current increase in postsecondary education is due in great part to the fact that community colleges are more available in terms of time, place and money (Bowen, 1977). Moreover, further studies have indicated that first-generation students "are more likely than their peers to enroll in colleges that offer the programs they want and that are close to home and low in cost" (McConnell, 2000, p. 76). Additionally, community colleges are more prone to offer classes and seminars after normal working hours or on weekends since a large part of their student body is also made of people who are working while they are attending school (Cohen & Brawer, 1996). Studies indicate that first-generation students that attend community colleges are usually working at least 35 hours a week and are taking classes which will increase their earning power and improve their socio-economic status. Finally, the cost of attending a community college in terms of tuition, fees and books (there are usually no dormitories or on-campus housing facilities) is also much less expensive than the cost of attending a four-year university would be (Cohen & Brawer, 1996).
Because of these characteristics, students who might not otherwise feel able to continue their education, such as students who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, feel that further education is within their grasp, this explains the large percentage of first-generation students. Some four-university programs have used this to their advantage by working with community colleges to create programs encouraging students who completed their Associate of Arts degree or have completed two-year programs to transfer to four-year universities and then channeling them into the appropriate four-year programs (Ev
...