Desiree+S's+Op-Ed+Article



media type="file" key="desh-muckrakers-2012.mp3"

=__What’s //So **B**//____//**ad**// About Going to a Community College After High School?__=

I feel like many people look down on the option of going to a community college right after high school. It’s true, right? But honestly, //why// do they think it's an awful idea? It seems like they get the impression that if you go to a community college you'll go nowhere and accomplish nothing, forever being stuck at a school that’s considered a trap. Well, that’s absolutely //not// the case for everybody. And you know what? I think it can be a smart choice. You can go to a community college for two years and then transfer to a UC or any other highly impressive school for a much lower cost, and that sounds great to me.

Now, I'm discussing this topic because after high school, I plan on going to Santa Barbara City College. Every time I tell people this,I feel that looked-down-on tone of voice used on me. I always feel like I have to explain, because I definitely get the notion that people think badly of me for wanting to go to a city college. So, here's my explanation:

I want to pursuit a career in culinary arts so I can become a chef. I've heard many wonderful things about the culinary program at SBCC, so I want to begin my studies there. You might be wondering, "Why don’t I want to begin to learn to be a chef at schools like Cordon Bleu or Culinary Institute of America?" Well, the problem with these very famous culinary schools is that they’ll just teach me how to cook. That's great, but I want some kind of business background as well, in case I want to open my own restaurant or bakery some day. The great thing about the program at SBCC is that they have classes like Restaurant and Hotel Management and other business classes too. I think it’s the perfect place to start!

Community colleges can be wonderfully helpful places to go to school. They don’t cost that much, and allow you to save money in the future. And really, not all of them are awful and run down. Some have beautiful campuses, okay?

I’m not trying to say that everyone should start out at a community college, because we all have different interests and different ways we want to pursuit our lives. My point is that community colleges can be a great places for people to begin their post-high school education – and UCs and other private schools can too. Community colleges can be just as beneficial to someone as a UC can be, like in my case. Anyway, there aren't any UCs that have a Culinary Arts program from what I know of. So please, don’t judge or criticize someone for going to a community college. We’re all very different people with very different interests.