Success is based on Persistence, not Prestige.

You have seen it over the years, affluence buys and prioritizes education. So why is it when a bright, successful student wants to transfer from community college, it’s an issue? Going to community college is often about boosting the student’s academic status. They are trying to show and promote their educational worth and value. Maybe their grades and test scores need to be boosted. Possibly, the situation can be that they are not good at taking the SAT. Affluence should not be the reason to reject a community college transfer student, especially if they have the qualifications to attend.

A report done by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKCF) exposes some bias based on affluence. For example, why are there many transfer seats available but not being filled? There are more than enough applicants but yet they sit empty. Also, the report shows that community-college transfer graduations exceed those who attend private universities as first-time freshman. Another interesting fact, community-college transfers graduate at higher rates than students who transfer from other four-year colleges; when they are permitted to attend.

Case in point, many community-college students, want to transfer to a private four-year university and are a good fit. However, the amount of students that transfer to private colleges from a community college is about 15 percent. In addition, only about 5 percent of those community college undergraduates attend the top schools in the USA. And there are more students eligible and being denied.

When you look at the situation, there are a few different factors to consider. First, community colleges have a lot of hard-working individuals who want to receive a bachelor’s degree. According to the JKCF report, about 81 percent of community college students want a four-year degree. However, 33 percent of the community college transfers attend a four-year college in almost six years. On the downside, many of these students do not complete their bachelor’s degree, which stems from other reasons. It is not that they have poor learning capabilities and academic ability. It is often financial, causing their delays to graduate or drop out.

Status quo and affluence are the names of the game. It will take more effort to try to convince and get private universities to enroll more transfer students. No one is saying to break the rules as the affluent do. Just take off the blinders of indifference to see a student’s potential. Persistence, drive, and determination are what comprise a student. If community college transfer students got what it takes, then why deny them the opportunity.

Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerburg, Steve Jobs, and Michael Dell are millionaires without a college education. However, their kids can and will walk into any college of their choice without any problem. As we have seen many situations and times in the past, affluence forgives your past grades, deviant behaviors, and poor academic performance to get you a spot in a premier private university. It separates those with prestige rather than ability.