The Myth of the 2+2 (or Using a Community College to Start a Bachelor's Degree)

The idea seems perfect:

• Community colleges (ccs) have lower tuition than four year schools, so you'll save money
• A student at a cc can live at home (there's a cc just about everywhere); that's a big cost savings
• Ccs have smaller classes than large universities
• Ccs are less of a cultural shift from high school than a traditional college or university with lower emphasis on socialization
• Ccs have full-service part-time programs

All of these statements are true, but they hide other crucial factors. What's wrong with this picture? It's incomplete at best, and doesn't consider any of the negatives.

Before I dig in, let me be clear that community colleges are often fantastic institutions that can serve populations and needs that traditional colleges and universities have difficulties with (at best); no one institution can serve and be appropriate/optimal for all students. Money is finite, and a cc is better than not going to school. There are students who are successful in a 2+2, so in that sense it's not a myth. However, before going this route you should carefully consider some consequences, and this essay will explore both the advantages and difficulties.

What's the Idea, and What's the Benefit?

The idea behind a 2+2 is simple: take two years of college courses at a community college and then transfer to a four year school. There are some important advantages:

Community colleges (ccs) have lower tuition than four year schools, so you'll save money

Tuition for a community college is often as low as $3,000 annually,vs. four year schools starting at $6,000, rising up to $15,000 for in-state tuition at a state university, and out-of-state tuition and private schools, well, the sky's the limit.

A student at a cc can live at home (there's a cc just about everywhere); that's a big cost savings

Living at home (zero rent) is cheaper than living in an apartment (if you happen to have friends or family who can support you this way). An apartment is typically cheaper than a dorm.

Ccs have smaller classes than large universities

This is very true. At a large state university, you may have multiple hundreds of classmates in a single course. Your profs might not know you by sight or name. You can be anonymous. At a community college, that's not the case; you will typically have a smaller class size and your profs will be more likely to know you. 

Ccs are less of a cultural shift from high school than a traditional college or university with lower emphasis on socialization

The culture of a cc is not going to emphasize socialization, sports, and other perceived distractions. Fraternities and sororities have no presence. For an immature student, living in a more controlled environment puts a safety net that might help keep students working. It's a way of getting your feet wet without diving in head first. Going to school full time is a major life change, and it's not always possible to make that change. Going to a cc can help bridge the experience, letting a student try to answer the question, "is college right for me?"

Ccs have full-service part-time programs

Even relative to urban universities that regularly offer part-time programs, community colleges tend to do a better job of serving part-time students. Rolling admissions and matriculation mean you can often start in a few weeks, rather than planning out a year ahead, and courses are planned for evenings and weekends. Even issues like parking can be simpler (although not necessarily).

If All of That Is True, What's the Problem?

In my field (computer science/information systems CS/IS), the reality is that the 2+2 outcome is a rare and best-case scenario. Some of this is the responsibility of the student and some the responsibility of the institution, but a lot of it is systemic.

So, the myths:

I'll save money

Not typically and not in the long run if you finish a bachelor's degree. Obviously, if you leave school before completing a bachelor's degree, it's cheaper to go to a cc. Unfortunately, students at ccs often fail to complete coursework for their transfer in two years. Suddenly an additional year of tuition and living expenses have to be factored in, eating into any cost savings. Also, you are delaying entering the workforce for an additional year, and that will impact earning (see the Bureau Of Labor Statistics data on relative earning and unemployment).

Living at home doesn't tend to save much money. Yes, dorms are expensive, but if you add in the expense of a car, gas, and parking, it's tougher to justify. Living in a shared apartment near campus can save money; some schools require freshmen to live on-campus, but very few require students to stay on campus after freshman year.

Everything will transfer

Many states have compacts to guarantee or nearly guarantee transfer of credits, which is nice but misleading. These compacts are not the same as articulation agreements. An articulation agreement is much more detailed and concrete, showing which courses transfer and (more importantly) how those classes transfer. If all transfer credits are general education credits, you'll be starting out your major from scratch.

I see this frequently with CS students. In CS, you'll typically take 2-4 sequenced programming classes before upper-division classes are available to you, and you'll also typically need at least a semester of calculus and possibly some other classes (matrix math, stat/probability, discrete math) as prereqs for the upper division classes. This is quite simply because most upper-division coursework in CS requires a great deal of programming expertise and additional knowledge in math, critical thinking, and logic. Assuming you have to take three sequence classes in programming, you won't start upper-division courses until your fourth semester, and you'll be looking at three years to degree completion.

Suddenly, your 2+2 with a savings of $6-24K is now a 3+3, and you've spent an extra chunk of change on tuition and living expenses before you even consider the lost wages from entering the professional workforce two years later than expected. In addition, some states and schools (including my current institution, UNC Charlotte) have a tuition surcharge for students who exceed a certain number of credits. At UNC Charlotte, you pay an extra 50% after 140 credits.

The lack of extracurricular activities will help me focus

There are many extracurricular activities in college, but they are typically focused on some aspect of professional or personal growth. Intramural sports build teamwork and help develop a healthy lifestyle. Social groups build interpersonal skills. Any organized group needs leaders, so if you get involved and stay involved, you'll likely have the opportunity to learn some leadership skills. Many groups have a service focus or component, and getting involved in service is fulfilling and rewarding in unpredictable ways.

In addition to personal/professional growth, there are many groups that are co-curricular. These groups tend to offer programs that help students learn more about their chosen field. For example, most schools with a CS program have a student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), which will offer activities to help students master concepts and practices of programming.

Don't underestimate the impact of social networking. The reason students from Ivy League schools do well is somewhat based upon skill, but also based upon the fact that every student has a peer whose mother/father works on Wall Street, in a big law firm, etc. Social and socio-professional networking happens at all schools, but the opportunities are very limited at a cc. Students spend relatively little time on campus and even those who do are unlikely to have extensive networks.

Even living at home is problematic. Residential students tend to outperform non-residential students. The best explanation I can give for this is a residential Learning Community (LC). These are typically self-selected programs where students live in the same dorm (sometimes the same floor or wing) and have special sections for intro courses (often LCs are specific to a major). I help advice a CS/IS LC, and have worked with them before. These students are around each other constantly, so they have a strong social support network. They can roll out of bed into a study group. They need to succeed in order to remain in their peer group.

In short, all of the activities students (and parents) are concerned with tend to improve education, both in-class and beyond.

Summing Up

You will note that nowhere in this essay I have challenged the academic quality of ccs. I'm a supporter. Many community colleges are or are becoming the trade schools of the modern world, providing relatively inexpensive educations and good career options. My point is that community colleges are not the best places to work on a four-year degree for most students.

I'm a fan of value in education; I did my undergrad and PhD at public schools, and attended public K-12 for the most part. I teach at a public school, and my last school (and the school before that) were public schools. I worry about the growth of student debt both for individuals and families and for society as a whole.

However, there is a vast difference between a value-driven decision about education and going with the cheapest option. For some students who have their backs to the proverbial wall, a cc is the only option. However, anyone who has the academic and financial wherewithal to go to a public university may very well save money in the long run.

In a future post, I will address the issue of easing the transition to a four-year school, but here's a hint: it involves planning.