As seniors move closer to the application process, it’s not uncommon for some families to ask, “Should our student go to community college instead?” Maybe the student doesn’t seem ready for college. Maybe the family can’t afford four years of tuition and would prefer a less expensive route. Maybe the student wants to attend a college via transfer agreement with a community college. There are plenty of reasons why a two-year community college may be the right choice for you.
But please remember, you don’t necessarily have to make that choice now.
You can decide late in your senior year that community college is the right choice for you. That option will still be available. But if you don’t apply to any four-year colleges this fall, you take that option off the table for the coming year (or at the very least, you limit yourself to schools that will still be accepting applications in 2014).
You might consider applying to a reasonable number of schools that are good fits for you academically, socially and economically. Then see what happens. Find out where you get in and if you’re offered a financial aid package. If you still don’t like your options later this spring, or if you still think community college is the best route for you, you’ll still have that option.
Deciding to apply to four-year colleges is not the same thing as deciding to attend one.