Students who go to Community College more successful in 4-year school than high school students

It is interesting that students who graduate and go to Community College for two years, and then transfer to a 4-year school to complete their bachelors degree, have a slightly higher graduation rate than those high school graduates who go straight to a 4-year school. Students who go to a 4-year school, and transfer to another 4-year school, actually have the lowest graduation rate in college.

There is that stigma all across the country that going to a Community College is not as 'successful' as going straight to a 4-year college. There is an air of 'status symbolism' with all this, to be sure. But in this day and age when one can save literally tens of thousands of dollars of debt, to take many of the same introductory classes as you would at a 4-year college, and still be more likely to graduate with a bachelors degree, why are we still not seriously talking about this in normal conversations with students and parents? Most students do not know what they want to study in college as a major, let alone what their career will be. Why not talk with students about exploring different areas of interest and different fields of study in Community College prior to having to declare a major?

Community Colleges are (and always have been) wonderful resources of education that are available to their communities. These schools are vital now in re-training for many American workers, as technologies overhaul professions and more 'blue collar' careers. In addition, speaking of bachelors degrees and where one goes to college, in general keep in mind that the data show it does not matter what school you go to that determines success long-term in life. These are important studies that hopefully will be part of conversations at dinner tables everywhere as students and parents discuss the future educational options for college and beyond. So it really does not mean the end of your options in life if you don't get accepted into that Ivy League school, and you have to 'settle' for something that is not as high on some generic rankings list or on a reputation list.

Hopefully these studies and data will help alleviate some of the stressors our children are experiencing, leading to record levels of child depression and anxiety, drug addictions, and teen suicides.