There are many myths about community college. The phrase “13th grade” is well known for the students studying at Bucks: “People my age see community college as a fallback,” says Ryan Peiffer, 20, a business major at Bucks. “People believe that community colleges are not as good as four-year schools,” Peiffer continues, “that they aren’t as sophisticated, or as smart.”
The stereotypical idea of community college is that the students attending are people rejected from four-year schools, that all students are older and that the professors are second rate. Dr. Shanblatt, president at Bucks, works hard to eliminate these myths, “The idea that our professors are second rate is just not true” The fact that there is a big age gap in the students at Bucks is only seen as a positive factor. “Getting to know people not like you…that diversity provokes thoughts and give students new experiences,” argues Shanblatt.
Community college leads the financial innovation in education. That is often what students mention first when asked why they are attending community college: It’s cheaper. Research from the College Board of Education shows that on average two years at a community college is only one-third the cost of the first year at a four-year school. You can save over $15,000.
However, that is not all community college has to offer. “At large universities, you’re going to be in classes with 2-3 hundred students compared to classes here with 24 students,” says Shanblatt. “We have a lot of different clubs and we even offer free tutoring,” she adds.
So, if community college offers so many great opportunities, why do they still have difficulty getting students in? “The real college experience is missing,” says 18-year-old high school senior, Jessica Zimmerman. “I am going to Temple University because I want to cheer for college sports and meet new people from all over the world.” Liberal Arts student from Bucks, Kayla Correra, 20, states, “I am too comfortable here. There is not any personal growth, where people try to figure out where they belong.”
Shanblatt understands that students want a more ground breaking experience, but that is only one of the problems. “Many high schools pride themselves on which elite schools their students are accepted to; therefore, many guidance counselors in high school do not promote community college.” Students listen to what they hear and only a few of them do the research. “Students have a really skewed view on what college is, but when we can get students on campus, I think they see something different from what they imagine,” explains Shanblatt.
Community college is often not on a list of opportunities because we are missing dorms and the fact that it is too much like home.“I think community college is usually people’s last option,” says Maggie Dougherty, senior at New Hope-Solebury High School. According to Shanblatt, to offer a great college experience it is not necessary to have dorms. “If you look at the cost and the instruction, I think we come out on top, but students do not think about that.”
Community college offers a head start in the right direction. At Bucks, you can take classes helping you towards acceptance at a four-year school. Seniors at New Hope-Solebury High School, Juliana Holland and Jessica Zimmerman, are strongly considering the head start at Bucks. Zimmerman states, “When I realized the rigor of my courses for Actuarial Sciences, I felt that getting some of my electives out of the way at Bucks would be a good idea.” Zimmerman and Holland agree that starting at Bucks would save them money and get them started in the right direction.
So what can Bucks do to wash the negative stigma away? “I already think community college has been on the rise the last couple of years, and the whole idea that community college is for screw ups has faded,” believes Correra. Shanblatt says, “We are trying to attack the problem head on by going to high schools and doing local commercials. We also started our honors program to let good students know that they can have a rigorous academic challenge here.”
The branding is essential and Bucks has worked hard to show that the students who attend here they often succeed, “When our students transfer they typically have a higher GPA their junior year than students who started at a four-year school, that’s a pretty compelling argument.” Shanblatt concluded.