Ask Isa: The truth about community college stereotypes [spoiler alert: they're wrong]

I've received so many questions that allude to stereotypes about community colleges and wanted to address them here for anyone thinking about going to community college for an associates degree, a career program or to transfer on to eventually earn a bachelors degree. Hope it helps! :)

I feel like some people act like there is something wrong with community colleges, that they're for "dumb" people. Is that true?

There is NOTHING wrong with community colleges. But you are right the stereotype is there. It's just wrong. 

Community colleges started to open access to college for all people, especially those who may have been shut out in the past (e.g. low-income people, minorities, veterans, etc.).

Our culture is obsessed with status, and thus community colleges are seen as "less than" because you don't have to apply to "get in." That's why the tagline to my blog is "Because going to community college doesn't mean you couldn't get in anywhere else."

Community colleges are brimming with bright students, and many community college alumni go on to do amazing things. 

Community college courses are not for "dumb" people. (And really, I don't think there are "dumb" people. I think there are just people who haven't had the opportunity to see what they're capable of.) 

Many university students take summer classes at community colleges that transfer back to their universities! I've known many community college students who've gone on to the Ivy League, even Harvard. 

A reason you may sense a negative reaction to community colleges is that their graduation rates do tend to be low. 

But the reasons students drop out (keep in mind community colleges serve a large proportion of low-income and first generation students) seem to have much more to do with them not having enough money or schedule flexibility - not because they aren't smart or because the institution doesn't provide resources for success. 

The biggest difference is that in college, especially a large inexpensive community college, it is now up to you to seek out those resources on a daily basis (that's what my book is all about!).

In short: community college is a wonderful place to start and there is nothing wrong it.

Anyone who attends should be so proud. To me, community colleges are the
American Dream.


Can I really be successful with an associates degree? What if I just want to do a two-year program and don't want to transfer to a university? 

I see nothing wrong with getting an associates degree! You can check out some basic statistics on earnings here, and I encourage you to search the internet for additional reputable sources to find out more. 

Two of my other favorite places to research careers when it comes to degree requirements and earnings potential are the U.S. Dept of Labor's Occupational Handbook and InsideJobs.com. 

I think you are so smart for asking these questions now and doing the research early will serve you well. 

If you've done the research and you find out your ultimate dream career does not require a bachelor's degree then you are good to go! 

The best way to know is to ask advice of someone who is in that career and ask them what degree they got and what degree they think will help you best get the entry level job you want as well as create a sustainable career to allow you to move up to where you ultimately think you want to go in your future.

Also keep in mind it's never too late to get a bachelors or other advanced degree if you decide later. I've known many who've gone back in their 40's and 50's and done very well, though they do say getting it done earlier (before kids and mortgages) is preferable when possible. That's why it's so smart you're doing the research now.

Can I really be successful if I only go to community college and don't get a bachelor's degree?

Yes I truly believe that you can. I think success relies more on the effort you put forth, the self-learning you do, and the attitude you have much more than the type of college you attend. 

Statistics show that generally advanced degrees do equal higher earnings, so some form of post-secondary education is a great way to get a successful path started. And of course - it also depends how you define success! The amount of money you can make may not always be what drives you. 

I fully believe education is the best investment you can make. You are a good investment - but only when you are doing the research to make sure you're investing in something you really want to do and are able to bring your 100% to the process. 

And finally, as I'm sure you know, a degree alone isn't enough to equal automatic success. 

It takes so much more, but if you are asking these types of questions and doing the research then you are already on that path.

Keep doing the research, find out what you really want to do, set goals, plan your journey, seek mentors, adjust when necessary, and put in your 100% every single day. 

If you do that, you can absolutely be successful. Community college is a great place to start, and I think career programs (e.g. culinary, nursing, law enforcement, EMT, automotive, dental hygienist, welding, etc.) are some of the things that make community colleges so special, in addition to the opportunity to transfer.

Inspiring CC student faked a teen pregnancy for her HS senior project

Last year the media went into a frenzy when they found out Washington HS Senior Gaby Rodriguez faked her own pregnancy for a senior project.

Gaby's mom had her first child when she was a teenager. And many of Gaby's siblings also experienced teenage pregnancy. According to statistics, Gaby too was "expected" to become pregnant as a teenager.

Gaby was a high achieving high school student. Each year the seniors at her high school have to do a big senior project. As Gaby began noticing the strength of stereotypes in high school, and how some of her own family members sadly accepted their stereotypes, she decided she wanted to do something that would show how, much more than our backgrounds, it's the negative things people say to each other that breed cyclical stereotypes. 

Gaby wore a fake belly and told only her mom, her boyfriend Jorge, her best friend (so she could write down all the mean things people said behind her back) and a teacher (who also wrote down the negative things teachers said behind her back) about her project.

What Gaby found was that once she got "pregnant," no one seemed to care that she was still getting good grades and was at the top of her class. To both teachers and students, her life was essentially over. Forget college. She would never amount to anything.

While everyone agrees teen pregnancy is something to discourage, once it happens, is it really the best thing to put the teens down even more? 

I remember being shocked when I talked to Channel Baez, a former teen mom who graduated college and attended a Harvard leadership program, on the phone as she told me how instantly people stopped believing in her when they found out she was pregnant, despite her top grades. 

While Channel is the first to tell people teenage pregnancy makes life so much harder, she works with other teen moms to help them realize it doesn't mean life - or potential - has to end. In fact, it's even more essential that the moms are encouraged to develop their full potential, because now there are two lives at stake. 

Gaby experienced stress and heartache when she realized how instantly the people who once believed in her were ready to give up on her completely. To them, according to their comments, her life was over and her potential, wasted.

Gaby wondered - is it the nature of what happens that makes people become statistics, or is it the things other people say and the low expectations that drive them deeper into failure? 

This was the question that drove the introverted Gaby to take on such risk and essentially give up her senior year for this project; she never anticipated the media would become interested in what she was doing (her project also inspired a Lifetime movie).

I was astounded by Gaby's bravery as I read her memoir, The Pregnancy Project, and its theme - how stereotypes become self-fulfilling prophesies - struck me hard in my work with community college students. 

Because the title of my blog has always been Because going to community college doesn't mean you couldn't get in anywhere else.

My goal in all of this was to create a platform to defy the stereotype of community colleges and give students the tools they need to succeed to their potential. Because, like Gaby, I believe those stereotypes are damaging and that they stifle potential that keeps great talent from our world and economy. 

I was also excited to find out that Gaby is currently attending a community college - Columbia Basin College. Another example of an incredibly intelligent student choosing community college. 

I highly recommend reading The Pregnancy Project. It is one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time, and while it'll have you on the edge of your seat, it will also help you rethink the power that our words have on the trajectories of each other's lives. 

What the TV show Community teaches about community colleges (my answer my surprise you)

In my recent interview on the national TV show The Daily Buzz (see below), I was surprised when they introduced the piece with a clip from the hit NBC show Community, hinting that it is responsible for some of the negative stereotypes on community colleges. 

I thought it was a fun way to open the segment. And while the irreverent show does sometimes highlight the unfair negative stereotypes of community colleges (you can watch the opening trailer here), highlighting stereotypes doesn't necessarily mean they agree with them. I think the show has a lot more good to say about community colleges than some may realize.

And in the end, the stereotypes of community colleges existed long before this show. The days of Saved by the Bell and Boy Meets World are over, and in our current post-modern TV era of dry humor and bleak futures, I think Community actually offers more hope and positivity than meets the eye.

Here are the positive messages (and maybe even some great lessons) that I see in this hilarious show (which, was actually inspired by the creator Dan Harmon's own community college experience at the age of 32):  

1.  Actually studying in study groups isn't necessary: If you notice in the show, they don't actually seem to do much studying in their study group (wouldn't be that interesting of a show if they did, though, would it?). But I think this is actually really important. As I've mentioned in articles about study groups before, they are really most useful for creating a social circle in college, especially when you don't live on campus. (Majority of studying should be done on your own, and then brought to a group for extra discussion and help).
2. Don't go home: The stories in this show rarely take the characters away from the college. They seem to spend the majority of their days there; they don't just go to class and go home. That wouldn't be much fun, would it? The elements that make Community an interesting show are the same elements that make college a more fulfilling experience. Do you have a study room, a home base? It can be hard to find at a commuter college, but they are there. Develop a group of people and find a space on campus that feels like your own.
3. Know everyone: If you watch the show you'll notice everyone at the college seems to know each other in a high-school sort of way - they even eat together in a cafeteria. They have cliques, funny names, and get into all sorts of crazy activities with each other.They also know the professors, advisers, and the dean (more than they wish they did at times). But the key here is there is a community, the kind that magically draws us into sitcoms in a way we almost feel like we are a part of them - and it's this kind of community that actually can exist in real community colleges. While community colleges are growing, you can create a smaller community wherever you are by getting to know everyone around you. Can you mention people by name when you walk down the halls? Do you eat lunch with friends? Make it happen (just don't make enemies or nickname anyone Star Burns).
4. Have fun: Community is not your average show. They often share their stories in incredibly unique and unbelievable ways. If the words epic pillow vs. blanket war, paintball, zombies, or claymation mean anything to you, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you've never seen the show, you'll just have to trust me - this show is creative. They do things differently, and the characters have fun. Be sure to add creativity and fun to your college experience - it can be hard to do when you're working to pay for college and find it hard to fit everything in. If Community wasn't fun, no one would watch. And if community college isn't fun, you probably won't do as well as you could. Make it fun.
5. Embrace all kinds of people: In the end, Community isn't a show really about community college. Community college is the setting, but the show is about the people in community college (which is actually what my book is all about). And it is the people in the show and their friendships that I think give the most positive depiction of community college. The cast of characters in this show come from all walks of life and all ages. They have a purpose for being in college. They care about being involved and about each other. They encourage each other to keep going when things are tough. They support each other. And, for many of them, community college is a second chance they never would have had otherwise. Find and embrace those beautiful people in the halls and classrooms of your community college. They will offer a lot of support, and a lot of laughs.  

Before Community first aired, the creator Dan Harmon was asked if the show would portray community colleges negatively, as some were worried it might do. Dan said: "this is going to be a commercial for community college in general because this is a place where you can do anything and be anything...The flawed characters are coming into it and becoming unflawed by being in this place because it's been underestimated by the system around it."

Well said, Dan.