HOPE CARTER, Reveille Radio News Reporter:
In light of budget cuts and tuition hikes it can be considered no small wonder that students are choosing alternate forms of education. The Advocate reports Baton Rouge Community College surpassed Southern University last year to become the city’s second largest college in terms of enrollment size. Freshman Sydney Taylor said LSU was not her first choice because of tuition prices.
SYDNEY TAYLOR (University freshman): If the government pays for it, I’d stick here, but originally I was going to go to a smaller school, not quite a community college, but a smaller school because it would be cheaper.
CARTER: Communications Studies senior Charles Wade says he thinks the tuition hikes are ridiculously high, but he stuck it out at LSU for the quality of education.
CHARLES WADE (Communications Studies senior): I would have much preferred to stay at a four-year university and get my degree as opposed to going to a community college and getting my degree. It’s not, nothing bad about community college but obviously a four-year but obviously a four-year university degree is a little bit better.
CARTER: According to the Advocate, Baton Rouge community colleges and technical schools are growing at a rate that may outpace the schools’ sizes. Taylor feels the smaller size is, indeed, one of the perks of a community college. However, the biggest incentive for her to go to a traditional university was how employers would look at her résumé.
TAYLOR: When you are applying to jobs or anything like that then they probably look down on it or they would choose someone from LSU over somebody from a community college.
CARTER: Hope Carter, Reveille Radio News.