Is there a community college in your area? If so

The range of classes and scope of subjects available at the community college level offer something of use to just about anyone. And anyone who thinks that the caliber of learning available is anything less than top notch should take another look.

With focus being squarely on 4-year universities as the brass ring for those in pursuit of a college education, community colleges have gotten a bad rap. Aside from being a venue for working professionals and other non-academics to brush up or gain needed knowledge to compete effectively, community colleges, for example, are responsible for turning out many nursing professionals in the US.

As opposed to programs at universities where the ratio of teachers to students is less favorable, the nursing programs in a number of states' community colleges are equally, if not more, challenging.

Fewer students per teacher also often means a greater amount of direct clinical experience for nursing students. More hands on experience, even in a two-year associates program can mean a nursing professional more experienced in patient care than a graduate of a 4-year bachelor's program.

This not to say that a Bachelor's degree is not needed as it usually is for all but administrative positions. The point is that, the value of those first two years of training at the community college level, is often taken for granted.

Having teachers who are focused on teaching is another highly valuable benefit to starting out in a two-year community program. Taking nothing away from teachers and professors at the university level, there is a benefit to a student whose teacher is not dividing time between teaching, publishing and research. When focused on the student's achievement exclusively, the added attention cannot help but benefit the student.

For college bound students who did not do as well in high school as they could have, community college can be a pivotal transition into their college career. The same can be said for those who have taken a lengthy sabbatical from upper learning. Classes in giant lecture halls filled with 400 pupils do not exist. Neither does the extremely limited amount of teacher/student interaction that is the norm at many universities.

For those that choose not to continue beyond the two-year associates program, they have the added benefit of those two years and the improved earning potential provided over those with no college experience. And it's interesting to note that studies have shown that those who have completed an associates program at community college and then gone on to a 4-year college are more likely to complete those 4 years successfully than a student who went directly to a university.

For those considering an initial stint at a community college, there are some considerations if you plan on later attending a bachelor's program. Be sure that the school you plan on transferring to accepts transfer credits for the particular courses you will take at the 2-year school. Speaking with both the university and a counselor at the community college should help iron out such details.

Not every required course will be available at every community college. And some courses are not offered every semester or quarter. Plan well in advance to avoid the need to make up classes later.

As wonderful as the opportunity of community college is (or university for that matter), a student only gets out of it what they put in. But for those who have the desire to learn, the value is great.