With the topic of college being the prime conversation of almost every senior I know currently, there are many debates as to what the best option is as far as private or public, university or community, etc. The fact of the matter is, though, the best option varies from person to person.

The thing that bothers me in these conversations is that people tend to bash on community college when there is absolutely nothing wrong with that route of choice. Everybody has personal preferences and what works best for you may be completely different than your best friend’s and that’s okay. Some people choose community college because it better fits their family’s financial situation.

While loans and grants can help, sometimes you can’t get them and even if you can, it’s not always nearly enough. Other times, it’s just the student’s preference. For certain people, college is too much of a culture shock for them. Leaving home is already hard enough for some people, especially those with anxiety or any other similar disorder, and the added workload of college is too much for some people.

I think people tend to believe that college is going to be just like high school, but from what I’ve heard, the difference is shockingly significant. Even if you think you know you would rather attend a university, you may want to consider your well being in that environment. For instance, I am applying to five colleges as of right now, one of them being Texas A&M.

A&M has a community college in College Station that transfers directly there called Blinn.  They have a program called Blinn Team where students attend half Blinn classes and half A&M classes while getting to live on campus. Something like this seems to be the best option for me currently. It could change, but that’s part of my plan right now because it still allows the opportunity of doing the fun college stuff that everybody’s excited about with less pressure.

Some people would be fine emotionally and financially attending university full time, but that is not the case for everyone and that’s what people need to understand. Community college is not for “dumb” people, or people who are incapable of getting accepted into a university, it’s just a different option.