It’s that time of the year where high school seniors are excited for prom and graduation day however, many of them haven’t figured out what their next steps are.

I know this because I was one of those students.

I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to study, so the best solution was to attend a community college instead of a four-year university.

The cost for a four-year is too great.

When I saw the cost it discouraged me from going to college because I didn’t know how to pay for it.

There were other choices like Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA), but it didn’t cover the entire cost, but when I did a little bit more research, I saw that a community college is a lot cheaper.

So I chose to go to a community college, a two-year school like El Camino.

Annually, a full-time community college student will generally pay $1,104, a Cal State University student pays $5,472, and a University of California student pays $12,240, according to the California College website.

The cost of both a CSU and a UC is a lot, but attending a community college can lower the cost.

Before transferring, there are requirements from each university, indicating what is needed to transfer.

These classes are generally general education or core classes that are required for your inteded major.

These classes wouldn’t be required once you transfer to a four-year, because by that time it’ll be done and you’ll have an associates to prove it.

Another reason why attending a community college is better than a four-year university is because they offer small classes and it’s perfect for those students who need more help individually.

In my case, I wasn’t ready to move from a high school to a big university because I didn’t have any idea on how the system worked.

During my first semester at EC, I didn’t know how MyECC worked nor did I know how to get classes, but thanks to First Year Experience (FYE) program I learned how to. They helped get the classes I needed to be on track to transfer.

The reason why high school seniors should attend a community college rather than going straight into a four-year university is because community colleges offer a lot of help and there are a lot of programs that they can join.

For example, I joined Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) in my second semester and I made a family with the staff and other students because their job is to be there to help you with anything.

Tutoring, computers, printing, and a place to do your work are some of the services that EOPS provides to its students.

Community college are changing many students their life by showing them the many different options, like pursuing their dreams and get a higher education with its cheap costs.