Community college

In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a junior college, is an educational institution providing post-secondary education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and associate's degrees. The name derives from the fact that community colleges primarily accept and attract students from the local community, and are often supported by the local community through property taxes.

Advantages of Community Colleges

• Community colleges are geared toward local students and local needs. Students who could not afford campus or off-site housing at a four-year college, or for other reasons cannot relocate, can attend courses while staying in their local community. Also, community colleges can work with local businesses to develop customized training geared toward local needs, whereas a four-year institution generally focuses on state-wide and/or national needs.
• The "open enrollment" policy allows anyone to begin the goal towards future college education. The policy is highly beneficial to students with mediocre academic records in high school (or who dropped out and later obtained a GED), students "maturing" later in life who now see the benefits of college education, or students who could not attend college after high school but now have the chance to do so.
• Tuition and fees are substantially less than those of a traditional four-year public or private college or university. Students from low-income families, or those having to work to pay for their education, benefit from the reduced costs. Many colleges offer and accept scholarships or educational grants.
• Community colleges have little or no time limits on when classes must be taken or a degree must be earned (many four-year schools, tired of "professional students" taking up limited space, have imposed limits on when a degree can be earned). Students who must hold down full-time employment, and who cannot take a full-term load, are thus not under pressure to complete courses in a limited timeframe.
• Four-year colleges often give priority to students transferring from community colleges, citing their demostrated preparedness for junior and senior college-level work. Students who may not have been able to attend a particular college after high school (either for academic, financial, and/or personal reasons), may now be able to attend the college of their choice.
• Community college professors are solely dedicated to teaching, and classes are generally small, whereas a four-year college course may be taught to 300 students by a student intern, while the professor is concentrating on research. Many professors have Master's degrees and several hold doctorate degrees.
• Several community colleges have tremendously successful athletic programs, where students have gone on to play for major colleges and/or the professional ranks.