Written By: Jacob Hallberg
The world of an education can be a jumbled mess of misinformation and the culmination of wasted time. Front Range Community College aims to mitigate any misinformation and provides students with accurate and useful educational information. Front Range Community College has enabled tens of thousands of students to pursue their higher education through an organized community college environment that promotes healthy community interaction and fulfilling course loads.
All of that sounds great as a prospective student, but why would one choose Front Range Community College over other community colleges in the Front Range. The most convenient answer would be placement of schooling within our large state of Colorado. Front Range Community College offers four campuses located all around the Front Range that give students convenience while living away from the Denver metro area. The Boulder County, Larimer, Westminster, and Brighton Center campuses connect the thousands of Front Range Community College students together while enacting a continuity like experience between both the students and hardworking staff.
The Westminster Campus alone boasts over 10,00 students every year. Each student with their own life and goals all congregating here at Front Range Community College to better educate themselves in an affordable and productive way. Even better, an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree is guaranteed to transfer to the arts and sciences school of all public four-year universities in Colorado.
Furthermore, Front Range Community College offers high school students the option to enroll in college courses to garner college credit while in high school! The program, called College Now – High School Select, is a concurrent enrollment program that provides high school students with the opportunity to take FRCC classes at their home high school for college credit. Tuition is covered by the school district, but students may be responsible for textbooks and/or applicable fees. Over 900 students from 30 high schools are participating and earning college credit while in high school.
In a reverse scenario, Gateway to College gives high school students a chance to become educated at FRCC, earning college credit while finishing up their high school diploma. This program is huge to help bring individuals in for a second chance at higher education and to help high school students who aren’t thriving in the classroom. The program recently won a national award, which can be read above by following the link above.
Students are able to pick and choose from which campuses they prefer to attend and are also able to have classes scattered through all of the campuses if they prefer that method of education. This freedom of course location allows for great flexibility with scheduling for some classes but keep in mind that different campuses also have specialized courses. Some programs and classes are only offered at a particular location. Additionally, the option to pick your class location grants great opportunities to work and educate yourself near the same place.
If working as a student employee is your forte, Front Range Community College offers plenty of job opportunities to assiduous students. Through employment at FRCC, either as Work-Study or Student Hourly, students are able to make reasonable amounts of money while also being in an environment that teaches them useful skills for their future employment. These employment opportunities are available to even the busiest of students and every student seeking employment should take advantage of the great working environment that Front Range Community College offers. Flexible work hours and staff that treat you with the utmost respect is another benefit to working at Front Range Community College. Students who are interested in the wonderful work opportunities offered by Front Range Community College can also check out our recent article about that very subject here!
Employment is only one of the many great options given to students by Front Range Community College. The school also encourages communal interaction through the many events and clubs that are supported within the college. One great communal resource is the Food Pantry at Front Range Community College-Westminster. The Food Pantry at the Westminster campus received its grand opening on Feb. 16 and has since been supporting the Front Range community by feeding individuals with a need. The anonymous and free nature of the Food Pantry gives students the much needed ability to maintain a healthy diet while pursuing an education. As noted in our Food Pantry article, food donations are also available if you feel the need to further contribute to our growing communal Community College society.
The ability to work side by side with Front Range Community College staff and also to meet so many students is one of the many perks of student employment here at Front Range Community College. It also offers students the ability to manage their work and school schedules while also promoting healthy relations with students and staff.
Clubs are another great asset of the Community College environment offered by Front Range Community College. The fast nature of a two-year school often makes it hard to create sustainable relationships between large groups of people. However, foster the creation of long term relationships through structured student involvement and participation in an active and friendly environment. As an aspiring computer Scientist and technophile, I was unaware of the Computer Science Club located in the Larimer Campus that taught group development and computer knowledge, but the club itself is join-able all throughout the semester and I encourage any students to join clubs that they are interested in by visiting the organization tab on WolfLife here. With nearly one hundred clubs currently in place, students can strive to become a better student and meet new, like-minded people.
The Muslim Student Association is a perfect example of a club in which students support each other, even while being in a foreign environment. The Muslim Student Association aims to bridge the gap between ELS Muslim students and native speakers here at Front Range Community College. Club meetings provide community involvement, friendships, and the development of English speaking skills. This club has truly brought together a large amount of students who otherwise might feel lost in a society so different from their own and embodies the structure and ideology of the club mentality here at Front Range Community College.
The Academic Success Center at Front Range Community College is a huge perk of attending the school. The centers offer students the ability to meet with proctors who can teach and help students with homework and outside work. These proctors are trained to help you learn in an efficient way and rather than just giving you the answer they provide you how to find the answer. This method of teaching is essential for students to truly grasp the material.
The Writing Center allows for students to bring in their pieces of writing and have an educated writing staff member look over the material. They can provide you with grammatical fixes, content areas, and an overall sense of where you need to improve to achieve higher letter grades.
The Math Center enables students to bring problems to the proctors who will assist in the completion of the math problems. The Math Center is able to even give help with Calculus 3 and the many other higher level math classes, including physics. Although at times proctors capable of Calculus 3 and higher level math classes are not always available, the Math Center will provide you with times when the advanced proctors will be able to assist you.
Similarly, the Academic Success Centers are located in the library towards the West end of the campus. These centers are isolated from the rest of the school and the library offers plenty of quiet study area. Furthermore, the library consists of two stories that are available to students and plenty of reading material to fill your minds with. All of which is free while being a student. If you prefer to study in a secluded area the library even offers closed study rooms which are spacious enough to study with a group of five comfortably, but quite enough to get any type of studying done. Not many students realize that these rooms are available to everyone so they often go underused for their amazing purpose.
A healthy body and mind are essential to maintaining a successful education. Front Range Community College offers free membership to a consequential gym. The High Plains Fitness Center is available to all students and staff. It offers clean, maintained equipment that is coordinated to match your fitness goals. It houses a yoga/dance studio, a weight room, a basketball court/gym, and a cardio room. Each room has up-to-date equipment which is safe and effective for physical activity. The High Plains Fitness Center is run by Amber Kavehkar who is able to assist students with creating a workout regime. The regime promotes individuals to obtain their fitness goals while also using healthy techniques and exercises.
Additionally, the High Plains Fitness Center offers organized intramural activities and sports to keep the community involved and active. Students can sign up for classes online or in person and create teams for intramurals or join the activities as a free agent. Intramurals are non-competitive and encourage students to interact with their fellow student base to meet one another. Many of the students you will meet during the intramurals are heading to a four-year university as well and might be traveling the same path as your own.
What better place to maximize your fitness micronutrients than a cafeteria with a wide variety of food choices? Front Range Community College-Westminster offers a full size cafeteria. Called the Front Range Bistro, students can get a wide variety of foods to fuel their hardworking and strained brains. There are also light snacks, coffee and other drinks offered at the Coffee Den.
The most important of all factors here at Front Range Community College is the ever growing need to assist students. The staff are willing to work side by side with you and work their hardest to put your education first. At Front Range Community College student life is a huge priority and it is seen time and time again that the staff truly aim to make your college experience the number one priority in their work. As an employee here, you feel a part of a large group of people who all share similar interests and goals. Everyone works fluidly to get their job done in the most efficient way possible while also providing a great experience for the students and student employees.
Overall, Front Range Community College has many perks of a four-year university while also providing a high quality education to all types of students. It caters to a wide variety of prospective individuals and success is available to all who put forward the effort. Their large campuses and varied destination spots give students the ability to work from afar. Student employment and the many student perks give power to the student. Front Range Community College truly is the right place to pursue a higher education.
