For the past few decades, receiving a college education has been an emphasized importance in today's society. However, it is often misunderstood that attending a 4-year school is the best and only way to go. Following this belief, many students attend these schools without being prepared academically, financially, or mentally. Unfortunately, students like this have failed to consider more realistic options available to them, such as community college. Junior College is a resource available to anyone, regardless of their previous academic performance. The variety of courses and inexpensive tuition give students the flexibility to explore the many options presented to them. While universities have more prestige, community colleges offer endless opportunities to students who are not fully prepared for a four-year education. Society places too much pressure on high school students to attend a four-year college immediately after graduation. While this is an achievable goal for some, the vast majority of students are not fully prepared for the demands of college. Four-year schools require an incredible amount of maturity and preparation, leaving very little room for error. Schools often overlook this aspect because their main goal is to get as many students as possible into four-year college. This is a great goal to achieve, however they send students to college who are not ready to handle the difficulty of their courses while away from home. During my senior year of high school, my family and I came to the conclusion that we would not be able to afford four-year college tuition. This upset me at first because I felt like all my hard work and good grades had gone to waste. I dreaded the thought of going to community college because my who... middle of paper... get caught up in the idea of ​​living college life and forget about real life factors. Four-year degrees may seem more impressive, however they are not a sure ticket to success if a student is not fully prepared for it. Community college may seem like the end of the world for someone who dreamed of Harvard, but community college could be the beginning of a success story for the student who just needed some time to grow. Works Cited Addison, Liz. “Two years is better than four” They say I say: The moves that matter in academic writing with readings. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: Norton 2012. 211-214. Print.Billitteri, Thomas J. “The Value of a College Education.” CQ Researcher November 20, 2009.Web. March 10, 2014. Wright, Scott W. “Community College.” CQ Researcher 21 April 2000. Web.10 March. 2014.