Attending college is always going to be a major decision in a person’s life no matter who you are. There are so many aspects that goes along with attending college, such as where you’ll live, what you’ll study, and who you’ll hang with. Your parents may be pushing for you to move out and into college right when you hit the age of 18, although you may have other life plans for yourself. If you desire to go to college, though, right after high school, one option that should definitely be considered is a Junior College Program. Even though you may have heard these buzzwords before you may not know what exactly is meant by them. There are definitely some good reasons, though, to attend a Junior College before your actual college experience and some of those reasons could benefit you in the long run!

What is Junior College?
Throughout the United States there are plenty of junior colleges throughout many towns and cities. These junior colleges may have the Associates Degree option along with many other programs and certificates that can be completed. Just like major State colleges and universities, though, these colleges also need to house general education courses in order to serve the students that they are graduating.

One can use a Junior College to his or her advantage, though, by taking some of the general education courses there rather than at the traditional State college or university the student is planning to attend. Already mentioned was the fact that there are the same general education courses at Junior colleges as there are at other universities, including math classes, science, anatomy, psychology, history, art, as well as many other general education college-level courses. Many times a student is actually able to compete as many as 75 to 90 of their credit hours required for their major at a Junior College.

The main benefit of attending a Junior college, though, is because that these colleges are typically less expensive than a four-year institution. Whereas a four-year college may charge anywhere from $150 to $300 and sometimes more for each college credit that a student enrolls for, junior colleges typically cut that cost by more than half. Actual rates per credit hours at Junior colleges vary, but the average Junior college credit hour is around $20 to $40. Not only is that much lower than a four-year college or university, but it is so low that there actually may be Federal and State grants that will completely cover the cost!

Even though many people see Junior colleges as inferior to those of actual four-year institutions, there is still a great deal of people who are taking this route rather than starting out at a major college or university. Not having to pay for the first two years of a college degree is definitely worth it, which is the main reason individuals are starting to choose Junior colleges over traditional ones for the first couple of years. Nevertheless, though, college is an investment in your future and Junior colleges are invested in making that future less of a financial burden!