Studying in Community College in the U.S.A.
Community college is an institute for higher education that welcomes students from all walks of life, and gives them a chance to study in the subjects that they are interested in. It is a perfect starting point for international students who wish to study in America. Not only does community college pay close attention to learning and teaching process; it costs 50 – 70% less than university, has less number of students per class and has a department dedicated to international students.
WHY COMMUNITY COLLEGE?
Why do more than 50% of American students choose to study in community college first?
Cost and Quality : Same degree as those who graduated from 4-year university with lower cost
- 2 + 2 : Graduate in 4 years
KorPunGun’s international students in community college graduates with Bachelor’s Degree witihn 4 years.
- Credits : Earn the Right Credits
Curriculum and credits in community college for Bachelor’s Degree is not included in vocational curriculum which can be considered as credits in 2 years of university.
- 50 -70% : Save Your Budget
Community college students can save tuition fee cost by 50 – 70% comparing to those in university.
WHAT PROGRAMS ARE THERE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE?
1) 2 + 2 University Transfer Program
Study in community college for 2 years and in university for 2 years = Bachelor’s Degree (4 years in total)
Students in this program will get to study basics subjects in Bachelor’s Degree level in college, and will receive an Associate Degree upon graduation. Then, students can apply for universities and transfer credits to study in the 3rd – 4th year to get Bachelor’s Degree that is equivalent to study in 4 years of university. With two types of transfer to universities, students are guaranteed to have a place to continue their education. The two types are:
Conditional Transfer
For the students whose graduation results reach the requirements of the universities within the network of community colleges, they can reserved a transferring in these universities. Thus, all students that graduate from community colleges can be transferred to study in universities.
General Transfer
For the students who wish to apply for the universities outside of their community college’s network, they can do so with good academic results and constant participation in student activities which will give them a higher chance to be accepted. Students can apply for well-known universities like Cornell University, UCLA, Unversity of California of Berkeley, University of Washington, Seattle University, University of Texas-Austin, Columbia University, University of Southern California and New York University.
2) English as a Second Language (ESL)
A course to improve your English communication skills such as speaking, listening, reading and writing for general use or preparation for university for those who do not wish to take TOEFL or IELTS. If the students’ English skill is not qualified, they can join the ESL course, and after finishing the final level, they will be able to continue in college right away.
3) High School Completion
For students who are 16 years old or higher, but haven’t completed their high school education, they can apply for the program to study both high school and college at the same time, a program exclusive only to Washington. The government has enacted a law that allows students to collect high school credits from studying in college level subjects. When they graduate, they can continue their college study right away and will receive both the High School Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree credit certifications from the government.
4) Certificate Programs
Certificate program is a short course for specialist field such as mechanical engineering, marketing, management, accounting, nutrition, photography, visual design, nursing, dentist assistance, culinary, cinematography, acting, charity and etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q : What to study at community college?
Since community college is an institute with two-year program, they are able to provide a variety of subjects at base level as preparations for the students to further study in their 3rd – 4th year in university. The subjects include Accounting, Architecture, Arts, Business Management, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Designs, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies Nutrition, Geology, History, International Studies, Linguistic, Multicultural Studies, Music, Philosophy, Politic, Psychology, Physics.
Q : How similar is studying in Community College comparing to studying in University in America?
In their first 2 years, both institutes have similar curriculum which requires their students in all majors to take course in basic subjects from various fields, culminated into at least 90 credits, which also include Human Studies (Arts, Communication, Music or Linguistic), Social Science (Business, History, Economics, Psychology or Politics), Natural Science (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics) and Pre-major courses, for example, a Business student has to take Accounting and Business Law.
Q : After graduating from Community college, there are three main options which are
- Continue studying for 2 years in America for Bachelor’s Degree. Apply for and transfer credits to universities in America and graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in 2 years.
- Join Occupational Practical Training (OPT) in America. Train in the field that you had studied, practicing and gaining real work experience in America for 1 year.
- Continue studying in Thailand for Bachelor’s Degree
- Transfer to MUIC. Apply for and transfer to Mahidol University International College and study for 2 years to receive Bachelor’s Degree.
- Transfer to Webster University Thailand. Apply for and transfer to Webster University Thailand.
- Transfer to Stamford University Thailand. Apply for and transfer to Stamford University Thailand.
Q : Why choose Community Colleges, if you care more about education than popularity?
Learning Experience: The main goal of the Professors in Community College is to teach and encourage learning and with the average number of students per class being less than that of the universities, they can pay more attention to all students equally and the students can also have access to the professors.
Adapting: Community colleges have an international student department which provides one-stop service since application to graduation. During the time of study, international students will have an Academic Advisor which will help with their studying from, course registering to applying for universities.
Diverse Social Group: Community colleges have a very diverse group in terms of age, race, and also social status which in universities are from the families with better support. Thus, community colleges are suitable for developing the open mind and open attitude that understand and respect the diversity which are extremely important in both life and work in the present.
OUR PARTNER COLLEGES
College in Washington State
Shoreline Community College: Located at the Northern part of Seattle, Shoreline Community College is surrounded by residential area with easy access to facilities and malls. Moreover, Shoreline Community College is a perfect start for academic life for international student, because all of the staffs, the professors understand that studying abroad is a big step for them, and are ready to provide help and guidance. Plus, there is an advising system that helps student with there studies and with transferring to University of Washington.
Edmonds Community College: Located in the city of Lynwood, Edmonds Community College has dormitory and homestay. The rule at Edmonds states that the student can study in an Associate Degree level which is equivalent to the 1st and 2nd year of Bachelor’s Degree. After graduating from Edmonds, students can transfer to universities inside or outside of Washington State. Edmonds has the highest transfer rate to UC Berkeley compared to other colleges outside of California.
Green River College: Located in the city of Aubern, Southern Seattle, Green River College provide a two-year Associate Degree program with more than 75 subjects. Their environment is parklike, filled with tall trees. The neighborhood is friendly and peaceful, an ideal place for education. Moreover, they also have Aviation program along with dormitory and homestay.
College in Oregon State
Lane Community College: Lane has 2 + 2 University Transfer program in the field of Business, Engineering, Art, Journalism and more. With smaller ratio between students and professors, the students here receive closer attention from their professors; moreover, the students can save $ 30,000 or ฿ 1 million. Lane Community College is located in the city of Eugene, Oregon, a community for the students from Lane and University f Oregon. They have $ 2,000 scholarships for new students every semester, and they also have a dormitory in the city of Eugene with lower rent compared to those in Washington and California.
College in California State
Diablo Valley College (DVC): Founded in 1949 in Pleasant Hill, California, DVC is a public community college in Diablo Valley near Berkley and San Francisco. The college’s environment is save and suitable for learning. One of DVC’s goal is to provide the community with higher education and open a new path to Degree in universities by offering the first two-year Bachelor’s Degree at the college. Plus, DVC has the most successful transfer rate in the university level in California.
Why Choose Our Partner Community Colleges?
Graduates from our partner community college have the skills and experience needed for continuing their study in university.
- Smart Choice:
An alternative way to study Bachelor’s Degree in America that saves reasonable costs by starting at our partner community colleges and continue to any universities.
- Special Support:
There are staffs who are ready to provide service to international students, and are ready to help with anything either inside or outside of the class, making sure that the students are able to achieve their academic goals.
- Ease of Transfer:
There are universities in our network that automatically accept the graduates, and there is also a service that takes care of international students Bachelor’s Degree transfer.