Should High School Students Attend a Two-Year Community College before Going to a University - Research Paper Example

Topic:  Should high school attend a 2 year community college then transfer to a or go straight to a 4 year university? High School students should preferably attend a two years community college rather than directly enrolling themselves for four years university programs to gain an enriched and a complete college experience. Community colleges are local institutions funded by national governments offering two years associate degrees, vocational trainings or professional certificates, even English language proficiency programs to support the students to transfer for four years Bachelors degree programs. The four years University programs however are taken after enrolling for a specialized degree in an accredited institution. These universities may or may not be privately funded; however the expenses are definitely higher than the two years community college programs. As a general perception, students who are highly competitive and belong to high income groups are directly enrolled for these four years programs and once they get done with their degrees they get highly paid corporate jobs. This is the reason why the capitalist system strongly supports the university programs as the rigorous educational environment equips the individuals to compete for the highly competitive jobs. Community College programs were initiated from the beginning of the 19th century, while the enrollment rate was considerably low at that time. The scope of these community colleges at that time was limited as the students registered for these programs were strictly enrolled to study arts and humanities subjects. The Great Depression that hit U.S in the 1930`s owed much to the enhancement in the enrollment rate of students in these community colleges. Now the scope was widened as the students were now being trained to compete for job positions to reverse the effect of the economic depression. The 1960`s saw the most drastic explosion in the cultivation of community colleges and by the 1980`s about 4.3 million American students had been enrolled in these community colleges. Talking about the new century, about 1,076 community colleges had already been produced and the number has only been increasing ever since (Kasper, 2003). This ever increasing boom in these community colleges is an effort to make college education available to all Americans, irrespective of their ethnicities or backgrounds. These community colleges also aim to support international students in their struggle to pursue quality education (Chow, 2007). Thus, community college is a convenient alternative to the University education which is too expensive to be acquired by a common man. University education has become more of a privilege as those who belong to the lower income groups have to face a lot of hardships to get into a reputed university; the state funded universities are no exception to this rule. Let us suppose for a moment here that community colleges cease to persist, and all we`re left with are university degrees. In such a case, it is crucially important to analyze the future of those 29% prospective students with an annual income lower than $20,000 who attend a community college as a pre-requisite to a four years university program. Also, 35% of the students attending community college are those who have other dependents relying on their income, in the presumed scenario the future of these prospective students would be at stake. These community colleges are aiming at making an effort to bring higher education at the doorsteps of all kinds of people. The international students have to pay an even higher amount to get enrolled for these university programs, thus if they get enrolled for a two years community college program, they can save a lot of money which they can later utilize to get admitted to universities where they can complete the rest of the two years and thus compete for the relevant market positions. Community colleges are therefore great mediums to save money and still get high quality education. Another argument in the favor of community colleges lie in the cultural aspect related to acquiring studies in these colleges. As these colleges are located in cultural settings with a wide exposure to the local cultures, a better understanding to the problems of the locals can be expected out of the students studying here (Irwin, 2007). This setting will also allow a sense of community development and will add to the philanthropic education of the individuals. The universities, on the other hand, encourage individuals to compete within their own space and perspective working for personal career development (Deresiewicz, 2008). This makes them highly competitive, but at the same time inconsiderate of the needs of the entire community. Considering this situation, a university education will definitely shatter the sense of unity and morality of the students as a nation. Though both educational settings would promote and welcome diversity, but a community setting would try to incorporate this diversity into the collective betterment of the community, while a university setting would encourage the preservation of individual culture. This will in turn be a major deterrence in the way of innovation in the globalization and collective betterment of the society. Thus, it is highly preferred for college students to go for community college education before opting for a university education to acquire a complete college experience. Also, community colleges are also preferable for students for a rich studying environment that wouldn`t be accessible elsewhere. This implies that a separate attention will be given to all the students and a healthy student teacher relationship will be developed Mc Veigh, 2007). 41% of the community college students who earn a certificate ought to acquire a university education and are higher achievers in their fields. Considering that 79% of these community college students are working full time to pay for their expenses and 35% of them are above the age of 30, which means that they are way too impoverished as compared to university going students. If despite these reservations, these students achieve their goals; this is indeed a huge milestone for these students. University education is a reflection of the survival of the best, while community colleges provide a rich career and educational counseling. This is the reason why community college is a preferable medium of education for the college students. Moreover, those who support University education as opposed to community college education are of the opinion that university graduates seek a better education because the fields offered are more diverse and specialized; also research opportunities are much higher than community colleges. This, however, doesn’t hold true, as nowadays more and more specialized programs are being offered in community colleges. According to a survey, 168,530 students are enrolled for 2 years degree programs to study liberal arts while other students are studying diverse subjects like health and medicine, Business Administration, Engineering, Protective Services, IT, Mechanics and repairs, Education, Visual and Performing arts and many other specialized disciplines (Kasper, 2003). Though research is generally not being offered in these institutions, but teachers are highly educated post graduated individuals who equip the students with the latest technological skills (Irwin 2007). On the other hand, professors teaching at universities are more engaged in doing their own researches rather than focusing on the students. Thus, conclusively university education has been commercialized and is more of a business nowadays, which is deterrence in the way of the students who want to acquire a rich college experience (Deresiewicz, 2008). Community Colleges on the other hand are less expensive, develop a sense of community in the students and equip them with all the latest skills which will support them in getting enrolled for universities. Therefore, community colleges contribute towards personality development as well, along with the career development which makes it a better option for the students. Consequently, students who are looking for a moral as well as a money-oriented education should attend a 2 years community college before entering into a 4 years university program. Works Cited Deresiewicz, William. The American Scholar. The Disadvantages of an Elite Education. Phi Beta Kappa, 2008. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. . Fact Sheet, Community Colleges: Benefits and Challenges. Rep. Achieving the Dream, Community Colleges Count, July 2006. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. . Kasper, Henry T. "The Changing Role of Community College." Occupational Outlook Quarterly. 46.4 (2003): 14-21. Print Veigh, Paul Mc. "Community College, A world of opportunities." Education USA, Connections (2007): 2-3. Print Irwin, Judith “The top ten benefits of attending a community college” Education USA, Connections. (2007): 4-5. Print Chow, Patricia “Trends in International College Enrollment” Education USA, Connections (2007): 8-9. Print Read More