subject: Junior College on the Road to Being a Professional [print this page] Community college is often the punchline to jokes about college. For women with children, 2-year colleges actually have some tremendous advantages. Community colleges welcome bright students, and they have many benefits to offer. With financial opportunity you could get the education you want and need. For a long time 2-year colleges have seemed like schools to go to in order to waste time and money. At a 2-year college, students can stay close to home to develop maturity or save money or even take basic courses to help determine their future majors. Mothers who work could especially benefit from the 2-year college system. 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. Earning $5,000 to help pay for school is a very attractive offer. 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. Moms who apply for a $5,000 grant certainly want to be cost conscious when going to school. At a 4-year institution the cost of attendance could be 30,000 a year or more. Having high SAT scores and GPA could result in a 2-year college paying through scholarships for that bright student to come to that school. Teen mothers who performed well in high school should definitely take note of this. Travel expenses and housing are just a couple of the other necessary expenses that could be covered with the $5,000 grant. Increasingly, the curriculums at 2-year colleges are becoming more rigorous and offering more academic opportunities. Many 2-year schools give their high-achieving students the chance to enroll in the school's honors program. Certain community college are beginning to mirror the syllabi at big-name colleges and universities. Some schools allow students to study subjects like philosophy and cultural art in places around the world. All of these diverse courses and study opportunities expand students' knowledge and help them enroll in 4-year colleges. 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. 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.
Junior College on the Road to Being a Professional
