Community College Disadvantages

While there are many distinct advantages that can be associated with attending a community
college there are a few disadvantages that I would be remiss in not mentioning. We all like to look
at the positive side of things and the good in my opinion of community colleges, at least as a
springboard for university learning far outweigh the bad. However, if you are considering
community college as an option whether for your associate’s degree alone or have plans to move
along to the university level upon completion you should see the big picture and not just the
sunshine and flowers.

The first thing you should be aware of, and this applies primarily to those students with plans to
transfer, is that you should always consult the college you intend to attend next in order to make
sure that the courses you are taking on the community college level are compatible with the core
requirements for the university. In many cases they are similar enough to be considered
compatible but there are exceptions and it is better to find this out sooner rather than later. If you
plan to attend a University that is located near the community college you are attending you
should check and see if they have some sort of articulation agreement that will allow associate’s
degree graduates to transfer seamlessly.

Many states are stepping in and passing laws that require colleges in their specific states to
accept community college credits as transfer credits in an effort to keep qualified workers in the
state. Some universities are even offering distance learning programs to associates degree
graduates in order to allow access to students who live a greater distance from campus to have
access to educational opportunities that would have been denied to them in the past. Of course if
you live in one of these states, a former disadvantage may now work in your favor.

Many community colleges do not offer housing opportunities and most of those that do are still
largely commuter campuses rather than residence campuses. Rather than spending funds on
housing these colleges tend to reserve their spending to assist in academic pursuits. Community
colleges in rural areas are much more likely than those in larger cities to offer housing on
campus. The lack of on-campus housing makes participation in sports and other activities a little
more difficult than colleges that are largely residential in nature.

If you decide to make a community college your last stop when it comes to your personal
educational experience you will be denying yourself a great deal of earning potential over the
course of your lifetime. For this reason you should seriously consider the benefits that transferring
to a university will present for your educational goals.

My largest complaint when it comes to community colleges when compared to larger universities
was the fact that there are such limited opportunities to take specific classes than when
compared to those classes on a university level. You will find that you must remain within your
sequence of courses on the community college level or you risk needing an extra semester or
year in order to complete the requirements for your associate’s degree. Universities tend to offer
greater flexibility, especially in lower level courses that are required by all in order to graduate.

My other major complaint when it comes to community college is the fact that they often have
much smaller libraries than universities. This seriously limits the ability that students have to do
extensive research with the exception of rare cases. Universities simply have deeper pockets than
the average community college. For this reason they will have bigger libraries and far more bells
and whistles than the average community college. Hopefully we’ll see this change over time as
well. Despite the disadvantages that can be associated with community college educations, I feel
that they are very much outweighed by the benefits that the community college learning
environment offers.