subject: Moms: How Education Scholarships Can Help You [print this page] Moms: How Education Scholarships Can Help You
Junior colleges frequently get a bad rap. For busy moms community college can be a wonderful idea. Community colleges welcome bright students, and they have many benefits to offer. Earning money to go to school is also an important but not impossible task. It's a big myth that junior colleges aren't for serious students. In reality many community colleges offer stimulating classes and often are right in your back yard. Young mothers who recently graduated high school obviously benefit from this situation, but so also do older mothers. Initiated in 2009, President Obama's Grants for Moms are aimed at alleviating some of the financial pressure moms have in trying to go to school. Getting $5,000 can go a long way toward earning a professional degree. The most important reason for many who attend a community college is the lower costs. Even having a $5,000 award doesn't take away from the wisdom of trying to save money. Usually the tuition and fees at a junior college are more than 50% less expensive than many colleges and universities. In fact many high school graduates with a high SAT score can get a full scholarship to go to junior college. A scholarship based on achievement is a huge incentive for many ambitious teenage mothers. A student can use the mom grant to pay for any school or school-related costs. At many schools the gap is closing between the classes that 2-year colleges offer and those that are offered at big liberal arts universities. Honors programs at colleges are often a symbol of success, and a 2002 New York Times report found that many junior colleges offer these programs. Chances to study broad interests are also part of the developing community college landscape. For example, many junior colleges now offer study abroad courses in places like China and Mexico. The exciting variety of classes that a student can take will only help as he or she moves on to a 4-year school or into the working world. The federal grant money for mothers will give an important boost to the women who want to go to school. The $5,000 grants for moms can ensure that junior college is within reach. Junior colleges are fully capable of producing capable professionals who move into work or go on to get an advanced degree. Two years of study and training at a community college has many career benefits.
