hope that this program would motivate students to get everything they can out of community college. In my experience, the first few weeks were always packed in the parking lots and the classrooms, but soon, students started dropping out. By the end of the semester, there were only a faithful few.
It was hard to keep students motivated. It was nearly impossible to persuade students to become involved in anything around campus. Community college is basically seen as an upper high school.
This is why Obama emphasized that community college should be for those who are motivated. It’s sometimes difficult to take community college seriously, but when that doesn’t happen, you tend to get stuck there for a long time. If you are given the gift of free education, the desire for excellence should come with it.