Two-year schools en vogue
BRCC sees increase in student population
By Ashley Hopkins,staff writer
Posted on January 25, 2007

Blue Ridge Community College’s population has increased 24.5 percent over the past six years, as many students have opted to attend community colleges before transferring to a four-year university.

In fact, transfer students account for 44 percent of BRCC’s student body, according to Bridget Baylor, public relations coordination for the community college. Last year alone, 3,941 students enrolled into the transfer program, with 325 completing the guaranteed admission program into JMU. The program has existed since November 2000.

There are many reasons students decide to transfer in, many of them financial.  As BRCC costs $77.80 per credit hour, many want to cut costs by attending the less-expensive community college until they get into their major. These figures are much lower than JMU’s costs, which are $624 for one to three credit hours.

“You save money and get the classes that you don’t care about over with,” said Addam Evans, a sophomore in the process of transferring from BRCC to JMU. 

While cost is a big factor, others like BRCC because it allows them to graduate with an associate’s degree two years before receiving their undergraduate diploma.

“The biggest benefit of transferring in would be that I’m not just a third-year college student, I’m a junior with an associate’s degree,” said Valerie Heruth, an education major who has recently transferred into JMU from BRCC.

Both Evans and Heruth explained that without the guaranteed admissions program they might not have gotten into JMU at all, as both were originally denied acceptance into the university.  Thus, they had the benefit of getting a second chance in attending the school of their choice.

“I wasn’t accepted to JMU out of high school, so I found an alternate route,” Heruth said. “I was accepted to other universities but my dream school was JMU. I knew that attending BRCC after two years, I could achieve that goal, meanwhile adapting to the JMU lifestyle and community.”

While there are many advantages to transferring into JMU, students cite weaknesses in the program as well.

Some feel as though coming into JMU two years late causes them to miss out on part of their college experience. Not only do they not know the campus as well as other students, but they have not had as much time to make and build relationships.

“I go into my junior year knowing nothing about the university,” Evans said.  “For a social person, it makes it difficult because everybody already has friends by the time you’re just getting into the school.”

Heruth was also disappointed by certain aspects of the program.  As a transfer student, she had to be accepted into the College of Education before she could start taking courses in her major.  The process took a semester, delaying her progress.

“When I first started I thought I was so smart that I had tricked the system,” she said.  “That excitement faded quickly for me because the major I have chosen is a strict one, and it takes a lot time and dedication.”

Despite the weaknesses of the guaranteed admissions program between JMU and BRCC, Heruth is pleased with how things have worked out for her and is happy be finally be at the university.

“It’s a hard road to be on, but so far it has been worth it for me,” Heruth said. “I’m at the college of my dreams and am working on becoming an elementary school teacher at the college with the best teaching program in the state.”