Why Open Enrollment is a good thing

The Open Enrollment policy at HACC and other such community colleges is a good thing. However, there are those who disagree, so I will start there. One of the first reasons given is that not everyone is cut out for college, and that these people will be wasting a lot of money attending HACC when a college environment is not right for them. Another is that open enrollment causes classes, specifically Major-requirement classes, to fill up faster. And finally, it is said that open enrollment is a ploy for the colleges to make money off students who would normally not be attending (due to not being accepted to other colleges). However, now it is time to contest these points and show that open enrollment really is a good thing. The first point: that not everyone is cut out for college. Certainly this is true, however, no one can learn if college is the thing for them if they don't attend it. If they are determined to at least try it for a semester or two, then they will be "wasting money" no matter where they go- however, HACC is a much cheaper college experience than a full university. If they are going to spend money to experience college, HACC with its open enrollment is certainly the cheaper and less painful experience. Second, open enrollment allows students who wish to go through college, but did not qualify grade-wise, an option to fall back and raise their GPA. If they didn't have this, they would never be able to become more eligible for traditional colleges and degrees. Finally, open enrollment allows a wider access to higher education for adults who have been out of school for years. With access to higher education, they can advance in or change their careers, however, traditional colleges are typically designed with young people fresh from high school in mind, and are not as accepting to the needs of an older (oftentimes a parent) student. For these reasons, HACC's open enrollment policy is a good thing.