College Resource Center
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Why Community College?
What students
need to know about community colleges
Almost 6.6 million students—46 percent of all college
students—are enrolled at a community college. But an alarming number of these
students fail to obtain a degree. Giving your students a reality check while
still in high school will increase their chances of a successful outcome. Here
are some key counseling points.
Community
college is not an extension of high school
Obvious? Not to many high school seniors heading to a
community college. A study conducted by James Rosenbaum, author of the book Beyond
College for All, found that 44 percent of such students mistakenly believe
that there is little connection between their high school work and college
success. You can't blame them: because of open admission policies, low grades
are not an obstacle to getting into a community college, which contributes to
students' misconception that high school achievement is irrelevant.
The result is predictable. High school students who view
their courses as unrelated to their future plans and who see community college
as simply an extension of high school are far more likely to drop out after a
semester or two.
Students need to recognize that community college is
college, and it requires prerequisite skills best
gained in high school. While community colleges provide higher education for
all, they nonetheless have standards that students must meet to advance
academically.
Entrance
requirements can vary
Generally, community colleges are open enrollment, which
means that any high school graduate is eligible to attend. But some programs
are selective with limited enrollment. They usually have a separate application
and specific admission requirements such as SAT® or ACT scores. Selective
programs are primarily found in these fields:
· Nursing
· Allied health
· Law enforcement
· Engineering technology
· Computer technology
Students might
have to take a placement test
Even programs that are open enrollment do not
automatically register students for college-level classes. In order to
determine if remedial coursework is necessary, most community colleges
require placement tests, such as:
· The College Board's ACCUPLACER®
· ACT's COMPASS
· State-specific tests like
· The college's own tests
The SAT or ACT may also be used for
placement purposes. At some community colleges, students who achieve certain
SAT or ACT scores may be exempt from taking placement tests in reading,
writing, or math.
If transfer to
a four-year college is the goal, course selection is crucial
According to the Community College Survey of Student
Engagement , nearly two-thirds of all students entering a community college
plan to transfer to a four-year institution. One of their biggest worries:
will the courses they take at the community college transfer to the
four-year college they plan to attend?
Most community colleges offer a transfer program designed
to steer students toward an associate degree acceptable for transfer to a
college or university with junior status.
But successful transfer ultimately depends on whether the
courses taken meet the requirements of the particular major and the particular
four-year college the student selects.
It's crucial that students understand at the outset why
some community college courses transfer and others do not. Tell your graduating
seniors to meet with their adviser at the community college before they
register for their first-semester courses.
The best
advice
Michele Brown, director of admission and enrollment
management at
That way, they will have done their best to prepare
themselves to score well on whatever assessment tests they may be required to
take, and they will be in a much better position to move forward and achieve
success in their college careers.
