The casualties of the ongoing FAFSA debacle continue to mount, despite Federal Student Aid Director Richard Cordray's neglect of the situation.On the other hand, the U.S. As the Department of Education works to repair a broken system, it is time for community college leaders to remind Americans that these important institutions exist. Experts predict that a huge number of students will not attend university this fall. You can avoid that by reminding them that they don't have to make college decisions in the spring and that the door to higher education is still open to them no matter when they find out they're eligible for aid. . Open. All is not lost if you embrace the vast and flexible opportunities that community colleges offer.
Dr. Sarah Goldrick Love
There's no need to assume that all college dreams will disappear if college counselors and advocates don't abandon their summer plans and help all students get into college. That will only happen if we refuse to tell our students that there are many accessible and affordable colleges where they can enroll this fall, even if they register at the last minute. Of the 7 million students attending community colleges, most enroll in late summer or fall, and many complete their aid applications after enrolling.
I think some people continue to think that community college is not a good fit for them.Hey, I went to a preparatory school., Encouraging someone to attend community college was an insult. I am very happy that my career has given me a more informed understanding of this field. Lately, I've been teaching at a community college in Philadelphia, and because of what I've learned, I highly recommend it to my own college-going son (whether he listens or not is another matter) (The culture of elitism is strong here.)
My last sociology class at a community college in Philadelphia included 36 students ranging in age from 16 to 36, many of whom were raising children while attending college. The other children worked full time and several were from the military. My classmates not only learned from me, but also from each other. And the diverse backgrounds meant everyone had something new to share.Frankly, it's far It's a richer learning environment than what was provided to my former students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Temple University.
It's important that all students have the chance to earn a bachelor's degree if they choose, and return on investment matters most for Black, Brown, and Indigenous students, whose dreams are more likely to be deferred due to FAFSA confusion. It is clear that it is. Recognizing that requires us to commit to helping them get there through transfer pathways that begin at community college. Although current transfer rates are modest, decades of research (including my own) show that students who typically start at community college are largely prevented from attending college due to multiple interlocking constraints. It is known that this is the cause.it is do not have For this current population of students, they are academically prepared and supported to attend a four-year college, but because of the FAFSA challenges, their chances of success are still very high even if they start at a community college.
Helping students realize that community college is a wise and viable path to a four-year university is important for students, for high school counselors, and for families and communities everywhere. It will be beneficial. Two-thirds of her undergraduate students are already enrolled at colleges within 40 miles of her home. We should create more incentives for universities to develop better relationships with community colleges. There has never been a more important time to learn in small classes with other students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Community college students are the most diverse in perspectives and experiences.
If a bachelor's degree is still the goal, and your local community college doesn't offer a bachelor's degree, they should offer more degrees because there's no reason the degree has to belong to the university, but to the community. Path to College can make earning your degree more affordable. Agreements between community colleges and universities can help with credit transfer. It doesn't always work, but that's where high school counselors should focus their energy. We tell future graduates how to start studying at a community college, take the right courses while saving money, and successfully transfer to a four-year school in one or two semesters. Please contact us later to make sure that happens. We partner with community colleges to personalize that instruction and get students where they want to be.
If a student has to delay college enrollment from fall to spring, it doesn't have to be the end of the world. The key is to plan productively in the months leading up to it and what to start in the spring. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, last year, 340,000 students enrolled in college for the first time in the spring, and 60% of those students enrolled at community colleges. Spring enrollment increased even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. The FAFSA should be up and running well before the end of the year.
We always have to worry that people's education plans may be derailed. Education remains important to our health, economy, and well-being. To support these plans, we need to move beyond the parochial view of a single path to a degree, set around a particular month of the calendar, and dependent only on a few institutions. Tell your students about community colleges and the many great options they offer. Consider sending your child there. And if you want to support their efforts to readjust to help communities avoid crisis, please write them a check, too.
Dr. Sarah Goldrick Love is an independent scholar who studies higher education policy and inequality, currently serving as a senior research fellow at Education Northwest and an adjunct professor at the Community College of Philadelphia.
