subject: Moms: Aim for an Associate Degree and More [print this page] Community college is often the punchline to jokes about college. If you're a hard-working mom, however, the junior college environment may be exactly what you're looking for. 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. For a long time 2-year colleges have seemed like schools to go to in order to waste time and money. The truth is that junior colleges are a welcoming environment that is usually close to home, relatively inexpensive and full of challenging course offerings. Young mothers who recently graduated high school obviously benefit from this situation, but so also do older mothers. The federal education grants for mothers are helping ambitious mothers take the classes they need to earn degrees. There are few better financial aid opportunities than a $5,000 grant. School costs like tuition can be extremely high, but one of the the best things about 2-year colleges is the relatively low cost of attendance. A $5,000 Pell Grant doesn't remove financial burdens, but it can certainly alleviate them. Consider that most college and university educations cost tens of thousands of dollars, but that isn't so at junior colleges. There is much competition at liberal arts colleges for scholarships, but at many junior colleges high SAT scores and GPA almost guarantee a significant scholarship. This is a significant prize for young moms who still managed to do well in school. Even with some expenses paid, the scholarship for moms can be used to pay for travel expenses, childcare and other school-related expenses. Increasingly, the curriculums at 2-year colleges are becoming more rigorous and offering more academic opportunities. In 2002, the New York Times reported that more than 150 junior colleges have an honors section. The standard teachings at 4-year schools are increasingly becoming the templates for smaller community colleges. A good example is the junior college that offers study credits in places such as London and French Polynesia. Since junior colleges are state- and locally-funded, it helps them as well when they offer intriguing courses and can attract top students. A community college education is well within reach for a mom who has earned an education grant. Even as they benefit from a $5,000 grant, mothers can reap the financial savings benefits of going to a small local college. Whether you want to eventually earn an advanced degree or want to go into a business or industry, junior college can help you achieve that goal. Two years of study and training at a community college has many career benefits.
