What is a community college?
The history of American Community College (CC) can be traced back to the period of President Kennedy 100 years ago. Community college aims to provide cheap and comprehensive college education for American high school graduates.
Community colleges are neither senior universities nor social universities. It is an important part of American higher education system. There are more than 2,300 community colleges in the United States with more than10 million registered students. At present, nearly 70% of students in the United States enter colleges and universities every year. Nearly one-third of these local students choose to study in community colleges for two years, and then transfer to four-year institutions of higher learning to continue their studies for the next two years.
There are public and private community colleges in the United States, and public colleges account for the vast majority, about 85%. Each community college has the cultural and geographical characteristics of the area it serves, and at the same time, they also have many similarities.
Most community colleges offer three types of courses: language training ESL course, bachelor transfer course, livelihood education (that is, vocational and technical education) and community service.
Language training ESL course is suitable for friends who want to improve their English.
The bachelor's degree transfer course is suitable for those who apply for a good university through community colleges and accumulate credits for the springboard. For example, more than 30% of students in eight campuses of the University of California are transferred from community colleges; More than 60% students of California State University are transferred from community colleges.
Livelihood education (that is, vocational and technical education) and community services include adult continuing education and professional and technical personnel training, such as cooking and nutrition, parent education, art and so on.
Curriculum-Community College is a two-year university. Students can choose to transfer credits in community colleges and transfer to four-year universities two years later; Or choose a project that can't be transferred to credits, that is, skills, such as hairdressing or cooking, and get a job directly after graduation.
Tuition-38% of the funds for community colleges come from the state government, with tuition income accounting for about 20%, local government funds close to 20%, and the rest are supplemented by other forms of funds.
American community colleges are connected with the four-year system. Many courses in community colleges are associated with four-year universities. When you study in a community college for two years, these two-year courses are equivalent to the first and second-year courses of a four-year university. In the third and fourth grades, you can transfer to a four-year public university or even a top Ivy League university for further study, and get a bachelor's degree from a prestigious school after graduation. Students can experience the essence of American higher education and get the latest knowledge through small class. Before the credit course, students can also choose a language preparation course with strong pertinence and close courses to pass the language barrier as quickly as possible. Even high school students with poor grades can fully adapt to the study and life in the United States through two years of polishing in social science universities, and have a greater chance to enter famous universities.
Application conditions of American community colleges
1, age
Most community colleges have age requirements for students, but different schools have different requirements. For example, Santa Monica College requires applicants to be 65,438+08 years old, and Green River Community College requires applicants to be 65,438+06 years old, while Foothills College has no specific requirements for applicants' age.
2. Education
To apply for a community college in the United States, you need a high school education or are studying in a high school, not necessarily an ordinary high school education in China, but also a secondary school, technical school, vocational high school, etc.
3. Language achievement
American community colleges do not require high language scores for applicants, as long as TOEFL score is 50 and IELTS score is above 5. Students with insufficient language scores can also apply, but they only need to attend the ESL course of the school.
4. Average grade point average
Students applying for community colleges have no specific requirements for GPA, but they need to provide transcripts of the whole high school stage.
5, standardized results
You don't need SAT/ACT scores to apply for American community colleges, but you need to take math and English exams after entering the school. Those who fail to meet the standards need to go to cram schools, and only when you meet the requirements can you take courses that have certain requirements for English and mathematics.
6. Time of application
Most community colleges apply twice a year, in September and 65438+ 10. Some schools have flexible application time and can apply at any time.
7. Proof of funds
American community colleges also need students to provide proof of funds, at least to prove that they have the ability to pay tuition and living expenses for one year. In fact, the tuition of American community colleges is not expensive, only about 5000- 10000 dollars, with a two-year schooling and a deposit of only 20000 dollars.
8. Letter of recommendation
Most community colleges in the United States do not need letters of recommendation, but only a few schools do. When you apply, you should find out whether the school you apply for needs a letter of recommendation.
9. Application documents
The application documents of community colleges are not as complicated as those of comprehensive universities, and only a personal statement is needed.
10, portfolio
To apply for music, design and art majors, you also need to provide a portfolio and submit it according to the requirements of the school.
The above is a detailed introduction to the application conditions of American community colleges. American community colleges are very good applicants. A large part of more than 3,000 universities in the United States are community colleges. Good community colleges are not inferior to some four-year universities in terms of teaching quality and teaching facilities. Moreover, many community colleges have signed docking agreements with top American universities. After graduating from a community college and meeting the requirements of the docking agreement, you can directly transfer to a prestigious school to continue your junior and senior courses and get a bachelor's degree, which is a shortcut for many students who want to enter a prestigious American school. However, the credits of community college cannot be transferred to any school, so before applying for community college, you should find out which schools it has signed docking agreements with, including any school you want to go to.