The Washington Post is reporting on the growing appeal of area community colleges.  The article focuses primarily on the Honors programs that are attracting more and more top-notch students.  Students of Ivy League caliber are opting to trim the budget by attending two-year community college honor's programs in the hopes of a successful transfer down the road. Community colleges are appealing to the wallet.  They offer quality courses at a reasonable cost.  Students are able to work, live at home, and maintain their studies without breaking the bank.  But are these students missing out on the college experience?  And is that really important anyway? I would respond with a no.  The atmosphere at the four-year public university doesn't really get "serious" until aroung the third year anyway.  To that point you are taking general education courses and trying to decide what course of study to major in.  The student who attends community college and then transfers in may miss the partying and laziness that is generally associated with the first and second year, but not much else.  The choice to attend a community college with the intention to transfer to another university demonstrates a capacity of responsibility and selflessness that most typical college students don't possess.