Good decisions require sufficient accurate information. Deciding on a college or university takes not only information about the institution, but also an understanding of the student and their fit within a campus environment.

Levels of social and emotional maturity, independence, self-motivation, and academic skill levels are important information factors for choosing the most appropriate place to start a college career. In addition, consideration of finances, employment needs, commitment to relationships (you know the girlfriend/boyfriend factor), and many other issues enter into the decision making process.

A community college may be the door to opportunity for you. Community colleges are centers of educational opportunity - an American invention that put publicly funded higher education at close-to-home facilities, beginning nearly 100 years ago. They are inclusive institutions that welcome all whom desire to learn, regardless of wealth, heritage or previous academic experience.

Based on studies of 100 US higher education institutions, the average four-year degree at a private college can cost a student upwards of $120,000. Even for those who look to publicly funded in-state options, a bachelor's degree can come with a price tag of $45,000 and more. More so now, with the economy in decline, states are cutting higher-education funding. Tuition at public universities now is racing far ahead of inflation.

In the last ten years, college-participation rates have soared, thanks in no small part to the highly competitive work places of this country, and the need for more highly qualified individuals in a global economy. College classrooms are bulging, and little is being done to off-set the need for more personalized instruction (smaller classrooms), and to have students better prepared to deal with the pitfalls of excruciatingly difficult academic and social pressures at the higher education level.

If you are "shopping around" for a college there are a number of questions you need to ask yourself and make sure you and your parents ask the same questions of admissions staffs at the colleges and universities you visit.

Some of the questions you must answer for yourself include the following. Do you want to live at home and commute or live on campus to have a residential experience? What can you afford and what scholarships or financial aid will you qualify for? What "size" school do you want to attend? How much personal attention do you need? What academic areas do you want to pursue? Do you want to go to school full-time or part-time? How flexible is your personal and work schedule? If you are like more than 50 percent of college bound students in the U.S. today, community colleges are the right answer to all of those questions.

The Community Colleges are the largest and fastest growing segment of public higher education in Massachusetts. Community Colleges serve over 225,000 students annually, in credit courses and non-credit courses. Community College students represent over 43% of the students in the public higher education system.

The Community Colleges are also an essential part of the workforce development environment in Massachusetts, providing over 5,000 workforce development courses each year for Massachusetts business and industry. Increasingly, Massachusetts' students and employers turn to the Community Colleges for education, workforce development, career training and lifelong learning. The Community Colleges respond to the changing needs of the population and the local and regional business community.

There are many good reasons for a recent—or not so recent—high school graduate to consider attending a community college. The need for a postsecondary education in America has not been greater, and an educated and skilled workforce is in high demand.

The website of the American Association of Community Colleges' notes that "Globalization is driving changes in our economy, and the need for an educated workforce has never been greater. The majority of new jobs that will be created by 2014 will require some postsecondary education."

High school graduates who wisely choose to attend a two-year community college find an environment that understands their needs, offers support in a variety of ways, gives them broad options to pursue studies, saves them money, and gives them the advantage of pursuing higher education in the comfort of a familiar environment – their home town.

Community colleges have an open admissions policy that reduces student anxiety about being accepted. They also provide the security of encountering the demands of higher education in a familiar setting, which reduces added anxiety and can lead to higher achievement as the student matures.

There are many decisions to be made when selecting the type of education and training you will need when completing high school. Like many other choices you will make in life, there are positives and negatives that need to be considered.

Early College High Schools (ECHS) are autonomous high schools located on a higher education campus. A student enrolled in an ECHS will have the opportunity to complete high school in 4 to 5 years as well as earn approximately 60 semester credit hours of collegiate course work. Partnerships between a community college and a public school district have established the following Early College High Schools:
Del Mar College/Corpus Christi ISD
El Paso Community College/Socorro ISD
Houston Community College System - Southeast College/Houston ISD

f you are considering going to college, it’s time to give community college a closer look. Nearly half of all undergraduate students in the United States are enrolled at community colleges. Community colleges offer career programs that prepare students for immediate employment and transfer programs that prepare students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities.