Tales of a College Student

Do I regret community college?

This question I have asked myself many times. Four years ago, after my failed beauty school attempt I was sleepless and confused. I sat on my bed with the bright pink covers glowing as I sit in the dark with my laptop in my lap. It was 2:00 in the morning and I couldn't sleep. I search for hours upon hours for careers, degrees, colleges, and anything you could think of. I search through my bookcase for an old packet from high school which was a few months ago at this time. It was a packet full of degrees that you could apply for at the local community college. I remember my old English teacher (who I still talk to on occasion) told me that going to community college first would be easier in the long run. I could save two years worth of tuition and when I transferred I would be a junior. I flipped through the packet to discover countless degrees and certifications. 

For the next three days I would spend them sleepless and flipping through the packet. I would go onto the website and read all the degree options and information. Engineering, dentist, mechanic, anything that you could think of was available. I went through many options in my head. I went from making money and being unhappy to wanting to be happy and broke. Around day three, is when I discovered the associates degrees at the community college. As I was reading the website it stated if you ever wanted to be a teacher or a writer then the associates of arts degree was your option. This was my moment when my entire life finally clicked. All those years of writing in my diary, keeping journals, and writing poetry in high school was worth something. This was my golden ticket to figuring out my life.

Shortly after I applied and got accepted into community college. I spent two years of my life at that school and that I do not regret. I was so lost and confused when I found my associates degree. I personally, enjoy telling people I already have a degree while they only have their bachelors. I learned how to write a thesis driven paper and learned how to support my arguments with claims. I learned how to make friends and start up a conversation. I started to learn my true love for English. I learned a lot about myself during my days at community college. However, looking at where I am now sometimes I regret going to community college.

With university, the entire dynamic is different. My first semester it seemed like everybody talked in codes to each other. Everyone had such a large vocabulary when they talked and I was always lost in conversation. The classrooms are not lecture based, but rather discussions. When not talking in the discussion it hurts your grade. Learning how not all of your credits transfer or maybe you didn't receive the best advice before you transferred. This almost set me back an entire year of graduating on time. All the advisers assume you know everything when in reality a transfer student doesn't. It is also difficult to make friends because you're a junior walking into a university where everybody knows everybody already. The groups of friends have been there since Freshman year. As with my previous post, even the orientations vary from each other. Ultimately, it is difficult being a transfer student. It is being limited to some classes, majors, minors, and opportunities. I wanted to be apart of the honors college, but now I don't think I qualify. This is things I wished I had know before jumping into a university setting. I wished that I had known almost everything I learned in community college would be pointless because I would have to relearn everything.

One example of this is back in my first semester at university (last year). I was in a American Romanticism class and my professor was going over our essay that was due. It had to be thesis driven which thanks to my freshman year at community college I learned that. However, my professor then taught me to never use "I" in the thesis. However, my professor at university required me to say "In this essay, I will argue." I had to have a conversation with her about this. I told her, "I'm sorry my professor at community college never taught me this." She proceeded to tell me that this would happen a lot. That I would have to relearn everything that I was already taught. This was very true this happened quite a lot.

Therefore, to answer my question, do I regret community college? Yes and no would be my answer. I don't regret who I became while attending community college. My professors were so sweet and genuine. I still talk to some of them through emails and they give me life advice all the time. One of them even recommended me for my masters application. I also saved a ton of money going to community college for two years. What I regret is having to relearn everything, not having friends anymore, and having everyone assume I know everything.