Development of Community Colleges In the second half of the 20th century, especially since 1965, community colleges in the United States have flourished. At one time, a new community college was established in almost a week in the United States. Judging from the American education system, the American Constitution has never directly involved education. Therefore, the responsibility of providing educational opportunities for its citizens has become the responsibility of the state governments of 50 States. Only 1.7% of the total budget of the federal government is used for education. This budget is equivalent to 6% of the actual expenditure on education in the United States. Most education funds come from state and local governments. So we can say that the United States does not have a unified national education system, but we have 50 education systems. Each state's education system is independent, but compared with other states' education systems, there are similarities.

Although the education system of each state is similar to that of each state, it is by no means the same. This refers not only to primary and secondary education, but also to higher education, and community colleges are no exception.

Community college in the eyes of Americans

Bill Clinton, the former president of the United States, whom Americans are most familiar with, once said that "community colleges are the best in China" (community colleges are the best in the United States). Xu Qi's research on American community colleges also introduced that the United States is a developed country of higher education in the world and the first country in the world to enter the stage of popularization of higher education. In this process, based on the characteristics of Americans advocating equality, the American community college education system came into being, which can meet the needs of students at different levels to the greatest extent.

Shao Qiliang, chief consultant of the American Education Alliance, pointed out that in the United States, for local residents, community colleges mainly have the following three functions.

1. Transfer education-American community colleges provide two-year courses for high school graduates who are interested in continuing their studies in universities. After graduation, students pass the exam to get an associate degree and transfer to the junior year of a four-year university. The current president of the United States, Obama, studied at California Western College for two years, and then transferred to Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

2. Vocational and technical education is the focus of community college education, and its training goal is professional and technical personnel or professional and technical workers.

3. Adult education or continuing education-mainly for on-the-job personnel to study or make up some courses. The provisions of elective courses and the length of study are very flexible, and you can study full-time or part-time. Community colleges undertake more lifelong learning obligations, and they open their doors indefinitely to those who want to study again.

Community college is a two-year college in the United States, which provides for graduates. Usually, students first complete two years of undergraduate general education courses, and then enter the next two years of professional courses, and finally get a bachelor's degree.

Because tuition is much cheaper than comprehensive universities, it is also the choice of many local students and international students.

Community colleges usually sign agreements with local universities for further study. As long as students meet the requirements for further study, they can directly enter the agreed institutions to continue their professional courses.

Advantages of community colleges:

1. Tuition is low, and the total annual tuition and living expenses is about 1.5 million RMB, which is economical and practical.

2. Have an agreement with the local school for admission.

Springboard For example, many community colleges in California have agreements with various branches of California University and California State University, and students can enter UC schools as long as they meet the admission requirements.

3. The admission requirements are not high. To apply for a community college, you generally only need a TOEFL score of about 80, and you don't need to take the SAT. It is a good choice for students who don't have time to prepare for the SAT and want to enter a prestigious school.

4. Hurry to apply for admission, the deadline is late. It is usually not too late to apply for admission in the autumn of July.

Disadvantages of community colleges:

1. If students can't guarantee that they are studying GPA, they can't enter a comprehensive university smoothly.

2. Compared with comprehensive universities, the visa pass rate is low, but many students apply for community colleges every year and get visas smoothly. As long as they are fully prepared, there will be no problem.

Simply put, a community college is equivalent to a junior college in China. But community colleges are an important part of the American education system. There are more than 1200 community colleges in the United States, with more than10 million registered students. American community colleges generally have lower requirements for admission than four-year universities, so it is easier for students to apply for admission. Of course, it is particularly important to determine whether the community college to be selected has passed the certification of the Ministry of Education of China.