Community colleges aren’t 4-year schools’ poor relations

WASHINGTON — Repeat after me: My child is not a failure if he or she has to start out at a community college.

And then I need to you stop saying, “Community college is like the 13th grade” — meaning it’s a continuation of high school. This expression is derogatory and disparages students who attend a community college as a more affordable option than starting their college career at a four-year university.

And saving money on tuition is more important than ever. Outstanding student loans for the first quarter of 2019 were $1.49 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Household Debt and Credit

Report.

“The prevalence of student loans grew steadily between 2004 and 2016,” according to a recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York blog post. “Since 2016, about 18% of the population has held student loans, up from only 10% in 2004.”

The evidence still shows that a college degree can significantly boost lifetime earnings. But that higher income is increasingly offset by the burden of debt.

During a recent online discussion about parents taking on enormous amounts of parent PLUS federal student loans for their children, one reader championed community college as an option to reduce the cost of college.

“My parents could not afford to send a third child away to college at the same time; so I started out in community college,” the reader wrote. “At first, I was pretty upset. But to everyone’s surprise, it was a fabulous experience.”

Here are some observations from this community college graduate:

• “My classes were way smaller and taught by faculty, not teaching assistants, and I had better grades and was better prepared for the rest of my education than my peers who went off to sit in classes of 200 to 300 students. “

• “I forged a stronger bond than did my siblings with my parents, who used the two more years I was at home to try their best to treat me like an adult.”

• “I was able to participate in lots of extracurricular activities, made friends of multiple age groups and backgrounds and saw why education mattered to them.”

To have a successful transfer from a community college to a four-year university, here are some things you should do:

• Forge a good relationship with an academic counselor so the two of you can develop a plan to continue your education.

• Be sure you are taking classes that will transfer to the university you want to attend. For example, many community colleges have transfer partnerships referred to as “articulation agreements” with four-year colleges and universities.

• Consider staying within your state school system. “It is often easier for students to transfer credits when transferring to a school in the same state, especially in states that have policies outlining how credits should transfer,” the Government Accountability Office wrote in a 2017 report.

With the cost of college having reached record highs, many families feel they have no other recourse than to take on large loans. But have your child consider community college — not as a last resort, but as a more economical first choice.

Write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1301 K St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071 or michelle. singletary@washpost.com.