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Community College Students Need Parental Encouragement
Learn tips on how to support your child during during their transition to community college.

Many high school students go directly from high school to community colleges to begin their higher education. Many of these students still live with their parents for financial or other reasons. Many parents of these traditional students want to help their children transition from secondary school to college. This article discusses the instrumental role parents can play in encouraging a young student to move from high school into community college. The article contains tips for parents seeking to be supportive and suggests questions parents can ask to demonstrate their interest. Using these tips and suggestions, parents can support a child in community college without jeopardizing the child's new independence and responsibility as a college student.

Background

According to the latest statistics compiled by the American Association of Community Colleges, 43 percent of community college students are 21 or younger. Some are traditional students or students who proceeded directly from high school to college. Some traditional students attend community college to avoid the rising tuition costs at public and private four-year institutions. Some students are not ready to leave home and prefer to stay with or near their parents for the first two years of college. Unlike older students, traditional students may not have the maturity and savvy to enter a new environment.

Parents as "First Responders" When Community College Students Need Help

There is a well-founded concern about the low retention rate at community colleges. Students are likelier to drop out without interacting with other students, professors, and

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Seamless Transitions: Mastering the Community College to University Transfer Process

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Seamless Transitions: Mastering the Community College to University Transfer Process
This comprehensive guide outlines the process of transferring from a community college to a 4-year institution. It covers essential steps such as early planning, understanding transfer requirements, evaluating articulation agreements, and maximizing credit transfer to ensure a smooth transition to university studies.

Are you considering attending a community college before transferring to a four-year university? Nearly 11 million students attend community college each year. Some choose community college to save thousands of dollars on tuition for the first two years of schooling, while others opt to attend community college to determine which significant interests them most. Regardless of why you choose to attend community college, with a few phases of planning, you can transfer to the university that is right for your higher learning.

Many students choose to begin their careers at community college before transferring to a four-year institution. Considering that the University of California Regents reported that approximately 30% of all the UC-awarded bachelor’s degrees were given to students who transferred from community colleges, you are not alone.

The time you take to plan out your community college curriculum will pay off significantly in helping you gain acceptance into the university of your choice, along with transferring valuable credits. The key to successfully transferring to a four-year institution begins with early planning. This ensures that your credits not only transfer but that the classes you take are put in the best academic light possible.

This video offers some tips for transferring from community college to a 4-year college.

Step 1: Befriend your academic counselor

One of the least utilized resources in your academic counselor, whose goal is to help you succeed…academically! One of the

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Can Community Colleges Cure the Economy?

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Can Community Colleges Cure the Economy?
Learn about recent government recommendations for community colleges and their role in our nation's competitiveness.

Do community colleges hold the key to curing an ailing U.S. economy? That is one conclusion in the Report of the National Commission on Community Colleges entitled "Winning the Skills Race and Strengthening America's Middle Class: An Action Agenda for Community Colleges" (the Report). The Commission took a comprehensive look at the fundamental role of community colleges in maximizing our nation's ability to compete in a global economy. The Commission's findings and recommendations are discussed in this article.

Background

In 2005, the College Board established the Center for Innovative Thought (the Center) to identify challenges to America's education system and recommend solutions. Convinced that community colleges are the nation's overlooked asset, the Center formed the National Commission on Community Colleges to investigate means for improving and expanding the role of community colleges in the future. The Commission is composed of chair Augustine P. Gallego, Chancellor Emeritus of San Diego Community College District, and ten community college presidents or immediate past presidents. The Commission released its Report in January 2008. The Report looks at the present state of community colleges, identifies numerous challenges facing the U.S., and recommends taking action that will place community colleges at the forefront of meeting these challenges. The College Board applauded the Report and pledged to contribute the Board's expertise in implementing the Report's recommendations.

This video reports on the National Symposium on 21st Century Community Colleges held in New Delhi, India in 2011.

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Careers After Community College

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Careers After Community College
Learn about fast-growing careers and degrees community college grads are pursuing.

Many students who are considering attending community college want to know what their career opportunities are after graduating. If you are contemplating community college, then you are in for good news!

The professional prospects for a community college grad are very promising. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), who analyzed data presented by the US Department of Education and College Board, the average community college graduate earns significant more than a high school graduate. When it comes to the average expected lifetime earnings, those with an associate’s degree earn $1.6 million, which is significant more than the $.4 million a high school graduate will earn. From this perspective alone, graduating from community college will earn your bank account an extra $1.2 million in your lifetime!

Popular community college majors

Although the majors and careers found in community college are quite diverse, ranging from art to zoology, there are several majors that are highly popular, according to the AACC. The five most popular majors in community college are:

  • Computer technologies – 1,017 programs throughout community colleges
  • Registered nursing – 755 programs offered in community colleges
  • Law enforcement – 751 programs offered nationally through community colleges
  • Licensed practical nursing – 528 programs throughout community colleges
  • Radiology – 269 programs offered through community colleges

The working applications of community college

The AACC estimates that there are 11 million students enrolled in community college; with the sheer numbers of the community college student population, employers have taken note of the high caliber of

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Online Community College Classes

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Online Community College Classes
Learn how online courses broaden the options of a community college education.

The advent of the internet has revolutionized society, and education has been dually impacted. With the rise in internet technologies, an increasing number of college courses are moved online – allowing students to learn with sheer convenience. Indeed, the National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2006 that more than 62% of all community college students take courses online.

Community colleges have paved the way for online courses, and students are noticing. In fact, according to research conducted by the Sloan Consortium, two-year community colleges have experienced the highest growth rate in online education, accounting for more than 50% of all online course enrollments in the past five years. The enrollment in online courses at community colleges surpasses the numbers of all other higher education programs combined.

Nationally, according to the Online Learning Consortium, approximately 20% of college students in America took an online course during the fall semester of 2006, which equates to 3.5 million students. In addition, the Sloan Consortium research found that enrollment in online courses is growing at a rate significantly faster than the standard student-growth rates.

Advantages to online curriculum

As more careers and jobs require technical skills in computing and internet research, students who do not develop these skills are quickly left behind in competitiveness. Therefore, online courses offer several benefits, such as convenient learning and an opportunity to hone your technical skills.

  • Convenience: Taking an online course allows you
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