As Los Alamitos High School seniors prepare to graduate, the stigma surrounding community college may affect their decisions about next fall. This stereotype can make students feel unaccomplished if they don’t attend a university.
Today’s society has the notion that community colleges sit at the bottom of the college hierarchy, a back-up for students who didn’t get into an Ivy League or UC. Many students feel discouraged from attending community college because of parents’ expectations or peer pressure. In a Griffin Gazette survey, the LAHS class of 2023 gave their thoughts on the community college stigma.
“When I share to my peers about attending a community [college], it feels like they are judging me,” said Makayla Sterbentz, an LAHS alumna now at Orange Coast College. “It makes me feel as though I wasn’t smart or ‘good enough’ to go to a university. I feel that people assume you didn’t do well in high school, or they think you’re poor.”
According to another OCC student and LAHS alumna, Ollie Hebard, it seemed like people assumed community college was her “only option.”
“It does get frustrating to constantly explain why I am choosing community [college] when it really is the better option financially,” Hebard said.
Affordability is a major benefit to community college, said LAHS college readiness counselor Keeley Lewis, Ed.D., and college and career counselor Marianne Schaeffer. Community College Review reported that average in-state tuition for California community colleges (CCCs) is $1,993 per year, compared to $14,436 for Universities of California and $5,742 for California State Universities, not including housing, books or meals.
“You add these totals up, and you are looking at 30,000 reasons why community college is a great bet,” LAHS counselor Matthew Riehm wrote in an email.
Additionally, annual tuition for private community colleges averages $21,083.
“I decided that it is not worth starting my life in debt and having that on my back throughout my life,” said an LAHS student now attending Cypress College.
Qualifying students can attend CCCs for free through the California Promise program. Orange County community colleges offer up to two years of free tuition to LAHS students. Riehm, who taught at Santiago Community College for 15 years, also recommended filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Another pro of community college is the transfer admission guarantee (TAG). After two years at a community college, students can apply and transfer to one of six participating UCs. UC Admissions reported that almost one-third of their students transfer from California community colleges. Transferring from community college lets students save money on their general education requirements while they decide on a major.
“I had two extra years to really hone in on what I wanted to do with my career,” Mallory Sullivan, LAHS class of 2014, said. Sullivan attended OCC for two years before transferring to Chapman University to major in broadcast journalism. Now, at 26 years old, she is a news producer at Good Day L.A.
“I was able to get my bachelor’s degree at a fraction of the cost, and once I transferred to Chapman I had every general education class out of the way and was able to dive deep into my major-related coursework,” Sullivan said.
According to Schaeffer, about one-third of LAHS students headed to college choose community college. Yet students hesitate to follow that path because others view it as inferior to the university path.
“When I told people I was going to OCC, their reaction was always ‘that’s okay!’ and ‘you’ll save some money,’ rather than the fanfare associated with committing to a four-year college,” Sullivan said.
Lewis described the community college stigma as a misconception that she witnessed at every school site she’s worked at.
“I hear students and parents say that ‘they worked too hard in high school to only go to community college,’” Lewis wrote in an email. “Because community colleges serve all students, some confuse this with serving as a catch-all for any student who ‘couldn’t cut it’ in a so-called ‘real’ college.”
Schaeffer said that people often assign too much value to universities because of their more exclusive acceptance.
“Just because something is easily accessible doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile,” she said.
A common misconception about community colleges is that they exist for students who didn’t do well in high school, but many students attend community college because it’s a better option for them financially, even though they were accepted into universities. However, community college does give students the opportunity to refocus on academics, so they can transfer to a university that might have been out of reach in high school.
“I wasn’t very academically motivated my freshman and sophomore year, so I really missed out on the coursework needed to qualify for a UC/Cal State,” Sullivan said. “Community college allowed me the time to get serious about my grades before transferring to Chapman.”
Another downside to community college for students is living at home. This is a pro for some students, but others want to move away from home to live in a dormitory for the “college experience” that universities offer.
“As one who went far away from home to attend college, I totally get this,” Lewis said. “However, it is important for students to understand that there are still plenty of opportunities to get connected on a community college campus.” She listed sports, student organizations, clubs and honors societies.
Along with smaller class sizes, community college offers training for non-traditional, yet advantageous, fields of study.
“There has been a huge increase in demand for students in career technical education (CTE) and skilled trades, which is where community colleges really shine compared to their university counterparts,” Lewis said.
Skilled trades include fire and computer science, welding, plumbing, nursing and more. Riehm said learning a trade is the “biggest secret” and “most lucrative path” because students can start working in their field within a year.
To increase their appeal to students, some community colleges are also adding on-campus housing and removing “community” from their names. According to BestColleges, in 2022, Pikes Peak Community College, in Colorado, became Pikes Peak State College.
Orange County College opened an on-campus housing complex in 2020. Last year, many other CCCs received state grants for housing, including Compton College, Fresno City College and Napa Valley College. Cerritos College currently has plans to build affordable student housing but lacks state funding, as reported by the L.A. Times.
The community college stigma is deeply rooted in our society, but to combat this, students can visit local community college campuses and learn about their programs.
“Educators and parents can start shifting their language to reframe community college from a ‘back-up option only’ to a potentially desirable option,” Lewis said.
LAHS senior Jamisen Penick suggested keeping an open mind and focusing on what you want when applying to college. Another senior said meeting successful community college alumni, like Sullivan, could help with the stigma.
“I think it could really be stressed more from the get-go that community [college] is a great, viable option for everyone,” Hebard said.
Riehm advised connecting with your counselor to plan early and taking a community college class while in high school. He also suggested taking math in the summer, which opens up classes with math prerequisites for college students to take come fall.
Many struggle with college decisions due to the perception of “good” schools, and misjudgments about community college keep many from recognizing its merit. Students should choose a school based on their goals and interests, not the opinions of others.
“The prestigious institutions have the corner market on fancy sweatshirts and big football programs. Too many are buying the $200,000 sweatshirt for the wrong reason,” Riehm said.
