<\/a>Mia Brooks
\n<\/strong>MC 301 Contributor\/Staff<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the biggest concerns for American families today is how to pay for college. The rising costs of tuition at four-year universities have driven families to find other routes to higher education.<\/p>\n

Community colleges were designed to expand students\u2019 access to higher education.<\/p>\n

But in recent years, they have been asked to put unemployed Americans back to work, quickly prepare students for specific technology jobs, and catapult others into four-year institutions, according a report by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).<\/p>\n

There are many benefits to attending community college, such as the money you can save.<\/p>\n

According to reports by AACC, a year\u2019s tuition at a community college costs less than $3,000 on average, compared to more than $8,000 annually for in-state tuition at a four-year college.<\/p>\n

For the last decade, enrollments have been increasing faster at two-year schools than four-year institutions. Today, community colleges enroll 6.5 million degree-seeking students, or nearly half of all college undergraduates, according to usnews.com<\/p>\n

Jackson State University has made it a priority to recruit transfer students by forming relationships with many community colleges throughout Mississippi and offering academic scholarships.<\/p>\n

Attending a two-year school offers many benefits to students other than lower tuition costs.<\/p>\n

Community college is a great opportunity for students to learn in small class sizes, improve their transcripts and to also test the waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the best benefits for a community college graduate is that he or she will have a gained great sense of completion by completing their Associate of Arts degree. Most of them come in to the university academically mature,\u201d said Paul Scott, JSU Community College Recruiter.<\/p>\n

According to a study by Penn State University, 80 percent of students entering college admit that they are not certain of what they want to major in, even if they have initially declared a major. In addition, up to 50 percent of college students change their majors at least once before graduation, and some change numerous times.<\/p>\n

Although there are many great benefits of transferring, some students say they have experienced some downsides.<\/p>\n

Many students may lose credits when transferring due to a difference in curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I had just come in as a freshman, because some of my credits didn\u2019t transfer causing me to have to stay in school longer,\u201d said Tiara Perkins, a senior social work major from Moore haven, Fla.<\/p>\n

Jimelda Elliott, an alumnus of Mississippi Delta Community College from Greenwood, Miss., said that adjusting to a new environment could be difficult as a transfer student.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you transfer everything is new to you. Everybody has already formed a bond and you kind of have to find your place. Sometimes it can feel like you missed a part of the college experience by not coming in as freshmen,\u201d said Elliott.<\/p>\n

Although there may be some downsides to transferring, it does not hinder any student from being successful.<\/p>\n

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 60 percent of those who transfer from community colleges earn a bachelor\u2019s degree within four years.<\/p>\n

Transfer students can overcome these obstacles by getting active on campus, finding a mentor and a club or organization that fits you, said Scott.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to let the downsides of transferring stop me because it\u2019s not how you start but how you finish,\u201d said Perkins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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