Community College Does Not Equal Stupidity
October 29th, 2009
I would say that most people who know me find me a fairly intelligent person. I have a secret though….. I went to Community College. Most people automatically assume that Community College is for dummies who can’t get into to a four year college. This is not necessarily the case.
The second you mention that you go to Community College you suddenly get mocked that it’s not real college or your good grades are attributed to the fact that it must be a joke. I even had a professor in Brooklyn College suggest to me that the fact that I went to Community College, made me dumb when I mentioned I was having difficulty with the course material. He also managed to mention that he was superior to me since he went to Harvard. I thought many things about that statement that I won’t mention here, but number one was if you’re such a genius why are you teaching at CUNY?
To be honest I truly enjoyed my time in Community College. It gave me a love of learning that I had previously not experienced in my dismal yeshiva education. People were friendlier, professors cared more, they took stock in me. For the first time in my life I was a straight A student and not because it was easier but because I was engaged. I was made to feel like I had opinions that counted, things to contribute. For most of my time in Brooklyn college where I received my bachelors I didn’t feel this at all. Although I kept up my excellent grades I never found the same sort of kinship with most of my professors or my fellow students.
For me Community College was incredibly empowering and I am so heartened by the fact that our President has realized that as well. When I attended Community College there were so many people with such diverse backgrounds, but all with one thing in common, the desire to succeed.
I had people like me who were recent high school grads who couldn’t get in to four year schools because of grades, or people who had flunked out of four year schools because they didn’t take it seriously. Then there were the senior citizens looking to enrich their minds, and the immigrants trying to build a better life. It was so motivational to see all sorts of people working to attain something better; whether for themselves or their families.
President Obama has admitted that community colleges can be key to job training and financial success and security within this country.
For me Community College pushed me to reach my potential I became the first person in my family to attain a bachelor’s degree and I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I owe it all to community college.
So the next time you think that someone is dumb because they’re in Community College, think again they may just be smarter than you.
For more on this topic check out the following article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/education/28community.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=community%20college&st=cse
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i’ll drink to that. an ex-girlfriend of mine attended several community colleges. when i accompanied her to register at one of them i smarted off something like, “so, where’s the heart monitor?”
she went on to complete a masters degree at nyu and i never finished graduate school. so, who’s the smarty now?
I found the community college stigma-as well as the 2-year-sem-BA stigma, very hard to rectify with myself. If I was smart, why wasn’t I in a “real college”? But attending challenging and even life changing classes in both Maalot Baltimore and the Community College of Baltimore County (I’m proud of my legacy!) was one of the best experiences of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The students were helpful and kind rather than competitive, the teachers really meant it when they had open office hours. They were willing to expand their instruction beyond class hours and were incredibly supportive. The classes tended to be smaller than average, and the whole school had a real focus on bringing out everyones potential in a truly multi-generational (and multi life experience environment). Not to mention the beautiful campus, the student club activities, and the bargain basement price (one of my proffesors taught at Hopkins “on the side.” Hopkins education for a fraction of the price, FTW)!
Who says you can’t have a “real” college experience in a community college? If anything it can be better, and I now encourage all high school students to try CCs first. Save two years of tuition and get ahead of your peers when you transfer!