{"id":2207,"date":"2025-08-29T18:54:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T23:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/?p=2207"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:42:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T21:42:53","slug":"skipping-the-hype-not-the-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2025\/08\/29\/skipping-the-hype-not-the-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Skipping the Hype, Not the Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Photo by: Vaughn Wheat)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Why more students are finding community college the right place to begin<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Reese Doyle<\/p>\n

On a quiet spring afternoon at Johnson County Community College, Reagan Priest sits alone in the courtyard, listening to the light hum of passing students and chirping birds. There are no dormitories lining the campus, no football games echoing from nearby stadiums, and no tailgate parties spilling into student unions which is exactly what she needed.<\/p>\n

Just a year ago, Reagan was preparing to return to the University of Arkansas after break, but the thought filled her with dread. She didn\u2019t look forward to seeing classmates or walking the campus. She didn\u2019t feel at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cried almost every single time I had to leave home to go back to school,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m someone that needs alone time\u2026 and I never really got that at Arkansas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reagan\u2019s story is not unique. In fact, it represents a growing shift in how many students define college success. While four-year universities often sell the full \u201ccollege experience,\u201d more students are discovering that community colleges offer something they value even more: control, comfort, and clarity.<\/p>\n

According to the American Association of Community Colleges<\/a>, nearly half of all undergraduates in the United States currently attend community colleges. As students continue to face heightened tuition, financial factors are a large concern for many students. Thus, two-year institutions like JCCC are becoming more attractive as a smart first choice for the college experience.<\/p>\n

When Reagan transferred to JCCC, the difference was immediate. She found friendly advisors, approachable professors and, most importantly, a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone I talked to like the staff, the advising people, were all just super nice and really welcoming,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like just a number here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the classroom, she found that the smaller class sizes gave her a more meaningful academic experience. No more hiding in the back of a massive lecture hall or feeling lost in the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re held more accountable to show up to class and participate,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd here, it\u2019s smaller… you really form a relationship with your professor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie Bell, another JCCC student who previously attended a smaller university, echoed the same sentiment. She had expected community college to feel like a step down. Instead, it felt like a step forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, I feel like I\u2019m getting a better education,\u201d she said. \u201cThe classes are teaching me more than my other school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, not everything was better. Maddie recalled her time at her previous university as deeply connected and social.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing volleyball there, so I was super connected with everybody,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a smaller school, and honestly, I knew everybody that walked the halls.\u201d<\/p>\n

At JCCC, things are different. Many students commute while others work full-time jobs. Making friends doesn\u2019t happen automatically and that can feel isolating for a large portion of students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know very many people, and I definitely am not involved here,\u201d Maddie said. \u201cDefinitely my other school had more opportunities for social events.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Reagan, who says she feels more comfortable in her classes at JCCC than she ever did at Arkansas, misses the larger campus energy sometimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked to way more people in my classes here,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd felt way more comfortable with people here. But the campus life \u2014 it\u2019s quieter.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one area where both students agree JCCC offers a clear advantage, and that\u2019s affordability.<\/p>\n

\u201cArkansas was crazy more expensive\u2026 even parking was $800,\u201d Reagan said. \u201cJust knowing that my parents aren\u2019t having to pay more money for me makes me feel a lot better and a lot less stressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

That peace of mind has helped Reagan focus on her well-being and academic goals. She now feels confident in her decision to start over and be more prepared for what comes next. She plans to transfer to the University of Kansas in the fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would definitely recommend going here for one or two years,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s very smart, financially and for many reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Reagan and Maddie, community college didn\u2019t mean giving up the college dream, but it meant redefining it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became the kind of student I didn\u2019t know I could be,\u201d Reagan said, smiling as she looked out at the quiet campus.<\/p>\n

And for an increasing number of students, that quiet confidence may be worth more than the noise of tradition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why more students are finding community college the right place to begin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[228],"class_list":["post-2207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Saul Epstein","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/sepstein\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2025\/08\/IMG_6808.jpg","coauthors":[{"link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/guest-author\/","display_name":"Guest Author"}],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Life<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Life<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"2","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 year ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 29, 2025","modified":"Updated on September 3, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 29, 2025 6:54 pm","modified":"Updated on September 3, 2025 4:42 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":228,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"guest-author","display_name":"Guest Author","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2025\/08\/IMG_6808.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2207"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2223,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207\/revisions\/2223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2207"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}