None.

Nothing against going to a 4-year institute straight out of high school, but there isn't a reason you shouldn’t at least consider attending community college. It’s genuinely not as terrible as it’s made out to be. Sure, there were some days when I hated being home an extra 1 and 1/2 years. Some days I hated that I didn’t take a leap of faith and go to a big school. There were other days when I joked that my community college wasn’t a “real" college. The truth is it that it was probably the best decision I have made. Although I can't of a reason not to go to a junior college I can give you three main reasons I would recommend it to anyone…

1. Money.

This one is pretty obvious but seriously it’s the most important reason. Unless you’re George Clooney and save like Dave Ramsey- college is EXPENSIVE. Not just tuition. A place to live, food, books, and any social activity you do costs extra (plus the new clothes if you gain the freshman 15). I received a lot of scholarship money just for getting through community college first- not even making the good grades, just finishing. It wasn't until my tuition bill was less than $1,000 (at an SEC school) that I realized just how beneficial it is.

2. Grades.

When you go to a junior college you can forget those classes with 300-500 students in attendance. This makes it a lot easier to make connections and get help. By the time you finish all the classes you can at junior college you’ll be in classes specifically for your major at a larger one- again, smaller classes. It makes for the perfect time to develop a solid GPA.

3. Time to prepare.

Sometimes you leave high school and you are prepared to leave, prepared to be on your own. Having a little more time at home (or at least closer to home) gave me the opportunity to work a job, spend more time with my family, and appreciate them a lot more when it was time to leave.

I definitely love the 4-year institute I am at now and wouldn’t change my decision for one second, but going to community college first gave me time to realize what I wanted- my major and the type of school I wanted to go to. If you haven’t considered it, I recommend it.

Your future self will thank you!