Dr. Kohrs Advises Students On How To Get The Most Out Of Community College

By: Christopher Stanley

KISSIMMEEE, Fl. -- Dr. Dean Kohrs spoke to students at Valencia's Osceola campus last Wednesday about how to use their time at community college to advance academically. His presentation, titled "Hacking Community Colleges", focused on the advantages of community college and the requirements to be successful.

"If you use this place right, you can go anywhere you want to go," he said. "Harvard has a $35,000,000,000 endowment program to reach out to smart community college students. If you make under $180,000 a year, they will pay for you to go to school there. If you make under $60,000 a year, they will pay for your tuition, room and board," he said. Dr. Kohrs is paid by community colleges to speak to students nationwide. He warns of avoiding the difficult subjects and advises students to start early, set goals and stretch themselves.

Dr. Kohrs received his associates degree from St. Petersburg College (formerly St. Petersburg Junior College), his bachelors and masters from USF and his PhD from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He joked about attending a community college, a liberal arts college and a state university.

Nancy Prevalus, who is studying nursing at Valencia, attended Dr. Kohrs' presentation. "I was unaware that I could get into any school," she said.

"You are vastly fortunate to be at a community college," he said. "There are an average of five hundred people in class at state universities. Only private colleges compare to the ratio of students in a community college classroom."

"[Dr. Kohrs] finds a way to relate to the students and put in the forefront of their minds what they might already know," said Professor Groccia, a professor of mathematics at Valencia.

Dr. Kohrs also emphasized the importance of making time for extra curricular activities. "Stop treating community college like thirteenth grade," he said, "and start getting involved with student activities."

Dr. Kohrs' book "Hacking College" can be found on Amazon.com. He can also be reached on his website, www.hackingcollege.com, or on Myspace at www.myspace.com/hackingcollege.