Community College Perception Community College Perception Community colleges serve more than half of American undergraduate students within the local communities by developing their capabilities to succeed in higher education. They also provide educational opportunities to most of the nontraditional students such as adults who were studying and working at the same time to take specific courses to enable them get ahead in life. The quality of instructions offered in community colleges is substandard compared to that of universities.
Nevertheless, it is highly productive since there is a very vibrant classroom participation as students get direct interaction with professors. The faculty to student ratio is very low and therefore the classrooms are so small that students are able to get the attention of the professors for any challenge they encounter as well as feedback (Staley, 2011). This helps in boosting their knowledge and skills to get gainful employment as well as form a sound foundation for those endeavoring to attend university.
The purpose of community colleges is to prepare students before they join college as well as empowering working adults to take part time specific courses while working. Although most community colleges have unique missions, the primary concept is based on their commitment to offer lifelong education, teaching, community service, and service to all society segments through fair treatment of the students. The breadth and relevance of program offered in community colleges is lower than that offered in universities since most of the students enrolled are credit students who need to boost their grades in order to be eligible for undergraduate courses.
As such, the scope of their course lie between the high school and college level. Nevertheless, their program are highly relevant as they are sufficient in equipping local students with meaningful skills to handle employment. After my high school graduation, I enrolled for a certificate course in a community college for two years while awaiting to get admission to the university, since it would increase my chances of getting admission. I preferred the community college as it was low-cost compared to other colleges and the learning environment was very rewarding and fulfilling since I got to interact directly with the professors due to the small sizes of the classroom and the students were relatively few.
ReferencesStaley, C. (2011). FOCUS on Community College Success. New York: Cengage Learning.
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