Earlier this week I was fooling around on Google when I found myself typing “community college students.” Take a guess at what was first up on the list of search suggestions.
Give up? “Community college students are stupid.” That’s right. Apparently, that’s what the rest of the world thinks of us; I can’t say I’m surprised, really.
I remember in high school when everybody was exploring colleges and asking each other who would apply to what school. Every time I answered “community college” I was met with a condescending look, a scoff, a smirk. “Oh, really? Well, I’m going to go to a real college.”
Look, I get it. Most Wall Street businessmen probably didn’t spend the early days of their higher education taking classes at a junior college. Neither, I bet, did most high-ranked politicians. But George Lucas and Tom Hanks sure did, the latter of which went to Chabot College in Hayward, not too far away. Sarah Palin went to community college too–although I’m not sure she does much to defeat the stereotype.
If anything, community college students are smarter. Not only do we avoid wasting time and money taking standardized tests all throughout high school, but according to the Statewide Career Pathways project, we also (excluding textbook and boarding costs) save up to $5,000 compared to a student who attends a CSU for four years — around $20,000 compared to a four-year UC student.
No need to feel bad about myself, in that case.