Free community college for everyone? We can all be Aric Hall!

[Christopher]

Wow that's crazy. Our CC and the the two other CC's in the District (our Community Colleges are in a county unified college district) only charge $46.00 a credit. I thought that was a lot. When I originally started in 1998 it was $11.00 a credit. Had I known then I would of taken more classes even just to take classes for later degree application. But, $46.00 is still cheap. $140.00 for CC is a lot. I was just looking tonight and Cal State University-Channel Islands charges only like $250.00 a unit for 400 level classes, and you can take up to 24 credits as a non-degree seeking student (ie someone like me just taking a class to take a class or to transfer that class to another college but won't be an enrolled student) Only down side is, you have to get instructors approval as admitted students who are regular degree seeking students locked into the college get first prioerty as it should be.

I agree. Community Colleges offer two year degrees for those wishing to start at the lower level and transfer to save money, only need an AA degree (not everyone needs the BA/MA), or want to go to college but dont need or want to deal with the university system. I believe only under 40 percent of Americans have a college degree of an Associates or better. My mom would tell say that back in the 1960s/70s even into the early 1980s having an AA was like having a BA today and having a BA was like having an MA today because the percentages of people going/graduating college was so small. In her day it was high school than out to find a job the next day. Some people went to community college to get a trade but that was it unless you were big time. Its funny because our CC has online all the past catalogs since it opened it's campus in 1976. If you look at all the pictures of the students from say the 1981 or 1978 catalog...they're mostly older adults or young people in their 20s. They had a picture of an art class and the 15+ students all looked to be in their 60s. I was at the same CC the other day and I swear I felt like the same only one over 20 years old there.

In our CC's 1988 catalog it states you could only get a max of two degrees. You can get an AA and than a AS or an AS than an AA. But you can't get more than two degrees, and you can only get one AA and one AS. In fact they encouraged students to pick their major WISELY. The 2014 catalog states you can get as many degrees as you want, and they encourage you too get two degrees if the subjects cross each other (like Theatre Arts: Acting and Theatre Arts: Stagecrafts)

But, I dont agree with the plan either. It'll make an AA less valuable. It'll be like "oh, an AA, well everyone has those. They're free by the government...you just have a glorified high school diploma with the only difference you choose to continue to get an AA instead of being forced by the state." We work our *** off for our degrees. AA or BA or whatever. I hate to see even an AA lose it's power because we want to turn college into another free handout. Plus, if its free, people wont take it as serious. People are paying money to take classes. Students have loans. They'll be working to pass those classes or else they just lost a good some of money on a wasted class. Free classes will become like "who cares if I come or not, if I pass or fail, it's all free anyhow." Not everyone can handle college even at the junior college level. Two of my friends from H.S. who thought college was just another semester of high school, and partying while playing sports, dropped out by December.

My county CC charges $113 per credit, and $140 per credit for on-line courses. So when I looked at the $175 per credit under enrolled options at TESC, I was pleasantly surprised and it made the decision easier to cease taking CC classes in favor of TESC UL courses.

I'm personally not a big fan of this proposal, it's simply adding the 13th and 14th grade after HS for students. And anytime something becomes free, it's also devalued. Higher education should be affordable to the masses; but education also offers professional and personal enrichment; and there should be a cost associated with gaining that. What I would like to see is at least 30-45 General Education College Credit hours earned in HS through classes during Jr. and Sr. years. Not dissimilar to AP, but minus the exam and limited selection process; students should be graduating HS with an equivalent of CC level general studies anyways; College should be about learning specialized knowledge- I think a lot more people would finish under that scenario. If everybody graduated HS 1/4 complete in pursuit of a BA/BS, it would make it financially reasonable to continue their studies and keep students motivated by knowing their within reach. Our system of 4 years of college post HS to get a degree is an exception rather then the rule when compared to most of the world.