Dec 9, 2009 6:13 pm US/Eastern
Community Colleges See Spike In Enrollment Numbers
ARNOLD, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Community colleges around the state are seeing their enrollment numbers spike.
CBS
Community colleges around the state are seeing their enrollment numbers spike. Administrators say it's a direct result of the slow economy.
But as
Gigi Barnett explains, many honor students are using two-year colleges as a gateway to expensive elite universities.
Alexandria Houston-Ludlam and Vanessa Scott each had first, second and third choices of four-year colleges they wanted to attend after high school.
They are honor students and had the grades to get in, but they decided on the honors program at Anne Arundel Community College. Some of their friends questioned the move.
"I've gotten that from people I went to high school with, just really, 'You went to community college? Why?" said Houston-Ludlam.
The biggest "why" was money. Community colleges cost a little more than $8,000, allowing students to finish the first two years of college.
Even when some honors students receive money from big four-year schools, it's still not enough.
"I had money from Towson, but it still ended up being cheaper to come here. And also, I didn't have to pay for board, so it worked out better," said Scott.
Once students finish community college, a four-year university beckons.
"We know we're going to go to a lot more prestigious university after this, and this is just our stepping stone to do that," said Scott.
Katherine Voss works in the honors program office at Anne Arundel Community College. The program is a new one; it's only two years old.
Voss says the caliber of honor students is improving at community colleges because those students know they receive more attention from faculty.
"Just the experience you can get, working one-to-one with faculty members," said Voss. "I just don't necessarily see that happening when you're in a class of 500 students at those four-year schools."
While enrollment in honors programs at community colleges is up and students say they are saving money, one challenge they face is changing the image of the schools they attend
"When I was in high school, there was a stigma. It's really important for people to change that," said Scott.
Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's community colleges all report a boost in enrollment in their honors programs.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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