Secondary Readings:

Kyle Spencer’s “In College and Homeless”
Karl Strikwerda’s “Community Colleges are Good for You”
Overview: Community colleges have come under increased national scrutiny in recent years. While nearly half of the nation’s college freshmen now attend community college, graduation rates at two-year institutions are often lower than at four-year colleges. Despite this, college students are choosing community colleges in high rates and often plan to transfer to four-year institutions after finishing their coursework at a two-year school.

Essential Questions

Why did you decide to attend a community college?
Where would you like to transfer after you complete your work at CCBC?
Do you agree with any of the points made in the Bellafonte’s essay? Why or why not?

Ginia Bellafonte’s New York Times article discusses the difficulties of one community college student, Vladimir de Jesus, and his experience at a two-year college in New York. Your essay should include discussion of why students (like de Jesus, yourself, and other community college students) select community colleges, the experiences students have at the community college, and some of the difficulties students face in transferring to four-year institutions from community colleges. Kyle Spencer and Carl Strikwerda’s essays will also provide evidence-based support that can be useful in addressing the issues that face community college students across the U.S.,

This essay should include an argumentative thesis in your first paragraph. Your thesis statement should discuss your decision to attend CCBC and your response to the Bellafonte reading and consideration of the secondary readings.

Audience: Write for an audience that is not familiar with the experiences and challenges of community college students