TCC deserves pride, not shame

   High school students spend years deciding where they want to attend college and what they want to do in the future.
   Many do not set their hearts on attending TCC.
   When telling people where they will spend the first few years of college, usually TCC students have a sort of glum and disappointed attitude if they are not going to their first-choice university.
   While walking in the halls, someone can easily hear students discussing why they are “stuck” at TCC and what their excuse is.
   The excuses can range from “My parents made me go here” to “I am paying for my own school” or the favorite “I am taking time off.”
Students cannot realize and accept that TCC is a good school. The college offers numerous degree plans and different programs to meet every need.
   The word university does not follow our college’s name, but TCC is still a good place to start a higher education. How many people have gone to a $10,000-a-semester university and failed from partying too much?
   Many people have flunked out their freshman year or have changed their major so many times they have to spend more years in college than originally planned.
   These situations cost parents or the students themselves more money, and occasionally college is not the best years of a student’s life. However, all these situations can be avoided by starting at TCC.
   Some students say TCC is exactly like high school, but for many, high school was a breeze. Logically, the idea would be to go first to TCC to learn to adapt.
   TCC offers organizations, financial aid and scholarships as any university does. A TCC student has the option to become a firefighter, pilot or police officer.
   Each campus is expanding and growing with the large number of students who choose to attend each year.
   Professors here are just as talented and educated as those at large universities, and the smaller classes help students who need more attention.
   Students have the opportunity to attend as many or as few classes as their hearts desire. They can go at night or during the day.
   Other universities or institutes offer the same options, but many are specifically for certain skills.
   One can learn a new subject at an older age or obtain an associate’s degree.
   This college is a wonderful place to start, and for most, it is still close enough to home and friends. With the growing number of students now attending TCC, it is hard to understand why students think they need abundant excuses to explain why they go here.
   Stopping the explanations and just accepting TCC as a beginning college is one thing every student should do.
   People should understand that graduating high school and then fleeing from their parents and hometown are not always options.
   Sometimes staying home to take school at a slower pace is the best choice.