Should You Attend College Or Study Online?

Should you or shouldn't you consider attending community college rather than university, or obtaining an e-learning qualification? Whilst attending community college, even as a precursor to moving on to university, can often be an advantage, it also has its downsides.

If your intention is to use a few years at community college as a springboard to university, the first thing you're going to want to do is check that the courses you're taking meet the core requirements for the next stage of your education. There isn't much point in spending time and money on a particular course, only to get to the end and discover you can't use it to get into university. If the university and college are within the same community, or even state, they may have an articulation agreement that allows students to transfer seamlessly.

Many states now require universities and colleges to accept credits obtained at community colleges for transfer purposes. They've done this to try and keep certified employees in the state. You'll also find that universities also offer online (ie distance learning) programs for students who can't attend campus. They may live too far away to attend, or be unable to attend due to work / family commitments, or for health reasons. This has opened up education opportunities to a range of people who previously had to miss out.

If you need housing whilst attending college or university, community colleges don't always have housing opportunities. It's because colleges, overall, prefer to spend funds on education rather than maintaining housing. Furthermore, community colleges in rural areas are more likely to have on-campus accommodation than city colleges.

A community college degree may also not qualify you to earn as much as a university degree either, which is another thing you should factor into your decision on whether to move onto university.

Community colleges also lack some of the educational facilities you'll find at university. Universities typically have large libraries. Community colleges are generally somewhat lacking in comparison. This can make completing extensive research projects difficult, although in today's online world, this shouldn't present as big a problem as it once did. The Internet abounds with scientific and academic research documents, although you may need to pay a subscription to join some sites in order to get access to them. Community colleges may also lack some of the equipment of a university.

The other issue with community colleges is that their offerings course wise can be restricted compared to universities. There's also less opportunity to fit in additional classes without requiring an extra semester, or even a full year, to complete them and get your certification.

This is where online or distance learning can be an advantage. If you have the time and the resources to fit in those extra classes without compromising your degree courses, go for it. Fire fighters for example can choose to attend Fl State Fire College to further their careers, or they can enroll in approved online fire courses. They can also enroll in online courses to renew their certifications.