When I was in high school, the counselors often recommended that a student choose a community college as their first college choice after high school for several reasons. Two of those reasons were about getting all of the core courses done at a fraction of the price of a four year institution and the community colleges tended to be a lot more flexible toward a student who didn’t yet know what their major was.
Another good reason for going to a community college before the four year institution is that a community college tends to be tougher than high school but not as tough as the four year school, which is especially good for the
student who may need some remedial training to get some of their core courses up to university standards. It’s a good transition between high school and the university.
I graduated from Rio Hondo College in 1984 with an AA in Fine Arts. The school is located in Whittier, California. I attended for two years because I had already accumulated quite a few credits from several other community colleges and a four year private college. One of those community colleges was Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. I attended the school in the mid 1970’s. I didn’t graduate from the school.
Foothill was where I got involved with what started out as a Bible study group that morphed into a very large group of friends who did everything together. We came from different churches and different backgrounds. We organized all kinds of parties, group fellowships and just did a lot of things together outside of school and beyond our years in school.
At Rio Hondo I had friends whom I did things with, but the school was different and didn’t encourage the groups in the same way that Foothill did. We did things together, also, outside and beyond our years at Rio Hondo, but as individual friends and not as a group.
I’ve also attended four year institutions and I found more flexibility and freedom with the groups and social life outside the classroom, inside the classroom and off campus at the community college than at the four year school. The atmosphere tends to be a bit less formal at a community college.
Rio Hondo had a lot of very wonderful academic supports. The counselors were very proactive. I was given a whole battery of tests to know what my personality, strengths, weaknesses and preferences were so I could know which direction to go in. My counselor was also very helpful in dealing with unfair teachers and difficult classes. I went to her for everything. She really helped me to get through to graduation without mishap.
When I was having trouble with math I was given a wonderful tutor who walked me through my class. I passed with a decent grade.
The school also required that every student take an introductory class in how to deal with college life. Even though I’d been in several schools already, this class was helpful. It explained a lot of things that other colleges just expected that we would already know.
Since I was a Fine Art major, Art History was one of my requirements. The teacher was a very caring, enthusiastic and creative person. She had regular tutor sessions for which I became one of her tutors after my first semester with her.
Those tutor sessions helped everyone who participated, in raising their grade by at least one whole grade. They also helped me to learn more about being a successful teacher. The sessions were fun as well as helpful. Several us became friends through those sessions and we did things together, outside of class.
Some of my other academic teachers also suggested study helps or tutoring for those students who were struggling or just wanted to do better in class.
Some of us students also studied together on some of our classes. In other classes we studied alone but discussed it with each other. Some of the teachers were also willing to help us outside of regular class hours. Some of our teachers also encouraged us to help each other.
Even though Foothill was a more social school than Rio Hondo, Rio Hondo was much more proactive when it came to making sure that the student successfully completed what they began by giving them all kinds help and encouragement.
Some of our teachers also gave study sessions in class before a test. They reviewed the material that the tests and assignments covered. Some told us exactly what would be on the tests. They wanted us to succeed and they worked hard at making sure that happened.
Several of the teachers at Rio Hondo were some of the best I had ever had. The teachers in US government, Art History, sociology, English, Photography Ecology and Physical Geography were excellent teachers.
These teachers were also quick to reward us for our efforts. I was nominated for two awards and received the one that wasn’t in my major. But the one that I didn’t get, was the most amazing. My Photography teacher who wanted me nominated had already used his nomination for another student, so he got my Art History teacher
to nominate me.
The teachers made their subjects fun and easy to understand. Especially the US Government class, has helped me to not just understand a lot about how our government works but to also be able to explain it to others. These classes had very good curriculum either because the instructors chose their materials well or they assembled
their own teaching materials from their own sources. They also knew their subjects well and loved what they were doing. This helped to carry us along in their adventure.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve also attended four year institutions. Even though some of the classes and situations within some of the departments were very good, the all over environment was a lot more formal and less friendly
than the situations at either Foot Hill or Rio Hondo. The four year schools were more about the business of getting an education and getting out and going to work. Whereas the community colleges had more of an atmosphere of learning in an informal and friendly setting while working or preparing to work.
In the current day, the community college offers more degree and certificate programs where the student doesn’t need to go to the four year institution to get an education that will open doors to a job. It just depends upon what you expect out of your future and what your direction is.
Sources:
http://foothill.edu/index.php
