College. For many it’s the next four years of eating and breathing school. Sleepless nights, parties, football games and meeting new people.

But for some reason everyone is infatuated with the idea of going to a four-year university because that’s what seems to be the norm, which is not necessarily true.

College is definitely expensive and unless you are in the top of your class, and I’m talking top 10, you will most likely not get your college paid for. That’s the harsh truth.

Of course there are millions of scholarships out there that you can apply for, however, so many people are lazy and don’t take advantage of them because it obviously takes work to apply.

So if your grades are not the best in high school or you simply want to save money and later transfer to a four-year university, community college is the way to go.

One more thing, attending a community college DOES NOT define your intellectual abilities. Being an AP student, I have gone through some of the same rigorous courses as so many of my peers looking to go to four-year universities.

But I have come to the realization that most students are in a rush to leave home to get away from their parents. And rules. So they don’t even bother to stop and think about the debt they will have after graduating college.

Sure, having the whole four-year experience might be awesome, but for some it is not worth paying thousands of dollars more.

Unfortunately, as the years go by college seems to get more and more expensive.

The average tuition cost of a four year university is approximately $22,000 per year versus a community college which is about $8,000.

Yikes.

If this fails to scare you, I don’t know what will. Knowing that once you graduate you will have to pay loans is not a good feeling. So why not make it easier on yourself and avoid having to pay unnecessary tuition.

So for those who bash community colleges because they aren’t “good enough,” I have one thing to say. Ten years from now when I have a degree and the same paying job as you, I will be happy to find myself graduating with much less debt because of my choice to go to community college.