Community colleges are sometimes thought of as the forgotten stepchild of higher education. As a result, these excellent institutions of knowledge may be overlooked.
For individuals who want an education through a graphics arts college or graphic arts school, community colleges may offer the career training you need in design, illustration, photography, and other related disciplines.
Why Go To A Community College?
Community colleges serve as public centers of learning for a college education. They provide two-year associates degrees, certificates, and career training.
Students attending community colleges often transfer to four-year colleges to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Nearly half of all undergraduates who pursue their bachelor’s degrees start their higher education at a community college.
Other benefits also include:
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Flexibility: Those who are unsure of which design field they want to go into can experiment by having the freedom in trying different classes. While this is possible at a four-year college, it will not be as costly to do this at a community college.
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Location: Many community colleges are relatively close to the homes and residences of students. This provides the convenience of attending classes and avoiding the cost of room and board by living at home.
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Smaller Class Sizes: Generally speaking, you can expect classes to be smaller at community colleges when compared to four-year universities. English classes, as an example, may have class sizes of 300 students or more at a university, while many community colleges try to keep class attendance between 20-50 students. This presents a better teacher to student ratio and personalized attention.
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Credit Transfer: Some students spend their two years at a community college with the express purpose of getting all their general education classes completed. Community college students then transfer these credits to the four-year college of their choice.
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Who Went To A Community College?
Successful individuals in various fields started their higher education by first attending a community college.
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Some of them are:
R. Bruce Merrifield, 1984 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Colin Powell - Former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State
Eileen Collins - NASA astronaut
Jim Lehrer - News anchor PBS
George Lucas - Film director/writer/producer
Janne Kirkpatrick - Former UN ambassador
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Film actor, politician
James D. Sinegal - CEO of Costco stores
Arthur Goldberg - Supreme Court Justice
Calvin Klein - Fashion designer
Consider the Alternatives
Should you go to a traditional college, attend classes through distance learning, or go to a community college? Each one has its advantages.
But if the specific benefits of going to a community college fits your needs, it may be the perfect solution for your design education and career training.
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Vorzie Studios
Excellent article. I thought that it was well written and informative, although with more popular JC’s the class sizes tend to be bigger. Also, transfer to a four year university from a JC is more possible than right out of high school, especially if the grades are not there…
no. 2 pencil
Thanks for the comment. Many of my friends opted to go to a JC first before making the jump to finish their bachelor’s degree at a 4-year college. They found the transition easier not only because they fulfilled their general requirements at their community college, but the time there also gave them a period to adjust to college life and to make mid-stream changes to their major if they found it necessary. This would be much costlier to do if they decided to go to a four-year college first. Thanks again and take care. :D
Audrey
This is a great article on design school education. I am trying to reach someone at graphic design basics.com to learn how to submit information about our school.
PLEASE PLEASE REPLY!
no. 2 pencil
Hi Audrey,
Thanks for the kind words. :D I’ll forward your request and information to the proper departments so you can make arrangements to submit information on your design school. Expect to hear from someone in a few days. Thanks again for dropping by and take care.
Edgar
I went to [..........] College and I need two more terms to go but I left because it was too expensive and I want to continued to school and finishing my graphic design
no. 2 pencil
Hi Edgar,
Thanks for dropping by. As far as your financial situation, I’m sorry to hear that you’re having difficulty in paying your tuition for graphic design school. There are several courses of action that you may want to look into to finish your degree. Some graphic design schools will allow students to finish their education through a loan program. After you finish your degree, you pay back the loan for your education
You can also look into programs which offer grants, scholarships or government sponsored loan programs for college education. Here is a previous article on here about government assistance and student loans: http://www.graphicdesignbasics.com/2009/05
You can also take graphic design courses at your local community college to receive an AA degree or certificate of completion. These degree programs may open the door to entry-level positions in graphic design.
Good luck to you and I hope you’ll be able to get your degree!