"That place made me what I am today."
-Tom Hanks
Did you know that Tom Hanks went to a community college? I had no idea until I saw his article about his experience at Chabot College. I remember how encouraged I was the first time I read his article. A famous actor had written positively about community college! I was pleasantly surprised, but I wasn't encouraged simply because he is an actor. I honestly have no desire to enter into the same career field as Tom Hanks, nor do I wish to be as famous as he is. The reason I am encouraged is because someone with a wider sphere of influence was speaking about community college in a positive way. He was proud to say that he attended a community college. He was proud of how it helped shape him into who he is today.
Before I begin writing about transferring to a large public university, I would like to take the time to write about how much my community college experience has helped me become the person that I am today. Like Tom Hanks, my community college experience helped me become who I am today.
Unfortunately, there tends to be an incredibly negative stigma towards community colleges. I can't tell you how many times someone has belittled community colleges and spoken of them as incredibly inferior. These learning institutions are often stigmatized in pop-culture and spoken of negatively by students at larger institutions. There are many students that are embarrassed to say that they are attending classes at a community college. I however, am truly proud of that portion of my journey.
I had the opportunity to attend a truly wonderful community college. I learned from passionate faculty members, encountered incredibly invested staff members, and grew through the leadership programs that the campus had developed. I had the opportunity to complete foundation classes, build friendships, and even start a creative writing club on campus. Do I believe that community colleges are perfect? Absolutely not! All education institutions have opportunities to improve. However, I am proud to say that I am a community college alumni.
I believe that every size college and university has an important role in our society. Whether it is a private institution, public state school, or small community college, they are all incredibly valuable for education as well as developing a more skilled workforce. However, today I would like to discuss the top five ways that community college helped me become the person that I am today.
1. It helped me transition from GED testing to college courses. I arrived at my community college shortly after completing my GED testing. I was overwhelmed by the thought of beginning college level courses and unsure if I was truly ready. The campus' testing center and advising and counseling department helped me transition into college courses. I was able to take the developmental math that I needed while also taking college level speech, English, and history courses. They accepted me exactly where I was and encouraged my potential.
2. The community college I attended was affordable. To be honest, attending a larger school was not financially feasible when I began my courses. The low tuition costs, financial aid, and the vast amount of free resources on campus helped me graduate with my Associate of Arts and absolutely no debt.
3. The class sizes were small and the faculty was invested. At my community college I was able to experience smaller class sizes than many university freshmen and sophomore classes which gave me the chance to truly get to know my instructors. They were available to answer questions and, overall, each of my instructors took the time to get to know each of their students. I never felt lost in a sea of hundreds of students. A specific example of this would be my government courses. My government professor was passionate and dedicated to sharing information with her students. She always had additional resources for students that were interested in learning more about specific subjects. I remember stopping by her office hours and the files of articles, books and documentary recommendations she had accessible for students. It was never just about testing material, she truly invested in student learning and wanted to help us explore government and politics.
4. It gave me the opportunity to complete a technical degree, work on my basics, complete an Associate of Arts/Science, or even a combination of each. When I first began community college I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I was interested in their library technician program, but I felt unsure. Students who attend community colleges can begin to explore what they want to do. I met many individuals that completed technical certificates and entered into the workforce with greater skills than they had previously had. I personally completed the library technician certificate prior to finishing my full two year degree. Whether students complete technical programs or continue on to complete a higher degree at a larger university, community colleges give students the opportunity to learn and also to improve their job opportunities.
5. Diversity! Because community colleges are often accessible to a wider range of students they tend to be very diverse colleges. At my community college I had the opportunity to interact with students of diverse races, ethnicity, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, religions, sexual orientations, beliefs, intellectual perspectives, and the list goes on. In any given class I often met classmates from the age of 16-60, international students, and first generation college students. The diversity I experienced at the community college level truly helped me grow as an individual. I had the opportunity to learn about other cultures and process my own beliefs through exposure to so much diversity. I am truly thankful for this aspect of my community college experience.
I realize that these five points are not completely exclusive to community colleges, but they are five aspects of my community college experience that helped shape me into the person I am today. As I begin the next academic adventure at a large public university this fall, I am thankful for the foundation that I built during my time at my local community college.
Simply,
Sarah
P.S. Tom Hanks, if, on the rare chance, you ever read this, thank you. Thank you for writing about your community college experience. It was incredibly encouraging to me during my final months at community college and continues to be an encouragement now that I am an alumni.
