Many students sacrifice quality sleep and free time in high school to build their college resumes. Admission into prestigious and often expensive Ivy League schools is viewed as the ultimate achievement. For this reason, community colleges are largely disregarded by Lexington High School students. However, choosing a community college should not be considered a “failure.” Rather, it may be a strategic decision to break away from a hive-minded social culture, saving both money and time.

In a traditional four-year college, students earn a bachelor’s degree in their major. At a two-year community college, students earn an associate degree or career certifications. Nearby options like Middlesex Community College and Bunker Hill Community College give students the option to transfer to a four-year college after two years. This saves a significant amount of money, as community colleges in Massachusetts are free for Massachusetts residents during their first year. 

Despite the financial benefits, the perception that community college education is inferior still persists. 

“Most LHS students don’t consider it an option for themselves because they think it’s not as prestigious as going to a four-year university,” Stacey McFadden, a guidance counselor at LHS, said. “The classes are just as good as if you were to go to a four-year college.”

Any student can utilize a community college to explore without having to immediately commit to a career right out of high school. “I can see community college really being a benefit … for the student that might not have any idea what they want to do,” McFadden said.

However, drawbacks do exist. Massachusetts community colleges do not provide housing, so students must live at home or rent. As a result, students in community college may find it harder to participate fully in campus activities compared with students living on a residential campus.

Still, social pressure remains a main issue. “I would say a good quarter to a third of my class went to community college, and it was a normal thing,” McFadden said, referring to her high school education in California. “I think here in Lexington in particular … community colleges are looked at as something negative.”

This attitude creates an intense pressure to conform. “It might be hard to be like, ‘I think I want to go to community college’ in a room full of people who are really focused on going to a four-year college,” McFadden said.

However, disengaging from that pressure allows students to assess what is really best for them. LHS’s stigma of community colleges indicates a larger cultural issue. The actual value of higher education has become distorted by fixation on school rankings. Students should instead be building the lives they want, not taking on massive financial burdens in a quest for “prestige”.

A major change in school values will take time. “It would have to be a pretty big culture shift in our school to see more students use community college,” McFadden said.

But as tuition costs rise and burnout increases, “success” must be reevaluated. The name of a student’s college should never define their worth.