The term college is in most cases synonymous with university and refers to educational institutions offering four-year degrees. A junior or community college, however, only offers two-year degrees or individual classes. In your research you might also come across the term open university. Students not pursuing a degree and only taking individual classes are a part of the open university. A two-year degree is referred to as an associate degree. Even though you are pursuing a four-year degree such as a bachelor’s degree, a community college could offer several advantages.
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Less expensive |
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Offers many GE classes |
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Easy admittance |
Unlike a junior or community college, a university can offer more advanced degrees such as undergraduate bachelor degrees, master degrees, and sometimes even PhDs.
M ore useful stuff: Community Collages
It is usually easier to get accepted into community colleges. They are often much less expensive and less competitive. Community colleges could be a good supplement to regular university classes. For instance, if you take classes that are specific to your major at the university and some general education (GE) classes at the community college. This way you could often save quite a bit of money but also expedite your degree. Many GE classes often fill up quickly at the university since most students have to take them at some point. This means that you might have to wait until the next semester to take the GE classes that you need. It is easy to locate community colleges once you have arrived at the university. You can use your first semester to get familiar with which classes you need to take and then decide if you want to use community college as a supplement. Please refer to our financing strategies section for more tips about how to lower the cost of tuition and other expenses.
Before taking any classes outside the university, you should make sure that you can transfer courses completed from other institutions. To transfer a course means that the class count towards your degree.
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Specialty and Professional Schools
Specialty or professional schools are quite different from regular universities. In this guide, we have chosen not to discuss them in any length. International students interested in attending i.e. law or medical school will have to consider several factors;
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Accreditation in the home country? (Will the education be accepted and what is required if you return home?) |
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The completion of a bachelor degree is required before attending professional schools. |
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Other restrictions for international students to attend US professional schools |
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