Affordability and practicality are two reasons why Frederick Community College, experienced and fresh high school graduates, decided to attend the local campus.
The Commuter asked several students around the campus why they chose FCC.
Kiera Turner, 20, of Frederick is in her third year. Among the various majors offered at FCC, Turner decided to pursue the nursing program.
“I don’t know why, I’m just interested in it,” she said of nursing.
Although she found the nursing program difficult, she found the process of getting into the program easier.
“Getting into the nursing program was easy because the advisers helped a lot, and I just followed the pathway on the site and stayed on top of things,” she said.
As what has kept her engaged, Turner was in a club in the first two years she attended FCC. However, she founded and ran the Black Student Union but she said she has fallen away fro it when her studies took priority
Turner still attends club meetings she is interested in and although she is not signed up for the clubs in which she attends, she is no longer taking up any other extracurriculars. In the meantime, she’s still focused on her nursing studies.
“I am looking forward to the labs for my nursing classes, little things like that,” she said of what she’s looking forward to this semester.
Turner is interested in clinical research and plans to further her career after completing the nursing program. And if that doesn’t go to plan? “I am looking to go into clinical research, or maybe work a bunch and then travel,” she said.
Turner said she chose FCC because it can help her jump-start her four-year degree.
“I did my prerequisites here. It was cheap, and I got scholarships, a lot,” she said. “It is close to home, and dorms aren’t for me.”
Turner said she applied to a number of four-year universities in addition to FCC in hopes of a scholarship. In the end, FCC was the only college to give her a scholarship so she took the scholarship and opted to stay local, enrolling in the nursing program.
Devon Lapping and Zayden Acacio, are both 18 of Frederick and first-year students at FCC.
Lapping had an advantage when attending FCC this year because he had earned pre-earned credits from being enrolled in Dual Enrollment at his high school.
Acacio said he was interested in looking further into some extracurriculars to enroll.
“I think I am going to take a look at the jobs, might as well,” Lapping said.
Lapping is excited to be on campus with his friends more as they attend FCC alongside him.
Acacio is an engineering major. He said he chose his major “because I had no clue what I wanted to do–and my dad suggested it to me–so I was like, why not?”
Lapping is majoring in business.“It’s just what I am interested in, I want to start a business one day,” he said.
Both students want to transfer to four-year colleges after getting their associate degree. Acacio wants to transfer to somewhere in the state, whereas Lapping would like to transfer to the University of Maryland.
Acacio and Lapping had similar responses when asked why they chose to attend FCC. Both agreed that going to a four year right away would be far too expensive and to just stay local and get their prerequisites out of the way for a lower cost. Neither wanted to go into debt right out of high school when FCC was much more affordable and they could stay local.
Acadio said he chose FCC because “it was mostly just an affordability thing, and it’s close to home as opposed to like a four-year where you would have to get into debt and travel.”
Lapping agreed with Aradio; however, he had an advantage because of being he was a Dual Enrollment student during his senior year of high school.
“So I already had a year done and was just continuing to get my AA,” he said.
Ryan McNee,18, of Frederick, is a first-year student who wants to transfer to a four-year program.
According to McNee, 18 Frederick, decided on being a general studies major “because they don’t have the majors that I want.”
When he finishes his prerequisite courses at FCC, he intends to transfer to a four-year university where he will pursue a double major in sports media and musical theatre.
Although he is not involved in any extracurriculars, he did express his interest in the theatre program and wants to explore it in the future. Taking on extracurriculars early into his first semester at FCC could pose challenges, so he decided to ease into the college lifestyle before taking on additional responsibilities.
McNee said he chose FCC even though it didn’t have his major because it was a more convenient option financially as well as in proximity to home.
“It’s cheaper and close to home, [a] good transition right out of high school,” he said.
–This story was contributed by Mireya McGaha-Eastep, Sophia Parkins, Ethan Putnam, Charles Bell, Kemper Jenkins.
