Transferring to a four-year university after high school gives a student a better college experience than attending a community college and sets you up for success.

After graduating from Narbonne High school in 2013, I am finally done at El Camino this semester. California State University Northridge (CSUN) is where I will continue my educational career this upcoming fall.

While I’m barely receiving my associates degree, many people whom are Narbonne alumni like myself are getting ready to walk the stage with their bachelors degree.

Watching their posts on social media makes me feel like I’m not trying hard enough in school despite my hard work. I feel like even though we are the same age, attending a four-year school pushes generally pushes students to do better.

A former classmate of mine who I went to high school will be walking the stage at University of California Santa Barbara in less than two weeks. This is a good example of a student who had to move out of her parents house and dorm with people she did not know.

This is one of many reasons, why going to a four-year university is better than going to a two-year than transferring.

We both started at the same time, but my former classmate is now receiving their bachelors degree while I’m barely receiving my associates degree.

To me, this is a good accomplishment because the chances of landing a dream job is higher than anyone like myself who is barely transferring.

Before attending EC, I got accepted to three out of the four Cal States Universities that I applied to.

I chose to attend a two-year school because I was not to sure what I wanted to major in or wanted to do for the rest of my life.

If I went straight to CSUN after college, I would have been finishing my undergrad career and possibly landing a job in the media business.

The cost to attend a four year university in California starts at $16,000 when you commute to and from campus and $24,000 to dorm on campus, according to the CSU Mentor webpage.

Many campuses offer Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and different types of scholarships. Students may qualify only if they have the GPA to suffice for it. Alumni who graduated from a university often give back to students by setting up their own private scholarships.

For example, Omar Velasco, a radio personality from the morning show, “Omar y Argelia.”

He now offers Latino students with the opportunity to receive money for their education every semester.

Overall it is cheaper to attend a two-year school since the cost at EC per unit is $46 but you won’t get the opportunity to grow as a person by living on your own, experience the party life while at the same time earning your bachelors degree.