College

By Gregory Cummingham


The word college is used to refer to an institution that educates undergraduates, although any educational institution is technically a college. There are thousands of colleges in the United States. In the United States, the words college and university refer to the same thing, although that is not the case in most countries. Sometimes, a student can begin college classes prior to completing high school, but most of the time a student begins college after high school is completed.

There is no size requirement for an institution to be considered a college; some are big and some are small. Each institution may also have a different list of courses that are required to earn a degree. Junior colleges require two years of courses, and upon completion they provide an associate's degree. Four-year institutions, on the other hand, provide bachelor's degrees. Most institutions have only undergraduate programs, but a few also offer postgraduate programs.

A school with both graduate and undergraduate programs should be called a university; a college is used for schools that offer only undergraduate programs. Even though universities offer graduate courses, the majority of their courses are usually for undergraduates. Unlike a traditional college, though, a university has a sector dedicated to graduate programs.

Before a student can attend college, he or she must apply and be accepted. Admissions standards vary greatly from one college to another. For some schools, admissions standards are relatively low. Other schools are more prestigious, and they accept a very small percentage of the students who apply. When a college looks at an application, they'll look at GPA, extracurricular activities, and scores on the SAT and ACT tests. Some colleges also ask applicants for other things, such as an essay. Many students apply for several colleges, because there is no limit to the number of schools that can be applied to. You may not get accepted to your first choice, and if that happens, you'll want to have options.

A college education can be very expensive. Over the past twenty years, the cost of an education has skyrocketed, far outpacing the rate of inflation. Usually, private colleges are more expensive than public colleges. If money is an issue, community colleges are usually very affordable. It's important to consider all of the sources available for making college affordable. It's a good idea to research all scholarships that may be available to you. Many students also benefit from financial aid, so you'll want to see if you qualify for this. Other than financial aid and scholarships, student loans can be another way to get money for college.




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