Community college can be the ideal way for returning students, alternative pathway students seeking bachelor degrees and anyone hoping for career change to advance their educational or professional goals.
Lower tuition fees make it easier for students to balance education with existing responsibilities, while its greater flexibility offers evening, weekend, and online classes.
Flexible Schedule
Community colleges are an ideal starting place for adults preparing to enter college, change careers or explore passions - whether you want an associate degree, bachelor's degree or both before transferring to four-year universities.
These institutions understand that adult students have many demands on their time. Therefore, they offer flexible class schedules and modes like evening, weekend, and online courses; as well as providing additional student services like career counseling and tutoring technology labs.
Adult students face many challenges balancing education with professional and personal obligations, including cost barriers such as transportation and housing costs. By providing resources like these for adult students who must balance school with work and life responsibilities, and alleviating costs barriers associated with essential non-tuition expenses such as transportation and housing expenses, adult learners can focus on their studies faster while decreasing the risk of default on loans - something many more adults are turning to community colleges for now.
Self-Designed Programs
Adult learners looking for a degree change, finishing something begun earlier or simply enriching themselves through education often wish to tailor their experience. At SUNY Broome we have several programs which enable adult learners to do exactly this - accounting and language courses as well as cooking and wood working classes offer opportunities for enriching education experiences.
Tennessee is home to over 900,000 adults with college credits but no degree, many of them interested in returning to earn one but facing many barriers such as not knowing which of their existing credits can count toward a program and any additional courses needed for enrollment. Unfortunately, they lack preenrollment support that would enable them to understand which will count toward attaining credentialing and what courses may need to be taken as prerequisites or required prerequisites.
Tennessee Reconnect was developed to address these challenges. It provides "last dollar" funding that bridges the gap between what financial aid covers and the full cost of attendance for older students juggling work, child care and household responsibilities.
Partnerships with Universities
No matter your career goals or aspirations, community college offers nearly unlimited options. Evening and weekend classes, online courses and accelerated programs make education fit seamlessly into everyday life commitments.
Lower tuition fees also give you the ability to create your own personalized educational journey at a fraction of the cost charged by universities. Choose from an array of course combinations, disciplines and independent studies to form a personalized plan - all within reach and all at an affordable cost!
If you plan to attend a four year university, community colleges provide guided pathways that make sure you stay on the path toward earning your bachelor's degree on time and within your professional goals. Furthermore, some community colleges even have partnerships with local industries which may offer internships or job placement opportunities.
Convenience
Community college can be especially useful to non-traditional students who may experience more difficulty adapting to academic culture, managing family obligations, and affording higher tuition rates at traditional institutions.
Furthermore, many adult learners do not seek to complete a broad liberal arts curriculum; rather they seek out programs which equip them with skills relevant to their professional lives immediately.
Since community colleges tend to boast high rates of student retention and completion, it should come as no surprise that community colleges enjoy such success rates. When selecting your community college, however, it's essential that you consider both your personal and professional goals when selecting one. Take into account factors like location, program offerings and tuition costs before making a final decision. Audit a few classes prior to making this choice so as to gain an idea of classroom atmosphere and teaching style before considering local job markets for potential career options once your credential has been earned.
