by Kathryn Hood

Created on: January 04, 2009

Deciding between whether to begin your college career at a community college or at a regular university is a complicated decision. It should be based upon several crucial questions. How high is your ACT or SAT scores (or have you taken them)? What is your maturity level and will you be able to handle college classes? What is the ratio of instructors to students? Do the community college and the university you want to attend have an agreement whereas all credits will automatically transfer (an articulation agreement)? Are both learning centers accredited? And finally, what is your financial status? If you are feeling too much pressure and cannot make a decision, then community college is the safer choice. In this case, it is better to take the path of least resistance than to mess up your academic career with low grades and poor attendance. Community colleges are more forgiving than universities.

Acceptance into a community college or university is based upon several criteria. ACT or SAT scores, high school or home-school grades, an overall GPA (grade point average), extra-curricular activities, and perhaps a letter of intent help the Admissions Officer determine if the applying student is a good candidate for admission. Placement tests may be offered to see how well a student could do within a class setting. These factors are taken into consideration when looking at potential students. Your decision on where to attend is also based on who accepts you.

Major differences between community college and university classes are; the instructor to student ratio and the difficulty of the classes. Community college classes tend to be smaller in size and a bit less stressful and intense. The instructors recognize the transition from high school to college as being a major step in a students' life, and that the maturity level may not be as high as needed for the responsibility of the classes. For example, at the college and university level no one makes sure the student is doing his/her work. It is up to the student to complete their assignments or not. No one, other than the student, is responsible for making sure the student even attends the classes. Many times students consider their adventure into the college/university setting as a time to "party" and to be free from parental restrictions. Unfortunately due to this, their grades fall. Community colleges have a slightly lower set of standards academically so this may be better for the student who is not as focused on

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