Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
On Campus Blog
Alex Friedrich

An ugly reason students avoid community colleges

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

While I was at the Bloomington leadership conference for two-year community college students on Friday, I was taken aback by the answers a few of them gave to a seminar question on why high school students don't consider them in their post-graduate plans.

The biggie: Stigma.

One student told the group:

The attitude was, "If you don’t go to university, you won’t be successful. I was thinking it was beneath me if I had to a community college."

One of the culprits, apparently: teachers.

"They don’t try to aim you toward a community college, but to a university."

I've been puzzled by this, and I wonder whether it's a regional thing.

When I grew up in California, a lot of my friends went on to community colleges as a money-saving measure before they transferred to University of California or California State University campuses. Seemed perfectly natural.

But when I moved to Georgia as a high-school junior, I sensed a supreme lack of enthusiasm -- even disdain -- for the community college. (The area I lived in also seemed much more class-oriented.)

Now two-year colleges are getting their time in the sun, especially with the recent Obama summit on the issue, the Washington Monthly community-college rankings -- which St. Paul College topped, and columnists like Zac Bissonnette writing how the smart and savvy students are going to community colleges.

Note that last one. With affordability a much bigger issue now than it was during my time in the mid-1980s, I'll be curious whether teachers  -- along with everyone else -- will be changing attitudes.