ByJamil oakford/ editor-in-chief

I have to admit it. Filling out an application for TCC wasn’t a moment I was thrilled about. 

The fact that the college was dubbed 13th grade at my high school didn’t help.

But somehow, that day turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made.

TCC isn’t a utopia by any stretch of the imagination, but this place taught me invaluable lessons I’m not sure any four-year school, no matter how prestigious or big, could have.

For starters, it taught me how to deal with people vastly different from myself. If one stops to notice, each campus at TCC has a diverse group of students. Some are older students taking college courses for various reasons. Some are fresh out of high school and trying to plan out the next few years of their lives. Some are seeking a certification in a field where they’re currently employed.

The student who’s already working in the professional world offers great insight on how to break into the workplace and can help others navigate an industry’s unspoken rules or requirements. Meanwhile, students from different backgrounds can help put different perspectives on themes taught in class.

Another great lesson community college taught me is that no matter how busy the workload becomes, there’s always someone or somewhere you can go for help. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when taking a difficult course, but TCC provides so many guardrails to keep students afloat. The subject labs and tutors are a tremendous life and GPA saver.

But more than anything, and this was probably the most surprising part of my TCC journey, was the community I found. It’s hard to build a communal experience on commuter campuses, but somehow through clubs, jobs and study groups, I found a sense of family within those groups. Clubs supplemented my social experience, and study groups let me bond over frustrating course materials.

And sure, four-year colleges have clubs, campus jobs and study groups, but it’s on a larger scale and can be more discouraging because of that scale.

TCC has provided sturdy fundamentals that can easily be transferred to the steps after community college, whatever those steps may be.