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More students opting for first two years at community college

Michaelyn Hoeres is unsure what she wants to study in college. 

The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18-year-old, who graduated from Freedom High School in June, worried about paying thousands of dollars per credit for general education requirements.

So, she’s spending her first two years of higher education not on a sprawling University campus, but instead at Northampton Community College.

“I knew I could knock out many of my gen ed requirements and save money while at a community college,” Hoeres said. “It puts less pressure on my parents.”

Michaelyn Hoeres posing for her senior pictures. By Kevin Volpe

Hoeres is among an estimated 9.8 million undergraduates enrolling in a community college for the 2017-2018 school year, according to Teachers College, Columbia University.

The total cost of a four-year degree can be drastically reduced by spending the first two years at a community college.

The average cost of one year of private, four-year University is $35,074, according to Best Value Schools. According to College Board assuming you complete two years of required classes at a community college, you will save $12,000 to $66,000 compared to the same education given at a state or private school.

No matter which college someone attends or what your ideal major is, the first two years generally are comprised general education classes. Many students won’t get into courses that fulfill their majors until junior year. 

Even with two years at community college, students who transfer their junior year to a more traditional campus earn a diploma with that school’s name on it.

Every first-year student is required to take core classes such as English 101, math, and science class in order to fulfill needed credits for graduation. There’s little difference in content between those classes from school to school, so some interviewed this week find it more economical to take them at community college.

The main reason behind attending a community college comes down to cost. Being able to earn a degree at the fraction of the price is a desirable want for many young individuals. 

Students are better financially prepared for the costs of a four year university should they plan on transferring.

Hoeres is looking forward to getting started. Even though she admits, she knows she’s missing out on some aspects of a four-year college.

“I am excited to be beginning a new part of my life but it does hurt watching most of my friends leave to go hours away to Universities,” Hoeres said.

 

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Religious practices prove difficult in transition to college

A stained glass window inside of the Kay Spiritual Center. By Sydney Hoover

WASHINGTON, D.C.–American University students and staff interviewed this week agreed that remaining faithful to their religious identity is a struggle due to the pressure of college life and the numerous responsibilities that come with it.

For the majority of college students living away from home, this is the first time in their lives they are being faced with having to attend religious services without their families.

“I was not able to attend church as often in college mainly due to the fact that it was hard to balance it into my schedule,” said Megan Brew.

Observant students may feel the pressure to maintain family traditions and rituals they grew with, causing them to push their schoolwork aside. For other students their determination and dedication to their schoolwork is easily able to conflict with religious holidays.

As an outcome of these competing demands, some students will choose to distance themselves from their religion by stop going to services altogether, while others may continue to go but much less frequently.

In her book Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America’s College Campuses, Donna Freitas says keeping religious traditions alive at campus is complicated especially when their morals are challenged by the pressure of sex. 

“The key question is not so much why and how spirituality and religion are apportioned among the college population but how religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, and affiliations are affected (if at all) when sex is added to the mix- and vice versa,” Freitas wrote.

It’s difficult for some students searching for the perfect religious group on campus that fulfills all their needs and matches the community many left behind at home.

“There is not a youth group on campus that has everything I was looking for,” said Anne Shannon, 22, a graduate student majoring in Global Governance Political and Security at American University.

American University has an interfaith chapel at the heart of their campus, the Kay Spiritual Life Center, in order to provide a place for the sharing of different faiths and denominations.

“The center is doing a lot of good work despite it being hard to get college students out on Sunday evenings for hour-long services,” said Rachel Williams 22, a graduate student at the School of International Service at American University.

Mark Schaefer the University Chaplain at American University for the Kay Spiritual Life Center works to keep spirituality alive throughout the campus.

“I hope students learn to have a greater appreciation and understanding of religious diversity as well as gaining a sense of community across religious lines,” said Chaplain Schaefer.