Living in dorms, bunking with friends, going to parties and joining fraternities or sororities. These are all perks of going to universities rather than a junior college. 

Do you have a close friend who goes to university while you decide it is better to go to College of DuPage (COD), a community college? What do they talk about when you ask them about school? Now, what do you talk about when asked the same question? You may find your friend’s answer to be entirely different from what you said, maybe even more entertaining. Some students may feel contempt for their decision to choose a community college. Others may find themselves envious of their friends having different experiences than they are.

But should students feel envious, or even ashamed, to attend a junior college? The answer is not black and white. There are a variety of reasons why students choose to attend community colleges. According to an article by Mount Wachusett Community College, the main appeal for community college students is lower tuition, smaller class sizes, more hands-on coursework, accessibility and higher acceptance rates.

At COD, in-district tuition comes to $156 per credit hour. This is a significant difference compared to public universities. Illinois State University (ISU) costs around $519 per credit hour, not to mention the additional costs of housing and other general fees.

Charles “Chuck” Steele, the director of Student Life at COD, applauds students who attend COD. He believes the decision to choose a cheaper form of education is a great opportunity to take advantage of. 

“You’re getting a high level of education, and you’re paying a low tuition cost,” Steele said. “So to me, that indicates that you’re a genius. You make the absolute best decision for yourself long term, or you just happened to end up at COD. In that case, you’re just lucky because you’re getting all the great opportunities that the geniuses are getting.”

COD student Ben Skeggs was attracted to the cost advantage of attending a community college.

“[No career path] appealed to me,” Skeggs said. “[I thought I would] go to a community college so I can at least further my education, and it’s nice and cheap”

Skeggs also appreciates the opportunities at COD. He pointed to COD’s medical program as sparking his interest in a potential future career path. 

“Recently, I’ve been thinking about maybe becoming a physician’s assistant when I grow up,” Skeggs said. “Two of my aunts do it. It seems interesting.”

While he has found a potential career path at COD, Skeggs said he does feel a little embarrassed to call himself a Chaparral . 

“At first I was just like, ‘Man, I’m so cooked. I got nothing going for me. I genuinely have no idea what I want to do. If I was at a university, at least I could be having fun,’” he said.

Skeggs admitted to occasionally getting jealous over his friends attending universities and participating in social events he doesn’t have access to. As he constantly communicates with his friends at universities via text, sharing their experiences at parties and other events, Skeggs feels like he is missing out. 

As the director of Student Life, Steele acknowledges the feelings of jealousy that come with attending a junior college. But during New Student Orientation, before the fall and spring semesters, presenters address this. Steele makes it his mission to assure students attending COD they are making a good decision.

“By the end of orientation and [after] meeting all of the people that we have here at COD [to learn] about the opportunities, there is genuine excitement,” Steele said. “[Students] feel reaffirmed about the decision they made to attend [community] college at your age. So I think that level of jealousy dissipates pretty quickly, according to [how involved students get]. A lot of students take advantage of everything we have to offer here at COD.”

COD offers a multitude of different clubs, events and programs for students to participate in. To learn more about any upcoming event you might be interested in, visit COD’s student life calendar website.

Although students may feel jealous when choosing to attend a community college over a university, everyone’s situation is different.

“My advice for every student is to always do what is best for you as an individual,” Steele said. “A lot of times, it’s hard to shrug off those society or cultural pressures, but if you’re gonna act in your own best self-interest, I think that’s exactly what you should do.”