Why Not Community College?

上社區大學A good education does not have to start at a four-year university by Billy Haselton

Thinking about studying abroad? Why not consider a community college? More than 40 percent of all undergraduates in America study at community colleges. Some very famous people received a community college education. Like who? Like former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Star Wars producer George Lucas and actor Tom Hanks. These are just a few of the many that join the ranks at community colleges every year. So what is a community college? It's a two -year college that offers a variety of degree programs.

Sometimes known as junior colleges, technical colleges or city colleges, community colleges serve different types of students. Many of them receive an associate degree and then transfer to a four-year university to complete their bachelor's degree. Other students work toward a certificate they need to get a good job. They might study to be a firefighter, a cook or a teacher's assistant. Some students take classes for personal growth in such things as photography, computer skills, foreign languages and parenting.

Here are just a few of the benefits of a community college education:

1. Costs less - The tuition at a community college is frequently less than half of the tuition at a public university. You can save a lot of money by taking your basic college .

2. Fewer English language requirements - Many community colleges have lower or no TOEFL requirement. They also offer English classes for students at all ability levels.

3. Most credits transfer easily - Community colleges usually have good relationships with four-year universities. They make sure students can transfer their credits with no problem.

4. Positive learning environment - Small class sizes, tutoring and international student clubs all add up to students success.

What are you waiting for?
Take steps now to begin your pursuit of a community college education. Maybe one day your name can be on the list of famous people who attended a community college.

More Information:
The lowest of higher learning academic degrees is the associate's degree. This two-year degree can later be put toward achieving a four-year degree, also know as the bachelor's degree. After the bachelor's degree is earned, the student can then continue his or her education by pursuing a master's degree, which normally requires two years. At the top, of course, is the Doctor of Philosophy degree, or the PhD.


Grammar Tips:
"to add up to" (idiom)-
Small class sizes, tutoring and international student clubs all add up to student success.
"add" - math, add three to forty-seven and you'll get fifty.
"to add up to "- the combination of the things that were just mentioned are the reasons why something is the way it is.
Waking up late, lost keys, a late bus, an argument with a coworker and an upset stomach from lunch all added up to a bad days.
Sunny weather, guests arriving on time, well-behaved flower girls and a ceremony going according to plan all added up to beautiful outdoor wedding.

Vocabulary Tips:
TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language.
undergraduate-研究生以下，就是“大學生”。 under-在。。。。以下graduate-研究生
*Hank is an undergraduate of USC and is majoring in math.
*Mathew got his undergraduate degree at Harvard.
join the rank of something -加入。。。行列 "rank"-行列，隊伍
*More and more people lease cars instead of buying ones. My father also jointed the ranks of those who lease cars recently.
transfer- 轉換，轉學，調職"trans" 超越，通過
transferred/ transferring
*Chelsea decided to transfer to Brown University this fall.
*Eric got transferred to the branch office in Seattle.　調職到。。。
credit- （不可數名詞）信用，信賴，
credit- （可數名詞）學校的學分。
*He already has two credits in English literature.
*This three-credit science class is very difficult. Students need to do a lot of experiments.
tutor-輔導，指導，當某人的老師
*Fanny has been tutoring disadvantaged kids since college. 輔導幫助低收入家庭的孩子們學習。
*William volunteered to tutor his younger sister for her final.
tutor-家教
*My English tutor came from Canada.
pursuit-追求，尋求。 （不可數名詞）追求或愛慕者。
*Somehow, in the pursuit of success, Mandy lost her identity. 在追求成功的同時，喪失了自我
*The members of the popular band ran to their bus with hundreds of fans in hot pursuit. 數百名的粉絲緊緊的跟著

Chat Room:
an associate degree-　副學位
master's degree-碩士學位。
doctoral degree-　博士學位
professional degree-專業學位。a type of degree that allow people to work in a certain field.　培育特別人才，如法律，建築，商學，醫學研究的。