Decreasing Debt

$29,400 is a lot of money. Would you believe that that is the national average of student loan debt? According to the article “Average student loan debt: $29,400” (http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/04/pf/college/student-loan-debt/) posted in December of 2013, student debt is continuing to rise and has risen nearly 500% since 1985. It is no wonder, with state and private universities costing an average of $27,000 a year. But if students were to consider earning their Associates degree at a community college and then transfer to a four-year university, they would save on average, $22,000 dollars a year. That is $44,000 total saved over those two years that could help pay for their next two years at a four-year college. You do not want to deal with students loans, because they take many years to pay off, and that is not a beneficial start to your career.  Also, by attending a community college, you have the freedom to explore and try out different classes relating to majors that interest you without wasting thousands of dollars while you decide. Because many students change their majors half way through anyway, why spend extra cash just to change your mind? A couple of reasons why students often ignore this way of earning their degree is because they think that they will not get the same education as they would have if they were spend four years at a university, or that they will be behind in their education. But both of these are incorrect. I recently found out that an acquaintance of mine who attends Indian Wesleyan University, a music major like me, is using the exact same music theory books that I am using as I attend Illinois Central College. Also, statistics have shown that students who transfer from a community college to a four-year university are often ahead of those who began their education at a university. As you try to make the difficult decision of where to attend college, think of the excellent benefits that community college has to offer.