5 Myths About Community Colleges

 

When this myth began, it’s possible there may have had more to it. Both community colleges and universities looked different back then. It’s always been true that the high-quality education universities everywhere offer can lead to great outcomes for their grads. Attending one is a great goal for any student.

But it’s also true that as demand for university degrees increased, they became far more expensive, they’ve been called a “Veblen good”. That’s a term for a product whose price goes up, and demand for it also goes up. It’s unlike most things, where people buy less of something the more expensive it gets. You usually see it with luxury goods, where people buy it because it’s expensive, to show the world that they can. But unlike those designer sneakers, a college degree isn’t a luxury good. It’s an almost essential purchase for doing well in the world. So, while some economists might say the term is technically inaccurate, the point is clear: degrees are getting more expensive when we need them more. Community Colleges like Green River stand in the role of filling in that gap with high-quality education – without the luxury price tag.  

 

 

 

 

 

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Another unfortunate aspect of this myth is the insulting implication that folks who don’t fit into a narrow measure of success in school aren’t smart. There are a lot of people out there that are in the right spot for a university education right away. But a lot of factors outside of academic ability are often in place to make it possible that not everyone gets to enjoy.  

Past academic performance isn’t always a sign of intelligence or ability. There are many reasons why people don’t reach high school or previous college goals. A lot of people who didn’t do well in high school find that they do great in college. Sometimes people make a first attempt at college, but things like major life events or uncooperative employers spoil the effort. Sometimes we just change over the years and discover we’re more ready.  

The truth is that this myth isn’t even true for what it claims “real college” is. For example, while the University of Washington’s admission rate is about 55% * , Washington State University’s acceptance rate is 86%*  and Western Washington University is a whopping 93%. *    

There’s a good chance that this is an old myth with fading influence where it really counts. It’s becoming widely recognized that different colleges serve different types of life plans. It’s not a just matter of choosing the “best college” anymore, but rather about choosing the “right college” for your goals and your situation.  

Community college has evolved to meet two very common types of life plans:  

– The super-effective tool for getting a great paying career right after school  
– The cost-effective power-up to launch you into an advanced degree at a university 

For the first path, community college programs have the advantage of being generally more focused on career attainment than pure academics. Which is good, because according to a recent study by the Washington Student Achievement Council, 70% of all jobs in Washington State require some kind of credential after high school. If you haven’t fit into that narrow path of academic achievement, that might feel disheartening.  

But there’s more to the statistic than meets the eye. Only about 9% of those jobs are asking for a graduate degree. At about 39%, the majority require up to an associate degree. If your goal is to go into the workforce at an advantage, community college is a great choice.  

 For growing number of people, community college isn’t the backup plan – it’s part of their grand plan to maximize the value of their education. That’s where “The cost-effective power-up to launch you into an advanced degree at a university” comes in: 

• You Can Afford It – As we talked about in the first myth, Green River College costs less than the four-year college you may be transferring to. So, if you’re enrolled in a transfer program, the credits you earn here will cost about half as much as what you’d pay there. And the process of earning them will come with some advantages.  

• More Personal Support – Class sizes are smaller, so you’ll get more facetime with your actual instructor, instead of an assistant. What’s more, Green River has robust academic support services that’ll not only help you get a better grade, but they’ll also help make the subject more useful outside of school.  

• University Quality Courses – Think about it: If you’re in a transfer program that has an agreement with the university you want to attend, of course those courses meet the same standards of that university. 
   
• Double Degree Advantage – Let’s face it, today most of us need to work while we go to college. When you finish your program at GRC, you’ll have a marketable credential to make that work be in your chosen field at about the halfway point to your university degree. Many of our programs have industry outreach support systems in place to further increase your chances of making this happen. 

 

Everything we’ve been talking about here is generally true for all community colleges. But Green River College has a great deal of extra value. We boast some of those “university experience” features that many community colleges lack, creating a best-of-both worlds dynamic that worth making a key part in your grand plan.  

To start out with, GRC was recognized this year by the Aspen Institute as being one of America’s top 150 Community Colleges. (link) That recognition focuses on community college excellence in teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, access, and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. So, it’s kind of a big deal. 

• It’s not just certificate and associate degrees and Green River. We currently offer 8 Bachelor of Applied Science and # Bachelor of Science degrees. You can check them out here. 
• Competitive sports teams 
• Vibrant clubs and student activities (Watch Video)
• State of the art facilities 
• On-campus housing available 
• Have you seen our campus?! You should really check it out. 
  
  

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