I Got an Excellent Education at Community College
Growing up, I never would have envisioned community college for myself.
It is embarrassing to admit that there was a time when I looked down on community college. Now that I have some hindsight, I see how presumptuous that was of me. In my old, simplistic view, going straight to university was just something that one did after high school. Of course, I knew other options like gap years and community college were out there, but I did not think that any of those alternatives could be for me. Had I let myself feel assured that university was in reality, one of many options, I likely would have gone about my last year of high school differently. Instead, I bitterly sat my standardized exams, submitted several apps and crossed my fingers.
Academically speaking, I went to an excellent high school — rated the best in its district. The prevalence of the view that community college was lesser, was no secret. Community college was widely seen as a place that housed deadbeats and screw-ups after high school. This shallow view pervaded then and still does today. Just as with many stereotypes, it keeps subjugated populations suppressed, and helps secure the status of those in power.
