College is a time for growth mentally as well as socially. It is very important that College is an option for young people after high school, as many fall by the wayside. The reality is that we do not know all of the answers, and that we are not those perfect people that our parents may see. Our generation, generation X is overstimulated, over-indulgent, overeating, and just over-the-top. Many kids are not graduating school on time, which made President Bush institute the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. The Act puts pressure on individual schools for overall academic achievement, and makes sure that there are well-educated teachers in the classroom as well as updated textbooks among other things.The program put an emphasis on introducing more charter schools to urban children. Some kids do not have a 4-year plan. Some of the stigma of getting an College education is associated with a large institution, big grants and funding, and athletic programs that produce pro athletes. It definitely is a let down when kids are told that their favorite school is a “reach” school. Community College was established to give kids a new canvas, and allow them to save money on loans they may have had to struggle to repay.
Many 4-year Colleges accept the credits that two-year schools have and allow you to transfer your credits. Community College has been a second-chance for many kids especially for those that may have screwed up in High School or never did all that well on S.A.T.’s. There are many Community Colleges that kids graduate from and then go on to 4-year institutions. Community College is also good for kids who may be deemed as not “College-ready” or even “College-material”. Not to mention that College on average can cost 40,000 a year which most families cannot afford. For some it gives a new lease on life, and gives them an opportunity to pay back more reasonable loans. Jolie Rohde who was featured in The Chronicle Of Higher Education finished Tulsa Community College in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She worked in construction and was on her own at a very young age. She went back to school after dropping out and transferred to the University of Tulsa.
Sandy Jimenez is a College Advisor for ERDA ( East River Development Alliance) for low- income families in N.Y.C. and helps kids like Ms.Rohde to make tough decisions like going to College that would otherwise never be an option for them.
“I think that community college policy and it’s affect on kids helps them in a really good way, and it is extremely valuable. I think that there is some stigma like it isn’t that good or that you aren’t that smart when you are going to a Community College. Most of them have good advisors, and they really work hard, to assist your needs if you would like to transfer”.
A lot of miniorites are putting themselves on 2-year plans and transferring to 4-year institutions and that number is increasing based on a 2001 study by John Tsapogas for the National Science Foundation Dept. Human Resources Statistics Program. Tsapogas formed a questionnaire and asked graduates (of 4-year schools) if they ever had taken courses at a Community Colleges and many said they had. During a span of 10 years from 1990 to 2000 full- and part-time enrollments increased from 5.2 to 5.9 million. This was also accompanied with an increase of 65 percent for minorities.
Of the group that answered the questionnaire, 74 percent said they attended Community College to earn credits towards a bachelors degree. The collective savings on attending 2-year schools before 4-year schools can be vast depending on scholarships, and grants from the federal government and the state.
“Financially, it makes a lot of sense, and many students find that it is easier to take the required courses because it is cheaper ” replied my principal Ron Tabano of John V. Lindsay Charter School when I asked him why some kids choose to transfer out of two-year schools and what the benefits of going to Community Colleges are. “It also gives them time to decide what they want to major in. For some students their grades aren’t that high enough to apply for a 4-year school. The key to selecting a 2-year school is you have to make sure it is a 2-year school 4-year schools accept credits from.”
There are also some 2-year schools upstate as well as across the nation that feature dormatories for students who may not be locals. Many foreign-exchange students start in Community Colleges sometimes to work on their English before persuing studies elsewhere. Some of the facilities are very nice, and defies what some may think of as a traditional Community College which are outdated, and undermanned.
There are schools such as Sullivan County Community College that houses 320 students on-campus, and Onondaga Community College in Syracuse that features new living quarters that houses 500 students. I asked my guidance counselor Patricia Wong who attended a 2-year school herself before transfering, what she thought of Community College.
“The good thing about Community College is especially those in the CUNY system is that students who need to improve on developmental skills would be able to receive assistance on writing, reading, and math, a 4-year school wouldn’t help you in those areas. Any school you go to you have to take a placement exam. If they find your regents scores are low, they will tell you you have to go to a 2-year school and that’s not always bad.”
The school system has long been blamed on failing kids especially in urban environments among minorities. Hopefully the number of kids going to College will increase no matter how they get there. Education can truly be a life-saver.
W.E.B. DuBois a scholar, and Civil Rights Leader once said “Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men”.
The educational system is designed for every race, and every person for the same reason, which is to develop your mind and enjoy a career path for which you have worked hard for, my mother calls it “sweat-equity”. The path in which you get there should not effect the person you become, and Community College is just another way of getting there, and beyond.