Student Issues / Attending College

Whether you’re a student trying to balance the demands of community college classes, or if you are a professional or stay-at-home parent wanting to find out about how to better take care of yourself, community colleges across the country have developed popular programs for physical, emotional, and personal well being.

Nutrition, Health, and Cooking

As a hobby or even as a career path, students can enroll in a wide variety of food-based courses. Some of these classes may provide more insight into the science of the human body and nutrition, while other courses may focus on lessons for cooking, food preparation, and beyond.

For example, San Diego Community College in California offers a wide range of class options for career or continuing-education students, including classes such as “Professional Bakeshop Skills,” “Bread Making,” and “Catering.” Here, students will learn about pastry, basic culinary skills, and the science behind the art of baking. Also, students can take the “Eat For a Healthy Lifestyle” course, which encompasses the entire realm of healthiness from the physiological standpoint to menu planning.

Other courses offered at San Diego Community College focus on learning about the diversity of food, such as their “Ethnic/Regional Foods” class, which focuses on preparing a variety of ethnic and regional foods by learning about “ingredients, food preparation techniques, and traditions of differing cultures. The course includes recipe adaptation to achieve maximum nutrition.” And for more cooking classes, students can enroll in “Time Saving Cooking” or “Menu Planning/Menu Planning

While many high school students may be committed to their sport of focus, the collegiate programs in athleticism provide a much more intense base for improvement. Practices are longer, more frequent, more intense, and provide more discipline. As students work towards careers as professional athletes, students can utilize the opportunities of a community college athletic program to improve their mental and physical success.

The Benefits of Community Colleges for Striving Professional Athletes

An Expanding Number of Programs

In recent years, more community colleges are initiating athletic programs that expand the number of teams with the existing number of programs. “More students are wisely selecting the community college as the entrance point to higher education because of affordability, accessibility, and academic rigor,” according to researchers Laura Byrd and Mitchell Williams. As the development of strong athletic programs continues, “community colleges across the nation are establishing or expanding intercollegiate athletics programs at a consistent pace,” making the support for potential athletes more foundational and accessible.

This video offers an overview of the sports program at Rockingham Community College.

Physical and Mental Training

Students looking to pursue careers as professional athletes must choose a school that will not only provide them with beneficial athletic training, but mental and technical instruction opportunities as well. Since the community college training experiences are intense and more individualized than high school training opportunities, college coaches are able to work with

Many high school students go directly from high school to community colleges to begin their higher education. Many of these students still live with their parents for financial or other reasons. Many parents of these traditional students want to help their children transition from secondary school to college. This article discusses the instrumental role parents can play in encouraging a young student to move from high school into community college. The article contains tips for parents seeking to be supportive and suggests questions parents can ask to demonstrate their interest. Using these tips and suggestions, parents can support a child in community college without jeopardizing the child's new independence and responsibility as a college student.

Background

According to the latest statistics compiled by the American Association of Community Colleges, 43 percent of community college students are 21 or younger. Some are traditional students or students who proceeded directly from high school to college. Some traditional students attend community college to avoid the rising tuition costs at public and private four-year institutions. Some students are not ready to leave home and prefer to stay with or near their parents for the first two years of college. Unlike older students, traditional students may not have the maturity and savvy to enter a new environment.

Parents as "First Responders" When Community College Students Need Help

There is a well-founded concern about the low retention rate at community colleges. Students are likelier to drop out without interacting with other students, professors, and

Community colleges enroll between 11 and 12 million students annually, of which over 50,000 participate in intercollegiate athletics. Almost one half of community colleges have intercollegiate sports programs. Community colleges are moving toward greater participation in athletics, either by starting new programs or expanding existing programs. The programs vary considerably, both in the type and number of sports available. After discussing the regulation of community college athletics and providing some examples of athletic programs, this report examines the case for athletics in the community college setting.

National Junior College Athletic Association

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) regulates intercollegiate athletics of community colleges. It is the community college counterpart of the National College Athletic Association (NCAA), which oversees athletics at four-year institutions. The organization's goal is to promote athletics as a valuable component of the educational experience at community colleges. The NJCAA has 530 member colleges participating in 15 men's and 13 women's sports. There are 50 national championships and nine football bowl games.

Community college students have an opportunity to participate in numerous intercollegiate sports. Presently, the following sports are sanctioned by the NJCAA:

For men and women:

• Basketball