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Time Versus Debt: Why These Students Chose Community College

Nancy Chen chose to go to community college at Montgomery College. On Monday nights, she works for the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department.
Elissa Nadworny
/
NPR
Nancy Chen chose to go to community college at Montgomery College. On Monday nights, she works for the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department.

Going to college today is a very different experience than it once was. The cost has soared, and the great recession cut into many of the assets that were supposed to pay for it. This week, All Things Considered is talking with young people — and in some cases their parents — about the value of school and about their choice of what kind of college to attend.

Today, we'll hear from students who chose the most popular option, one that has risen steadily since the great recession hit: community college.

In their case, it's Montgomery College. Close to home, highly regarded and affordable, it is a sensible choice for students who want the benefits of a higher education without the baggage of debt.

We went to campus on a day before classes started to meet up with students on three very different paths through community college.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robert Siegel
Prior to his retirement, Robert Siegel was the senior host of NPR's award-winning evening newsmagazine All Things Considered. With 40 years of experience working in radio news, Siegel hosted the country's most-listened-to, afternoon-drive-time news radio program and reported on stories and happenings all over the globe, and reported from a variety of locations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. He signed off in his final broadcast of All Things Considered on January 5, 2018.