Thursday, March 25, 2010

Community College Students No Losers

Recently, a close friend and I were talking about her high-school senior's plans for college. After putting off applications for the 2010-2011 school year, she is now faced with attending community college next fall. Unfortunately she is hesitant, out of concern over being labeled a "Loser".

Having an associates degree from a community-college myself, I took exception to this. While I know she didn't mean to infer that I'm a loser, I understand her frustration, given the judgment one faces in a peer-pressure environment. There are also many other young students out there facing the same questions. So, I decided to research some facts that might help them with their decision.

Let's begin with the cost of college tuition. Anyone who listens to the news knows that costs have gone through the roof. Average tuition at a four-year public college this year is $7,020, and at private colleges it has risen to $26,270. Compare that with the average annual cost at a community college of just $2,540. You can see where this is going.(1)

Next let's talk about admission priority at four-year colleges. While I can't speak for other states, many of them do offer programs similar to those at California's UC and CSU campuses. Upper division transfer students at California community colleges have the highest admission priority of all students applying to the UC and CSU. This includes those from four-year institutions, and intercampus transfers.(2)

Let me repeat that: Upper division community college transfer students have the highest admission priority of all students. During the 2008-2009 school year, nearly 64,000 students transferred to UC and CSU combined, while 20,000 students transferred to independent colleges. In fact, over the past five years, the University of California has admitted on average, nearly 8 of every 10 California community college students who apply.(3)

So, let's talk about the prestigious UC colleges. California's UC system offers some of the most well-respected colleges in the country. These include UC Berkeley, UCSF and UCLA Medical Schools, and Hastings College of the Law. Unfortunately, with recent increases tuition at UC is expected to exceed $10,000 per year this fall.(4)

The good news is that UC is contemplating a proposal that would streamline bachelor degree programs through a combination of increased summer school offerings and reduced requirements. The goal being to graduate a portion of full-time students after three years. Do the math: by attending a community college in combination with summer school and upper division transfer, a student could potentially complete a bachelors degree at UC for approximately $15,000 in tuition costs. That's no Loser plan.(5)

In closing, I'd like to introduce you to some of the other "Losers" who've attended community colleges across the country:

James Belushi, Actor/Businessman
Rita Mae Brown, Author, Playwright
Carol Browner, (Former) Administrator EPA
Benjamin Cayetano, Governor, State of Hawaii
Francisc DeMasi, Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Normandy
David Donald, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
Carla Dove, Ornithologist, Smithsonian Institution
Maureen Dunne, Rhodes Scholar
Douglas Fields, Director of Research, NIH
Robert Gibson, Space Shuttle Commander, N.A.S.A.
Parris Glendening, Governor, State of Maryland
B. Thomas Golisano, Chairman and CEO, Paychex, Inc.
Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes, Inc.
Joyce Luther Kennard, California Supreme Court
Kweisi Mfume, President, NAACP
Harry Reid, US Senator, Nevada
Martha Simmons, President, Suntrust Bank
Shawntel Smith, Miss America 1996
Olympia J. Snowe, US Senator, Maine
Esther Tomljanovich, Minnesota Supreme Court
John Walsh, Host of "America's Most Wanted"
Allen Weiss, President, Walt Disney World Resort
Jim Wright, Former Speaker of the House
Richard Zahn, President, Shering Laboratories

So, what do you think? Want to join these Losers?(6)

Postscript: After publishing this article, I was discussing it with a friend of mine who has an extensive background in college admissions. Ron Clement is the former Director of Graduate Admissions at Mills College in Oakland, California, and former Dean of Admissions at the University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Illinois. He confirmed that nearly every state university system has preference programs for community college transfers. He went on to say that he would give young people one piece of advice: "Community Colleges certainly welcome losers, but they are not the exclusive population."

Sources:
(1) Trends in College Pricing, 2009, College Board
(2) About the California Community Colleges, CaliforniaColleges.edu
(3) Advice for California Community College Transfer Students, CaliforniaColleges.edu
(4) UC President Recommends Huge Tuition Increases, SFGate.com
(5) UC Panel Proposes Three-Year Bachelor's Degrees, Los Angeles Times
(6) Notable Alumni, American Association of Community Colleges

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