Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Community colleges or universities?


With universities regularly raising tuition, community colleges are becoming more and more popular as less expensive alternatives to major universities. Do you think community colleges like Parkland are going to become the "new" universities? Are universities like the University of Illinois, which just approved a tuition increase (for the second year in a row), pricing themselves out of reach of many students' budgets? Do you think potential employers will start to look at Associates degrees closer than they ever have before?


Jared (1:00)

16 comments:

English student said...

I do believe that employers will look at obtaining an associates more closely. Rising costs of tuition has and will take a toll on many people wishing to further their education. By obtaining an associates it will show that they have still gone through school despite the rising costs and could show that they are dedicated and hard working. I also think that community colleges may become more of a big deal because they will be in more of a price range for more people.

Darci W

English student said...

Yes community college are popular because of rising cost of tuition, but i believe employers still look at what college degree you have obtained. Many high calibur profession require you to have a college degree. To save costs more students go to a community college but eventually they have to transfer into a 4 year university to finish what they are studying.

Rocky V.

English student said...

I do not think that community colleges will become the new universities, but they will eventually make more money because they are going to get ,ore students to attend their schools because of the cheaper tuition. Yes, their tutition is out of range of many students. I believe that the po0tential employers will and should begin to hire people who have their associates degree becaus etrying to get a masters degree can possibly break peoples pockets. Unless it is the type of job that allows you to go to school buit the job will pay for you to further your education.

- JaTaun

English student said...

No i do not think that Community Colleges will become the new universities but i do think that business will start looking at Associates degrees more. I do think when university raise their tuition it does make it harder for students to get into university. I feel that Community College is a great starting and developing point for students to get the feel of the college life.

Tavaruss

Anonymous said...

Community colleges will never have the status of major universities such as Harvard and Yale or even state schools such as the U of I, but they will continue to become more and more popular both for their 2-year terminal programs and as lead-ins for transfers to 4-year schools. More and more people are becoming careful with their $$, and they will be asking why pay the extra bucks, or get saddled with huge students loans, when you can get two years' worth of college credit under your belt for about 5 cents on the dollar?
Plus, most employers look at where you graduate from, not where you begin--so why not begin at a community college and get the crap out of the way?

Someone told me that Parkland enrollment has increased 30% over the last 10 years. I expect this trend to increase over the next 10 years and more.

James Burke

English student said...

Unfortunately, I believe that education is very important and that most employers are going to begin requiring at least an associates degree if not more than that like a bachelors. While universities are raising their prices, more scholarships are being offered. Hopefully, if the economy ever gets better prices will fall again but that is very unlikely. I think universities are hurting students bad enough that a lot of students are going to have no choice but to go to a community college like parkland first which is not a bad thing at all. Parkland gives you the opportunity to explore careers you may like while still being a relatively small campus.
Morgan Russian

English student said...

I know that for the major I want to obtain, I have to go to a 4-year college. A community college isn't enough, and I can't have the career I want without the degree. I feel like 2-year transfers will become a lot more popular though. Students will finish their gen-eds at community college to save cost the first 2 years then move on to a bigger university for the rest of the education.
Allison P

English student said...

The community colleges are becoming more popular because of the cost of tuition. I think the some jobs will always require either a bachelors, masters, or even a doctorate. I do think that employers will look more closely at associates degrees because of the cost. They will have to understand that people can't afford the high cost colleges.

Clayton Bosch (11:00)

English student said...

I believe with universities raising tuition year after year that community colleges will continue to gain in popularity. I think that many universities are pricing themselves out of reach for many students. This could have a positive effect on the students as only the elite students (students with scholarships) will be able to attend these schools. This may also have a positive effect on community colleges as well because there will be more opportunities for employment.

Brett Scott (11:00)

English student said...

no i believe that parkland i s good school, and has great learning programs. but i do not believe that it will be a univesity, and if so wouldnt cost change for everyone because more people would come. the school would have to pay for more class room, in all rebuilf the whole facility. taxes would increase and alot of stuff. so no parkland will just stay a communitiy college

deashanay

English student said...

I believe you should go to whatever one you want to go to. I mean yes community colleges are cheaper but at the same time Universities are better looking on a application. I understand why people would choose to go to a community college but I also understand why people attend universities. Like I said it all depends on the person.

Micah

English student said...

I do think that community colleges are becoming more popular because of rising tuition costs at major colleges and universities. Community colleges are a great alternative to those people who are unable to pay the ever increasing amount of college tuition plus additional expenses that go along with being a college student. However, I do not think that community colleges will ever get to the status of four year colleges (although it would be nice if they did!). I also think that employers will continue to look at the type of degree that you have earned. I think that a bachelor's degree will always be prefered over a associate's degree any day of the week.

Eldridge (11:00)

English student said...

I think that community college is a good stepping stone, but the education received at a university is not the same. It is four years for a reason. Many people go to a university after community college. I think that getting two years out of the way at a cheaper price is a good idea, but I don't think that employers will view an Associate's degree the same as a Bachelor's.

Landon W 11:00

English student said...

I feel community college in many ways is a great idea for kids that don't get scholarishs to big universities. It gives them a chance to get the college experience and get use to how things run in college. College is very different from high school. Community college is way cheaper and gives you a chance in many cases to stay kinddof close to home and your family. I don't think employers are going to look at associates degrees more because a person with a higher degree is most liekly going to be a better canidate than a person with a lower one. I feel the appropriate path is community college and then get your higher degree at a university or 4 year college so you can save money and still get a quality education.
-jake rone-

English student said...

I don't think that community colleges will become the "new" universities, yes tuitions are rising but like people have said before there are more and more scholarships out there that students can apply for and so many different kinds. Employers will look at where you finished you education, its nice to have an associates degree, but they want to see how far your education went. But yes they are going to get more popular because they are cheaper but they wont replace the universities.

~Lauren (11:00)

English student said...

Its true that parkland is growing and will expand, i think parkland will become a new university. I do believe that employers are looking to obtain an associates degree more closer.

Daniel (1:00)