I started my college experience as a community college student, at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) in Oglesby, IL (or, to be more general, near Starved Rock State Park). I did this primarily for cost and proximity to my hometown, as I am paying for college out of my own pocket while working two jobs, and community college is about a third the cost of tuition at NIU per semester.
Planning on coming to NIU was a fairly easy decision, as it is one of the most affordable colleges in the state, and it has all the programs that I considered majoring in. I also benefited from being a transfer student to NIU with their transfer-specific merit scholarships, which helped smooth the transition from community college to university.
Going to IVCC, I got first-hand exposure to the impact that I could have by participating in clubs. I became President of both Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Chemistry/STEM club. Because of my on-campus involvement, I got to participate in things like community clean-ups and local stream and river water testing, as well as other things.
In my transfer to NIU, I wanted to make sure that I got involved in new, but similarly impactful work on campus, which I thankfully got a chance to do as Secretary for SWE! In my transfer to NIU I also got the opportunity to join Robotics Club, where I got to help make a small robot, which was a very new experience for me.
On top of all of the fun things that I have been able to do, I also had no issues with my credits transferring, which I know is a worry for many students considering community college as their first step into higher education. I have also been able to secure a job as a tutor at NIU, which was one of my previous jobs at my community college. It is very helpful to have an on campus job, as your employer knows that your education always comes first when they are also employed by NIU.
All in all, I am very happy with my decision to come to NIU, and do not regret my choice to go to community college either. To quote IVCC’s slogan – “No place so close can take you so far!”, I firmly believe that it was a great choice for me to spend my first two years of college there, and I also think that NIU is a great school to transfer to.
-Jacki
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