A community college is exactly what it sounds like – a college for the community. It can help people to learn and further their educations in many different ways.
For someone who is interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree, but may not have all the necessary funding, it is a great choice. It allows many people to earn credits for university level courses while not paying university-level tuition. Some even offer bachelor’s degrees so you can remain there throughout your entire college experience. Today there are only a few that offer bachelor’s degrees, but the trend of offering four year bachelors degrees is growing quickly and becoming much more popular.
One of the many advantages offered by a community college is that they tend to focus on local students and their specific needs. In instances where students are unable to relocate to pursue university credit, they are able to attend university level classes. If there is a very specific business in the area, many times they can work with the business to develop a highly specialized training program for people from throughout the area. Many also offer programs for local high school students to allow them to earn university credit while still attending high school. This allows them to enter college with credits, which allows them to save money and to possibly use less time in pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
Although many universities have very restrictive and selective admissions policies, a community college typically will be open enrollment. For a student who did not have great grades or for a student who may not yet have completed a high diploma and pursued the General Educational Development (GED) tests or even for someone who decided to pursue further education at a relatively older age, this can be a great way to get back into the academic world. This is also helpful for students who may have been prevented from pursuing further education previously due to limited finances and are now able to pursue further education.
For student athletes who may not have been academically ready to pursue a degree from a four-year university, a community college is a great option. This allows them to continue to pursue athletics while getting academically prepared for the rigor of a four-year university. Many professional football players have pursued this option, including Aaron Rodgers who attended Butte Community College for a year before transferring to the University of California Berkeley.
In Michigan, community college options are fulfilled when attending Southwestern Michigan College. Learn about all of the opportunities at .