Thursday, October 31, 2013

Universities Vs Community Colleges - Why You Should Prefer The Former

It is up to you what a university degree could mean to you. Likewise, it is also up to you to decide when you are ready to acquire this next educational step - and although the safer, easier, and certainly cheaper route may appear to be a community college, there are a number of variables you may want to take into consideration when deciding if a university degree is for you.Money is the first and most visible of the advantages that you gain from a university's education, especially in long term financial potential. Because community colleges only offer a two year degree, you are fundamentally limited in the potential monetary return, as four year degrees consistently result in higher pay than their lesser counterparts. Naturally, there are too many factors that involve employment to safely state that a four year degree will guarantee you that job you want, but if you are interested in getting the most for your work, it will definitely benefit you the most in the long term.The culture and sense of community that comes in universities is simply not seen at community colleges. With so many people bound by such a history over a longer period of time than community colleges, universities allow you to experience their well established centers of art, theater, and music. Often times, these memories are simply irreplaceable, and can have a definite impact on the experience you bring to your future job.Confidence is among the most important things that comes with a university degree - this is both on a personal and professional level. By graduating from a four year university, you are able to count yourself as a member of a group that have achieved well above those at the community college level, thereby guaranteeing you a certain degree of bragging rights in everything you do. Any normal examples of low self-confidence can generally be repaired by a simple flashing of your four year degree, cementing your place in society.Universities also provide greater research opportunities. As several big names tend to turn to universities for their research anyway, you are able to cling on with professors for their projects, assuming you present yourself as worthy of such an honor. Because community colleges are generally centered around the two year learning cycle, you will find yourself with less opportunities to partake in ground breaking research - whereas these projects make themselves available to you at universities.Diversity is a vital aspect of universities that usually aren't present in the lower end, community colleges, particularly since they largely appeal to the local population that can handle the commute with ease. Universities, however, tend to represent a national, or sometimes even international draw that will give you a range of fellow alumni in greater scope than just your native town. Race, religion, culture, nationality, all of these are incredibly more diverse in scope than those found at the strictly local community colleges.The above are simply a fraction of the potential benefits that arise from enrolling in a university instead of the smaller community colleges - which are important to factor into your long term educational plans.