10 of 21

Regular

Write now Article Tools

When you finally find yourself on the verge of high school graduation, life seems like it's all starting to fall together...but it can all fall apart if you don't make the right choices when it comes to your higher education.

In my senior year of high school, all of my friends were going to go straight from high school to the community college across the street. I was dead-set on going with them and did everything that I could to talk my parents into letting me, but they would have none of it; I had the grades, the extracurriculars and I'd been accepted to several great Universities, so why in the world would they allow me to go to a Community College? After a couple weeks of fighting like cats and dogs, I finally realized this was one battle I wasn't going to win...and in the end, I'm glad that I didn't.

I went from high school to the California State University of Fresno. It was a large transition, and I'll admit that my first semester wasn't my greatest, as I was getting used to the freedoms of college in general, but I got on track eventually and graduated after 5 years, with honors, in 2002. Those friends who went to the Community College found that it was basically a continuation of high school, with all the same rules and all the same structure. Two dropped out, one actually went on to a University after 3 years and as a matter of fact, one is still going to Community College, just in another city (it's been 11 years...I don't know how he's done it...).

I guess the reasons that I believe going to a University over a Community College are both varied and highly personal. I think that if you put it in your child's head that they are going straight to a University, I think that they will end up working harder, will get in less trouble and will focus more on their education. This is what personally happened to me, or rather happened FOR me, and I'm grateful. Community Colleges are simply continuations of high school, they offer less freedom, which in turn allows children to "not grow up".

Learn more about this author, Sarah Williams.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Which is a better first step into college: Community colleges or regular universities??
We want to hear your view. Write now!