Cartoon by Wendy Gracia
COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS AN EDUCATION AT A DISCOUNT. UNFORTUNATELY, OTHERS HAVE CHOSEN TO SEE IT AS A DISCOUNTED EDUCATION.
Community colleges have been referred to as the 13th grade because of the supposed lack of dedication as opposed to a university. It has been called a trap because some students have managed to attend them for longer than necessary and have left with nothing to show. This is only a portion of attendees. For those who take their education seriously, the experience is invaluable
Anyone looking for the Hollywood college experience is going to have a hard time finding a frat party around the Southwestern College campus and they might be the only fan covered with face paint at the football games. While there are no dorms and many students have jobs off campus which make it hard for them to socialize as much, SWC is not lacking in things to be proud of. While there are the less than great aspects such as low math passage rates, there is still an abundance of clubs on campus to participate in, a beautiful botanical garden and amazing automotive services. All of this comes at a price that does not break a students bank.
Some SWC alumni have moved on to universities such as David Mojica, Criminal Justice Major , believe the costs of tradition are overhyped. Financially independent students such as Mojica have had to take out loans to pay off the price of a four year education.
“There is no shame in starting at in a junior college,” Mojica said. “I’m seeking a degree. A college experience is really all universities have to offer. Classes are cheaper at a junior college and in the end it’s the same education.”
High costs of universities are discouraging. Cost of tuition for attending universities like San Diego State University average about 6,766 dollars per student, not including books which average an annual cost of 1,746 dollars. Even after this, it still does not include food, rent and miscellaneous expenses. Mojica is a full time student as well as a full time worker at a local restaurant who started at Southwestern in an effort to control costs as much as possible.
SDSU charges 372 dollars per unit in addition to tuition where Southwestern only charges 46 dollars. As a result of this cheaper fee, some students may find it easier to slack off because they have not invested as much. However, this same example is seen in any college system, community or university. Some people are not made for college. This extra cushion turns into students staying a lot longer than necessary, occupying their stay with nonsense classes, which results with more students claiming to have fallen victim to the community college “trap”.
When compared to a university, it is easy to see the failing side of community colleges. It falls short on some levels, but fortunately that does include price. This reduced financial pressure is what can allow students the freedom to explore their interests rather than rushing into majors. As for any negative references towards community college such as it being a trap, each student has a responsibility to figure out what classes they need to take. It is not always as simple as it sounds, but there are resources that can be used and counselors that can be asked. Even if the stereotypes do not go away, serious students must learn how to be self-sustaining, even if that means learning to ignore the influence of underachievers or avoid contagious levels of apathy in the process.
