Why Community College Should be the First Choice During the Pandemic

If committing to college was not hard enough already, the wake of COVID-19 has many students second-guessing whether or not to attend a four-year university. Even before the pandemic, choosing between attending a community college or a four-year university is one of the toughest choices that students will have to make in their academic career. However, the pandemic seems to have revealed that community college is the wiser financial choice for students and their families.

Between dorm life, parties, campus clubs, dining hall meetups, Greek life, and football games, four-years provide a social scene and a sense of community that is considered a main appealing feature to students. But social perks aside, there are seemingly no differences between campuses at community colleges and universities currently due to online learning.

In today's current environment, when taking into account the vibrant social activity of the latter, there's evidently a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 exclusively at four-year universities. Community colleges do not come with dorm life, which fortunately facilitates proper social distancing guidelines. Students can remain in the comfort of their own homes, safe from contracting the virus from peers.

According to Business Insider, most community colleges are taking the distanced learning route for the fall 2020 semester. This means most classes are conducted online, making campuses closed and the risk of contracting COVID-19 much lower. The New York Times’ “Tracking Covid in the U.S. Colleges and Universities” data shows that the majority of community colleges face cases in the low range of 50 or below, unlike four-years which have case ranges between between 100-500. Many community colleges do offer hybrid, in-person classes. However, the removal from the potential social temptations, like Greek life, make it safer to attend on-campus classes.

The wake of COVID-19 has eliminated all of the social allures that made universities more favorable over community colleges. The party scene at many universities are somewhat infamous, with certain campuses even being touted for their party-status, like Arizona State University (ASU) and University of Southern California (USC). With the current health crisis, college parties have become prohibited. This does not mean that the temptations of parties have ceased.

Several university students have received disciplinary action due to their transgression against social distancing policies established by their universities. Local schools like University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC have both seen numbers rise a result of gatherings, with UCLA at 136 cases since Sept. 10 and USC with an astonishing 358 cases. Santa Monica College’s (SMC) COVID-19 cases stand at 15 as of Sept. 10.

COVID-19 has changed the typical college experience. New health guidelines for colleges consist of students staying in their dorm rooms for the majority of the fall semester. With these regulations in place, four-year university students are living similar lives to community college students. University students have less freedom at their schools’ campuses, as most have closed common congregated areas like study rooms, libraries, and dining halls.

Numerous schools have also been under fire for the lack of safety precautions over Labor Day weekend. USA Today reported that several Boston colleges, like Harvard University and Northeastern University, were partying at the Charles River, despite their skyrocketing cases. The news outlet also mentioned the overwhelming number of positive cases from over 40 Indiana University fraternities and sororities, despite being told by officials to cancel any Greek life activities planned.

USA Today noted Acacia Fraternity House at Indiana University “had sported an 87.5% positivity rate in the latest round of testing reported by the university.” Even students who follow the guidelines still risk contracting the virus by simply passing a party-goer in the hall. Attending a community college eliminates that possibility because there are no parties attended by those who live in campus residence halls, or held on campus residence halls.

Whether or not you’ve have gotten sick, we have all felt the economic effects of the pandemic. COVID-19 has brought the highest rate of unemployment since the Great Depression. According to a U.S News Art & Science Group Poll in April, “52% of prospective college students surveyed had a parent or guardian who lost his or her job or had been furloughed.” Around 88.1 million Americans have received stimulus checks from the government due to the financial burden of COVID-19.

Community college is also the financially smarter decision. Tuition is already significantly less expensive than at four-year universities, and the pandemic has highlighted the cost-wisdom and efficiency of attending one. With a more fragile economy, there is a need for less expensive, higher-education options.

Students from all around the country, and even the world, flock to get a piece of dorm life, football games, college parties, and Freek life. But now, without the full-experience that they paid for, is that money simply gone to waste?

Not only does tuition make it difficult since university students don’t get the full-experience that they pay for, out-of-state students also suffer the extra travel expenses. According to the Independent piece, “Coronavirus: What college and universities will look in the fall as cases surge across the US” by Danielle Zoellner, many colleges and universities are taking on an early fall semester to avoid flu season crossing over with COVID-19.

The University of Notre Dame in Indiana announced the school year would start on August 10, two weeks earlier than previous academic years, so classes could end prior to the Thanksgiving break in November. The decision was based on concern around how the coronavirus and flu season might impact healthcare systems in the winter months.

In other words, the short turn-over period students would face attending a four-year university is quite hectic. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, only 8% of colleges and universities are committing to 100% online classes this fall. The Chronicle of Higher Education also reported that 60% of colleges and universities are continuing with in-person classes.

However, experts Shweta Bansal, Colin Carlson and John Kraemer — three health and biology professors at Georgetown University — warn to The Washington Post that “every way we approach the question of whether universities can resume on-campus classes, basic epidemiology shows there is no way to 'safely' reopen by the fall semester."

The financial burden of university tuitions loom upon many families’ financial landscape, especially those in 4-year universities. Yet, with the reformation of university life due to COVID-19, university tuitions are not worth the educational services that the students are receiving.

Is it worth their time, money, and health? Or could they be receiving the exact same services for a better price and in a safer environment at a community college? Universities have become serious hotspots for COVID-19 and the only way to lessen cases is following social distance guidelines which becomes a much harder task at a university.