Walking in a land where almost everyone seems to be taller, smarter and older, a high school freshman often enters high school with at least one clear goal in mind, which is finding a way to avoid attending community college after senior year.

Although many students fear the prospect of having to attend a community college, there are many benefits to attending one.

One of the most obvious benefits of attending community college is that one can save a lot of money on tuition. According to the Huffington Post, students who attend a community college save anywhere from $4,183 to $22,741 per year depending on whether community college tuition is being compared to that of a student in a public four-year university or a private four-year university.

“Although many people are scared of community college, from my siblings, especially, I’ve seen that community college can actually help people save a lot of money and time to discover what they really want to do,” junior Lois Kim said.

In addition, community colleges provide students with teachers who are more focused on students, rather than personal research, according to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Teachers focused primarily on teaching allow students to receive extra attention or help if they desire. Teachers have more time to cater to students’ needs. Furthermore, sometimes when students transfer from community college they may have an easier time getting accepted because of higher confidence levels in applicants and differing academic requirements, according to USA Today.

However, community colleges can also have some disadvantages, as they are often viewed as a backup option from many students.

“Although I’ve heard people say community college isn’t that bad, I think it’s a place I, personally, would not want to go because I feel like I’m working so hard and my efforts would go to waste if I went to community college,” sophomore Diana Jang said.

While community college can be a place for opportunity and self-discovery, it can also lead to one becoming demotivated, especially by coming in contact with other students who have low motivation to move further in their education, according to scholarships.com.

“While community college can be really great, one potential disadvantage could be that since there is such a variety of students at community college, one might begin to mingle with the wrong crowds, since the students are adults now since they don’t have anyone to tell them not to do so,” counselor Camera Kem said.