College is said to be one of the most important rites of passage in a students life. Particularly for students with learning disabilities who have a greater need for academic support, choosing the perfect college is critical to post secondary success.
For students who are unsure about whether college is for them, community college may be a reasonable place to begin, provided they set up an outside academic support system in advance. This is because it is rare for most colleges to offer much in the way of disability “services”, and community colleges are no different in this regard. Do not be lulled into submission by the fact that there is a Learning Specialist on staff. When you consider the number of students requesting services, how often can you reasonably expect help from that person?
Community college is not 13th grade, as many students think prior to their arrival. The teaching is generally just as good, if not better, than other colleges because professors are not required to do research-they are always interacting with students. Also, there are many adjunct, or part-time, faculty members who also teach classes at local universities. In effect, you are getting quality teaching at community college for a much more reasonable price. In addition, the course standards at community college are equal to those of four-year colleges, or students would be unprepared upon transferring.
Another advantage to community college is that it offers a compromise. You still have college-level work but with the academic and emotional support that comes from living at home. This is probably the right choice for students who are not yet ready to take responsibility for laundry, banking, meals and other requisite tasks that living away requires. It would be a good idea, however, for students to work on independent living tasks while at home, so they will be one day be prepared to move out.
Finally, many community college students tend to schedule classes in the morning and leave campus by noon. They do not take advantage of the plethora of clubs and activities offered on campus. This can be a POSITIVE for you. If you wanted to be an editor of the school newspaper, or the class president, for example, there would not be as much competition. It is much easier to be a “big fish in a small pond” at community college; you can hone leadership skills that assist you in life as well as transfer! Transfer colleges look for good academic records, but significant participation in an extra-curricular activity is seen as very favorable, as well. Keep in mind that it is much better to go deep and wide. That is, it is preferable to play an active role in one club than be a passive member of many.
Community college is a good choice for students with disabilities provided they hire an outside learning specialist for support several days a week. The low tuition at community college makes this a viable option. Without this added support, this author has perceived community college as too great a risk for this cohort of students.
Joan M. Azarva, Ms.ED, an expert College Learning Specialist, parent of a successful adult son with LD/ADD, and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education has experience that spans three+ decades with students of all ages. In 1993, however, due to the well-documented low postsecondary success rate of students with learning disabilities, Joan decided to focus exclusively on the critical period of high school-to-college transition.