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| General Articles :: Career Ideas & Resources |
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| Two-Year Colleges in the Limelight |
| by Jeannine N. Morris |
Two-Year Colleges are becoming increasingly popular among high school seniors. They're close to home and affordable, ensuring a high-quality education. Take a look at some of the celebs who started on the two--year path -- and, hey, one of them became a multiple Oscar winner!
Before They Were Stars...
Actor TOM HANKS first attended two-year Chabot College (Hayward, CA), then transferred to California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento, CA) where he took drama classes.
Governor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER prepared at Santa Monica College (Santa Monica, CA), a two-year school, before attending the University of Wisconsin (Superior, WI) where he obtained a degree in business.
Before signing with the New York Mets, baseball hall of famer NOLAN RYAN graduated from Alvin Community College (Alvin, TX).
You may know MARK HAMILL as Luke Skywalker from Star Wars; before portraying a Jedi Knight, he studied at Los Angeles City College (Los Angeles, CA). MICHAEL RICHARDS, a.k.a. Kramer from the ever-so-famous Seinfeld, graduated from Los Angeles Valley College (Valley Glen, CA).
Did You Know?
Forty-four percent of undergraduates nationwide attend two-year colleges. That means over 11 million students are currently enrolled in the United States' 1,173 community colleges. Eighty percent of today's firefighters, EMTs, and police officers graduated from community colleges. Today, four out of 10 high school graduates attend community colleges.
Over one-third of students who attend community colleges plan to transfer to a four-year school.Over half of students who go to two-year schools are female. The highest percentages of ethnic groups are Hispanics (54 percent) and American Indians (51 percent).
What's Good
Adjusting to college life for the first time is easier in a close-to-home environment. Four-year colleges often recruit students from two-year colleges because they're well-prepared.
Study abroad and internship opportunities can be taken advantage of either year at a two-year school, whereas at a four-year school, you often wait until junior or senior years to seek such opportunities.
Graduates with an associate degree are expected to earn over $1 million in their lifetime -- $250,000 more than you would earn without one.
To save money, you can affordably complete all of your general requirements at a two-year school, then strictly concentrate on your major at a four-year college. Many four-year schools offer transfer scholarships based on your GPA and the number of credits you received at the two-year school.
Sites to Search
Further Your Education (www.furtheryoureducation.com) details the benefits of two-year colleges, as well as the transfer process of going from a two- to a four-year school.
The American Association of Community Colleges (www.aacc.nche.edu), a national organization, offers online info about community colleges and provides frequent updates on the nation's leading two-year schools.
The National Science Foundation -- it's not all science stats! Check 'em out for community college 411 at www.nsf.gov.
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