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Community College Goal: To Serve You
Many adult students choose to pursue an associate's degree or certificate at a two-year
college, like St. Petersburg Junior College, for re-entry into higher education. There are
good reasons for this:
They're convenient. There are local two-year colleges in just about every community
in the country (according to the National Center for Educational Statistics there are over
1,700 two-year colleges, almost 44% of the total educational institutions in the U.S.).
Most offer their courses in several locations in the area. And two-year colleges are
putting their courses online at a faster rate than four-year colleges to serve busy
working students in an even wider range. Palomar College, for example, offers classes in a
variety of formats including self-paced, televised and online as well as on-campus.
They're accessible. Students whose high school performance was less than stellar,
for whatever reason, can get another chance at a community college. The only requirement
is a strong desire to learn.
They're inexpensive. The tuition rates at community colleges, especially for in-state students, are significantly lower than tuition at local four-year colleges.
They're flexible. To be competitive and to serve working adults, community colleges
are developing multiple options, from weekend courses to accelerated degree programs. The
Express Degree programs in Business Administration and Liberal Arts offered by Pima
Community College in Tucson AZ are a good example. Students attend just one class at a
time, one night a week for five weeks and earn an associate's degree in only 20
months.
They're focused on practical skills training. Two-year colleges have close ties to
the community, especially to local employers who are anxious to hire graduates, so
students can fast-start their careers. In the Hudson Valley area, Orange County, Ulster
County, Dutchess County and Sullivan County Community Colleges supply a steady stream of
graduates to fill jobs in the fast-growing technology sector. These employers know that
community college graduates are not only well-trained in practical skills, but are ready
and willing to work.
They're geared to the non-traditional student. The average age of students enrolled
at most community colleges is about 30. Community colleges go out of their way to make adult
students more comfortable through a wide range of support services, including counseling,
tutoring and even child care services. Many also offer convenient application and
information services over the Internet for busy adults. St. Petersburg Junior College, for
example, not only offers online classes, but web-based student registration and
information through "Webster." Students can even pay their fees online by credit
card!
They're friendly. Smaller classes mean students get more personal attention and are
able to develop more camaraderie with their classmates. And teachers, advisers and
administrators are very supportive.
They make it easy to get back to school - one step at a time. Community colleges
work closely with local four-year colleges to ensure that students who want to go on to
earn a bachelor's degree will be able to transfer all of their credits. And those students
who do go on to four-year colleges after getting started at a community college are more
likely to complete their bachelor's degrees.
9/05/00
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| College Spotlight |
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St. Petersburg
Junior College
Top-ranking, innovative programs on-campus, online, or via television. More
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| Program Locators |
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Here are a few places to start your search for community colleges:
U.S. News
AACC
Maricopa
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