The community college isn't for everyone; I'm sure we all know those high achievers that get full-ride scholarships to Ivy League schools. I'm talking about the rest of our kids here.
Community colleges are waaaaaay more affordable than 4-year universities. They're close to home, so students can live at home and save expenses that way. And, they're a good middle ground; kids can still get a little guidance from mom and dad, but yet be away from home for actual classes.
We actually chose to go the community college route with my older daughter. She was just too young (16) to be sent away, we felt. And, the checkbook manager (aka her dad) wanted to save money. If she goes to a 4-year school here in NC, which is very likely, she will be able to transfer in all of her CC classes. I think she will get her Associates, which will then transfer as a block for all of her general education requirements at the university. That's the current plan, anyway. She attends college classes with other college kids and interacts with them; that's given her a measure of freedom. But, she still lives at home with us and freely discusses her classes and other college affairs--the good, the bad, and the ugly. We're still here in person to give her guidance along the way.
Q4U: Do you think community college might be in your teen's future?
Bethany,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the community college route for a couple of reasons. 1) age: my kids will likely be "graduated" from homeschool when they are too young to leave home. 2) Cost! When you're young, you don't always know what you want to do/study in college. I didn't. CC allows you to explore different subjects at a much lesser cost.
Thanks again for taking up this issue. College is soon to be in our future, but it's not easy to think about.
Love,
Laura
Bethany,
ReplyDeleteAs I was cruising around your blog, I re-read this post.
This time, the one question in my mind was... when did you know your 16 year old was ready for CC?
Thanks,
Laura