Written by a faculty member:
When I was in college, at the University of Kansas, I felt bad for several of my friends who were attending community colleges. I thought: “Wow, they’re missing the college experience.” They live at home or off campus because there is no housing, and they just go to class and go to work and return home. I’d never heard of anyone having a particularly amazing time at a community college...until I came to Phoenix College.
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At Phoenix College, I've met a student that has survived Leukemia. For him, community college is a fresh start, a new name, he’s no longer “the kid with cancer,” but is “the guy who followed his dreams”. Here at PC, I've met a girl graduating this spring who never thought she’d get involved college and ended up being the homecoming queen. I've interviewed a community member that has come to the PC gym for over 15 years. He shared his stories of living and working all over the world. I've met a world-famous artist and seen him work with the students in our art programs. I've met a retired art professor that made waves (and changed PC history) by implementing life drawing courses into our art programs. Here at PC, I’ve met with a social justice major that is studying to help foster children that age out of the system and I've met an alumnus that is changing the way theatre companies rehearse by designing and implementing theater sets through virtual reality.
All these people, who’ve touched Phoenix College in one way or another, have incredible experiences. All of these stories brush up against one another, influencing one another, enriching the lives of everyone on this campus. The stereotypes of a 2-year institution have officially been broken for me. And I wish I’d learned that sooner when I was trying to discover myself at the expensive state school back home in Kansas. Not only that, I was completely lost in the crowd. With over 30,000 students attending, and no clear direction of what I wanted to do with my life, I felt disappointed, like I’d missed the college experience.
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Bouncing around from major to major is almost a rite of passage no matter where you go. But it’s SO much more affordable and personal at a smaller, two-year college. Compare the $85 per-credit-hour of PC to the $962-ish per-credit-hour cost of most state schools and institutions. The first two years of college are prerequisites and exploring different areas of interest. Wouldn’t you rather spend $5,100 at PC than spend upward of $57,700 just to get an associate’s degree from a state school? Here comes the real sticker shock: it costs $119, 674 to take 120 credit hours (the total amount of hours required for a bachelor’s degree), and that amount doesn’t include living expenses, books, food, etc., from a state school. At least 60 hours of the 120 are prerequisites and lower-level introductory courses that can be taken at PC. This is a better way to figure out what direction you want to go in life.Save yourself an extreme and unnecessary amount of debt and explore your likes and dislikes while saving over $50,000 dollars.
Come to Phoenix College to experience the college life, to sit in classes where the professors know your name and stop to ask how you’re doing. Come to Phoenix College to rewrite your story, for a fresh start, to become homecoming queen or king, to be known as “the guy or girl chasing his/her dreams.” Come to Phoenix College to take random classes and classes leading up to your major, and maybe meet a community member who could tell you how to live and work abroad. Come to Phoenix College to create, to invent, to bend and stretch and break, to become something new, alongside others. And if you don’t come here for any other reason than money, just know that you’re paying less than one-tenth the cost.
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