By: Hyeonjoo Min
Montgazette Staff Writer
There’s a certain
prestige surrounding the
fact if you study away at a
university, than say, your
local college. However,
don’t let the little things
cloud your judgment when
making one of the most
important decisions of
your life.
When you are thinking
about post-secondary
education, you have to
make sure that you know
differences between
community college and
university. A university
offers students a broad
range of opportunities
and provides security.
Whereas community
colleges offer specifically
targeted programs, which
can be done quickly and
are less expensive.
Finance does come into
play when you are deciding
where to go to college.
According to the College
Board, in-state tuition, fees
and room and board at a
public four-year college
now average $15,213 per
year and at private schools,
the bills not counting any
aid, runs around $35,636
per year.
Elizabeth Doelp, a
business major student
here at Montgomery
County Community
College, and who also
previously went to West
Chester University, said,
“When I went to West
Chester, the tuition was a
lot more expensive than
Montco, but the classes at
West Chester were larger.
Sometimes there were 150
students who were in one
class. But West Chester
also had a better quality of
education programs.”
This goes to say that
even with this unrealistic
amount of money for
young adults to afford,
there are people who
still are eager to go to
universities instead of
community colleges. A
university degree comes
attached with a measure
of security such as more
possibility of achieving
your career goals. One of
the most immediate values
you will realize from your
degree will result from
the fact that a quality
education leads to quality
employment.
Elizabeth Doelp also
said, “When I decided to
change my major, I came
to Montco because I
wanted to start over from
the beginning instead of
spending a lot of money
at West Chester again.
I’m planning to transfer to
another four year college for
better opportunities for my
future career after finishing
the program here.”
While college-educated
people do stand a better
chance of landing a job
than those who don’t go
to secondary school, the
time it takes to pay back
the money laid out for a
degree is growing, causing
many controversies and
the arguments about the
efficacy of attending college.
A bachelor’s degree
is no guarantee of career
success or upward mobility.
Many tend to depend on
the field of study and think
bachelor’s degrees is the
only way for your life.
However, degrees in health
care, computer science or
engineering may offer far
better prospects than those
in the humanities. The
New York Times noted that
“employers are begging
for qualified applicants for
certain occupations, even
in hard times.”
Michelle Carr,
currently working for the
health insurance company
Cigna, also said, “Most
hospitals require bachelor’s
degrees and won’t even
hire you without one. It is
crucial in health care other
than experience. In order
to get better status in their
field, they are required from
their employees to hold a
bachelor’s degree or higher
education. And that’s why
I’m also back in college for
bachelor’s degree. I know
now that there are more
companies now that focus
on performance based
salary than one’s level of
education even in a nursing
field,” Carr said.
Most of the jobs take years
of experience, The New
York Times noted. But
some jobs in high demand,
such as those in welding,
don’t require four years of
college.
Similarly, Rebekah
Doelp, a student majoring in
Art in Montgomery County
Community College, said,
“… not everyone needs
a better degree for their
majors. It always depends
on what career you are
going into, how far you want
to go into the said career
and on how the students
feels, themselves.”
Don’t hesitate too
much when you are
deciding where you want
to take a step into. Think
about what you want your
college experience to be
like, and choose the college
or university that meets
your expectations.
The Montgazette 