Community college is too often disregarded as a viable choice for seniors hoping to continue their education. Due to the ignominy that surrounds local colleges, many students opt for schools further away.

Naugatuck Valley Community College is Danbury’s local community college which offers two-year associate degree programs, with the majority of graduates transferring to Western Connecticut State University to earn their Bachelor’s later on.

Smaller classrooms are proven to have a greater impact on students, as it allows them to build relationships with their professors and actually engage in the topics being taught. In larger schools such as UCONN, classrooms have capacities ranging from 30-200 students. Community and public state schools are often much smaller with intimate classrooms and fewer students.

Western Connecticut State University, though not a community college, is often regarded as “the last resort” for many students that live in the area. However, Westconn’s Nursing department is top-ranked. Charlie Sproule, Salutatorian of New Milford’s class of 2016, opted for Westconn’s program instead of Yale’s because of its reputation and low cost.

“It takes courage to choose a school that all of your friends hate” explained Sproule, “I was friends with everyone in the top of my class. I could tell people looked down on me for not picking Yale. I would’ve loved to go there but Westconn has provided me with all of the necessary tools to not only succeed in my career but go into it debt-free. If I had to go back and make the decision again, I would choose Westconn every time.”

Some students use local colleges to build their GPA in order to attend higher-ranked schools, which not only saves money but also provides students with opportunities for scholarships and grants for academic success in college. Vincent Davis, a student from Missouri, tweeted “To all students who don’t like the idea of community college… I started out at one and just transferred to Berkeley, the #1 Public University in America.” After this tweet went viral, he began following up with a thread of tweets about how he felt completely unmotivated after applying to college because he was rejected by his top 4 schools. In just 3 semesters, he built his GPA and transferred to his dream school.

“My mother told me from the very beginning.. ‘Don’t be afraid to start small. Success doesn’t come without failure’. I am in no way insinuating that going to a community college is a ‘failure’ because it truly saved my life. To put it simply, so many kids see these schools as the bottom-tier, and that’s just not the right mindset. I remember walking in on my first day praying that nobody from high school saw me. Looking back, my insecurities got the best of me. In a way, it motivated me to work harder. Look where it got me”, said Davis.

Local schools have a lot to offer. Of course, small classrooms and the local streets don’t house the same comforts for everyone. Some people belong in Art school in the streets of New York, others belong in the country studying Paleontology. Local schools may not be the right choice for everyone, but they should never be considered a last resort.