Additional Factors To Consider When Assessing a Community College

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Student Life

What's the campus environment like? Is there somewhere on campus for students to congregate, such as a student activity or multicultural center? What's the cafeteria like and where is it? Even if you're in and out of campus just to take classes, you'll want to know that there's somewhere to get a cup of coffee and sit and study or meet other students.

Is there a range of extracurricular activities and sports in case you have the time or desire to get involved on campus? Participation in extracurricular activities can be a resumecopy; builder. Most campuses have student government, student clubs, and other opportunities to get engaged with the campus.

Transfer Options with Four-Year Colleges

Check into what assistance the community college can give you with transferring to a four-year institution, both in- and out-of-state. This can be an easy or complex process, depending on the state in which you live and what types of articulation agreements exist between your community college and four-year institutions. Articulation agreements are agreements that allow for a transfer of course credit between colleges. In other words, credits you earn at community college can count toward your degree at a four-year institution. These agreements are institution-specific, but can be valuable to students who take advantage of them.

You'll need guidance from your community college AND the four-year institution early in your community college career if you intend to transfer. There should be someone on staff who understands the process, can give you guidance, and can troubleshoot for you.

Reputation

Community colleges are not ranked nationally by publications such as The Princeton Review or U.S. News & World Report, so you won't be able to find out how your community college rates compared to other ones. Your community college, however, does have a reputation.

It's worth knowing how students rate the college and its services, how they evaluate the faculty, and how both students and community members perceive the college for quality of education and customer service. This information is often available online through surveys conducted by the college. Four-year institutions and employers also know the reputation of your college and will be aware of the quality of instruction you will have received.

Reality Check: A Checklist of Questions You Should Ask

Here is a recap of some of the questions you should ask while researching community colleges to factor into your decision-making process. Only you can determine which factors are most important to you.