When it comes to choosing an academic institution, the United States offers a sea of educational possibilities. With more than 4,300 undergraduate colleges and universities as well as several thousand community, technical, and junior colleges across the nation, students have a wide array of options when choosing their educational path. To help you sort through your choices, here’s a breakdown of your higher education options.
Two-Year Institutions
While four-year undergraduate institutions get all the attention, more than one out of every five American full-time students attends a two-year institution. Designed for students entering a hands-on trade as well as for students who are looking to enter a four-year institution in the future, two-year community colleges, technical institutions, and junior colleges are generally smaller, less competitive, and sometimes less expensive than undergraduate institutions.
Students who opt for the two-year route can expect a broad spectrum of introductory liberal arts courses as well as training programs in trades like automotive repair, police science, and information technology. Since two-year institutions frequently offer workforce readiness programs custom-tailored to the employment needs of local industries, students who graduate with an associate degree or professional certificate can expect to find work almost immediately after graduation--and they may not have to wait even that long.
Many technical institutions work with local companies and offer apprenticeship, internship, and cooperative learning programs that allow students to get an insider’s view of their industry (and sometimes a sizeable paycheck) before they graduate.
If you’re academic rather than technically oriented, two-year community and junior colleges also provide a good introduction to the American college system. Because the vast majority of all college students—whether attending a two- or four-year institution—spend the first two years of their education taking introductory liberal arts courses, students can frequently start at a smaller two-year institution then transfer to a larger undergraduate institution anywhere in the country.
Most two-year institutions also offer a campus dynamic that’s dramatically different from residential undergraduate colleges. Since the vast majority of two-year institutions are non-residential, students are spared the costs and adjustments related to on-campus housing.
Two-year institutions also attract a wide variety of students. Instead of just seeing the fresh faces of 18- to 22-year-olds, community and junior colleges draw a broad demographic of traditional as well as adult learners.
Undergraduate Institutions
Here, you’ll find huge public research institutions, smaller liberal arts colleges, and everything in between. Varying tremendously in terms of size, cost, academic competitiveness, majors offered, extracurricular activities, on-campus student life, and financial support available, undergraduate institutions are as diverse as the students they support.
What these institutions have in common is that they’re all designed to provide a well-rounded education. Keep in mind that while undergraduate institutions are often referred to as four-year institutions, an undergraduate bachelor’s degree can be attained in less than or more than four years depending upon the number of credit hours taken per semester.
Expect to pay top-dollar to attend an undergraduate institution—the average publicly funded undergraduate institution costs approximately $16,640 in tuition each year (plus the additional costs of room and board) and the average private institution student can plan to spend $23,700 each year—but you can also count on taking courses in a subject you’ve never explored, conducting ground-breaking research, taking on internships with local employers, and gaining access to academic programs both on and off campus designed to broaden your intellectual horizons.
A major benefit to attending an undergraduate college or university is that the learning goes on long after class is over. Offering an enormous array of on-campus entertainment, cultural activities, guest lecture series, student and faculty-run clubs, study abroad programs, and student exchange options, those who attend undergraduate institutions will have an impressive selection of learning opportunities at their fingertips.
They’ll also have all the academic help they’ll need to succeed. In order to help all students reach their educational goals, many traditional colleges and universities offer academic support programs such as on-campus tutoring, student and faculty mentoring, career counseling, writing and résumé workshops, job search support, and personal counseling, all of which is included in your tuition.
Distance Learning Institutions
Distance learning offers all of the academic benefits of a U.S. college without the added responsibility of being on campus every day. Thanks to the Internet, techno-savvy students can log into class from anywhere in the world with just the click of a mouse. Perfect for student-parents, those working full-time jobs, and those looking for an American education without leaving their home country, distance learning programs allow students to study where they want and when they want, without being tied to a set classroom schedule.
Because distance students cannot be physically present in the classroom, these institutions provide cutting-edge technology to help students stay in contact with both professors and their virtual classmates. Thanks to e-mail, instant messaging, videoconferencing, collaborative software programs, and school-sponsored online forums, students thousands of miles away from their professors can access their educators almost as easily as those sharing a classroom.
In order to be successful, distance learners must be self-motivated and able to work on their own. Before sending in your first tuition check, thoroughly investigate the institution’s distance learning program to make sure it’s right for you.
Specialty Institutions
Designed for students who possess a specialized skill set, these institutions don’t fit into one category, but they all share the fact that their students are working toward the same degree. The Juilliard School in New York City is a fine example of a specialty institution—the entire student body pursues degrees in the performing arts. From military institutions to engineering academies and performing arts conservatories, specialty institutions each maintain their own unique academic curricula and operate by their own set of rules.
While students of specialty institutions are often required to take courses in general education subjects like mathematics and English, the bulk of their study is in their respective highly specialized field. Students who show remarkable aptitude in a particular discipline are often referred to specialty institutions by instructors and others who have witnessed their talent.
If a specialty institution has piqued your interest, plan on visiting the campus at least once before applying to see firsthand what the buzz is about.