When it comes to a community college, the idea is to spend one, or maybe two, years there and then transfer to a four year university. It seems that this is not the case anymore for most of us.

There are many reasons why it takes so long to get out of Fresno City College; some are the students’ fault.

We all know that the economy is not doing well, but that excuse is overused when trying to explain why things are going so badly. There is a lot more than poor financial decision making involved, which leads to two year programs that last five or six years.

Does it not seem strange that students can register for fall classes six months in advance, and still manage to be on the waitlist?

What is going on here? The class sizes have been reduced almost 16 percent per classroom, making each room hold a lot less students than it can seat.

Is FCC crazy? FCC has doubled its student population, which is why the renovation of the old administration building took place. Not only will there be less space in each classroom, there may be empty, unused rooms because of the number of classes being offered is being cut.

This is causing students, at least a couple of semesters in, to get half of their general education out of the way. In order to be eligible for financial aid you might even resort to taking extra courses.

Of course while we are stuck paying for classes we do not need, tuition goes up on top of it. The sad part is that the class itself is not even the expensive part anymore. Books range from $100-250 a book… even books that have been used! Standing in line with $400 worth of books in your hand knowing you will not get a third of it back on book buyback week.

Going to FCC should not cost this much or take so long to get out of. It leaves the question, does FCC really care? All signs point to no. Tech school is starting to look more appealing to attend.

Another problem that has just started is that we are not able to see a counselor to help choose courses we need. The one councilor in the front that answers basic questions tells you to look in the course catalogue. Not exactly helpful when you need to know what courses will help you get into a specific college.

Bottom line, the idea of FCC has changed. Instead of it being the expressway to a fulfilling career, it looks like a black hole that takes all of your money from your pockets. It may be much harder to get out of here, but it is not impossible. We are blessed to be able to receive an education. All that is left for us to do is to not get discouraged and keep going towards the light, even though it may be the size of a pinhole.