Community College is just the beginning by Jalana

Community College is just the beginning by Jalana - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Like the majority of students who are in their senior year of high school, I was excited about the prospect of going to a private four-year institution that fulfilled all my cliche ideas about going away to college, big football team, large lecture classes and getting lost in the swarm of kids that I would be going to school with. However, this dream came to a screeching halt when my parents uttered the two words that no student graduating high school wants to hear, community college. Little did I know that my time at a community college would be an amazing experience and not at all the dreadful time that I had imagined it would be. It is because of this that I would advise younger students to make the most out of any school you go to. Wherever you go, whether that be community college, or a four-year school, there are always opportunities to be great.

There were a million different thoughts going through my head as I came to terms with the fact that I would be attending community college following my graduation from high school. I was aware of the negative stigma towards community colleges. There is a notion that anyone who goes to community college is a slacker or that community college is not challenging. Honestly, I was guilty of having these thoughts as well, but as my graduation from Dutchess Community College fast approaches I have been proven otherwise. I learned from teachers who had a passion for teaching and became a part of a community that tried their best to instill a sense of belonging to all their students. It is important for younger students to not be ashamed of where they end of going to school. There is pressure to go away to school as if staying home and going to community college undermines your own college experience and this is just not the case.

I will go away to school fully confident of what I want to do in life and that is a luxury I have because I started my education at Dutchess Community College. Where you attend school is not a determinate of your level of intelligence, nor does it have any bearing on your potential for success. I hope that young individuals entering college, as well as those who are already enrolled keep this in mind as they further their education. Community college is not the end to your education, it is just the beginning.