Textbooks are way too expensive.

A community college generally offers basic (intro-type and low level) university classes and alot of career training type course work. Many students attend for 2 years and then transfer to a traditional 4-year college or university. At the end of two years many people also have earned an associate's degree. Community colleges are considerably cheaper than universities. Many students at community colleges live at home/ in an apartment and comute to school. In some areas (such as where i live) these are considered alternatives to a 4 year college to:
a. start your degree for a much lower price
b. get training for a career or to advance your career without attending a university (skilled-trades, etc.)
A traditional college or university (often the terms college and university are used inter-changably. College can also refer to your specific area of a university. For example you attend University of Bimboland. However, as a fashion design major you are part of the College of Arts and Sciences) generally is course work for 4 or 5 years at the end of which you will have a bachleor's degree. These schools often participate in higher level research in all departments and offer advanced degrees (master's and doctorate's). Most of these schools have some on campus housing. Many students live on/near campus and are away from home. There are many careers/professional training programs) that (in the U.S) you simply cannot enter without a degree from a 4 year university.
Let me know if i'm missing anything but this should be a general description. Let me know if you have any more question.

Rossey wrote:

A community college generally offers basic (intro-type and low level) university classes and alot of career training type course work. Many students attend for 2 years and then transfer to a traditional 4-year college or university. At the end of two years many people also have earned an associate's degree. Community colleges are considerably cheaper than universities. Many students at community colleges live at home/ in an apartment and comute to school. In some areas (such as where i live) these are considered alternatives to a 4 year college to:
a. start your degree for a much lower price
b. get training for a career or to advance your career without attending a university (skilled-trades, etc.)
A traditional college or university (often the terms college and university are used inter-changably. College can also refer to your specific area of a university. For example you attend University of Bimboland. However, as a fashion design major you are part of the College of Arts and Sciences) generally is course work for 4 or 5 years at the end of which you will have a bachleor's degree. These schools often participate in higher level research in all departments and offer advanced degrees (master's and doctorate's). Most of these schools have some on campus housing. Many students live on/near campus and are away from home. There are many careers/professional training programs) that (in the U.S) you simply cannot enter without a degree from a 4 year university.
Let me know if i'm missing anything but this should be a general description. Let me know if you have any more question.

Thanks very much for the help. It's so different to the UK!

MissSophie16 wrote:

What is it like in the UK?

We don't have community colleges

Just universities. Granted, some of these do lower level courses, but nearly every university offers proper degrees.

In the UK it is hugely a question of which university that you go to, rather than the type.

We're sooooo much cheaper as well. Apparantly in America it costs like £60,000 to go to college?

MissSophie16 wrote:

Yea, it is expensive here... but it all depends which school you go to.  I'm in community college working my way to my 2nd degree and it's about 50% cheaper there than it is in a university. 
My husband's going to a technical school for an associate's degree (2yrs) and it'll cost 40,000 dlls!
Maybe I should go to UK to get my degree.... 

Well for a 3 year BA it costs *maximum* £3010 a year tuition fees (it used to be free, but the goverment started charging) However that £3010 will get you through any university you have the grades for- no matter how good.

So it costs exactly the same to attend Oxford/ Cambridge (the best unis) as it would cost to attend Reading or Lincoln (smaller, less achieving universities)

BerryMaxwell wrote:

Rossey wrote:

A community college generally offers basic (intro-type and low level) university classes and alot of career training type course work. Many students attend for 2 years and then transfer to a traditional 4-year college or university. At the end of two years many people also have earned an associate's degree. Community colleges are considerably cheaper than universities. Many students at community colleges live at home/ in an apartment and comute to school. In some areas (such as where i live) these are considered alternatives to a 4 year college to:
a. start your degree for a much lower price
b. get training for a career or to advance your career without attending a university (skilled-trades, etc.)
A traditional college or university (often the terms college and university are used inter-changably. College can also refer to your specific area of a university. For example you attend University of Bimboland. However, as a fashion design major you are part of the College of Arts and Sciences) generally is course work for 4 or 5 years at the end of which you will have a bachleor's degree. These schools often participate in higher level research in all departments and offer advanced degrees (master's and doctorate's). Most of these schools have some on campus housing. Many students live on/near campus and are away from home. There are many careers/professional training programs) that (in the U.S) you simply cannot enter without a degree from a 4 year university.
Let me know if i'm missing anything but this should be a general description. Let me know if you have any more question.

Thanks very much for the help. It's so different to the UK!

have to agree with rossey for community and university but where i live they also have dorms to live in to save on gas becasue its sooooo expensive.......alot of people dont know what they want to do so they go to a community college to figure it out but in the process get a associates so their not left with nothing...........if you go to a university and dont like it after 2 years your sol and left with nothing but if you go to a community college you at least get something......and if u dont want to do anymore college it will help you get a job faster if you have a degree an any sort............that is here atlease in the us (nebraska but most of the 50 states)

Luckily I just borrow from friends, and family who took the same courses.

BerryMaxwell wrote:

It sounds like a good system. But are associate degrees enough to get you into top jobs? Surely it could mean spending 2 years in community college, then 4 years at university to get a law degree? Which is ages....

ehhh... no. An associates degree can get you into a basic job. Higher level jobs usually require a full bachelor's degree. To qualify for a professional school (law/medical/etc.) you need a full 4 year bachelor's degree (the time and expense of which can be mitigated by starting at a community then transfering) then to a specific law or medical school which is usual a part of a larger university for another 4 years. Which adds up to generally a minimum of 8 years of school.

Aristes wrote:

And heavy!
I just spent $500 on three books! And they're huuuuuge. My bio book is atleast 4". Buh.

4 classes worth of books cost me over 300 and I still have one more book I gotta get for my fifth class. *sigh*

The British university system is quite simple. Basic rundown:

You apply to UCAS at the beginning of your second year of A-level, and tell them your predicted grades/hand in personal references/ personal statements etc. Some universities will interview you, others will simply make you an offer based on your predicted grades. Some universities will ask you to take an additional exam, and to send in work (I had to sit the HAT- History Aptitude Test, and send in two 3000 word essays.)

Once you have received your replies back from the six universities you have applied to, you pick a firm offer and an insurance offer. For example my firm offer (the one I wanted) was Oxford, and my insurance offer (in case I didn't quite make the grades) was Bristol.

If you get an offer and achieve your grades you are entitled to a place.

It is quite difficult to change courses (though I can only speak for Oxford) because often people want to transfer to the heavily oversubscribed options, which are doing 10 people to every one place.

Changing university can be done, but not easily, and necessitates another application form.


Once you have done your BA, you can go onto a further degree i.e. an M.A. and that does not necessitate any entrance exams usually.

I've always heard it's actually quite hard to get accepted to universities outside the US. Here most people can get accepted somewhere for their undergrad regardless of grades as long as they graduate from high school. Here, at the beginning of your last year of high school you take entrance exam (ACT and/or SAT) and start applying to schools. Most people know about March or April of their senior year where they are going. Once you are accepted, that's it. As long as you actually graduate you have that spot. It's your grades before that last semester that can matter more. Grades and test scores are looked at more for private schools than public and final grades can influence scholarships and placements at university more than actual acceptance. Many large public universities give a minimum grade point to be accepted but most people that apply are accepted, some with conditions but they are accepted.

MissSophie16 wrote:

**Seriously thinking about moving to UK....**

I second that.

Not that I'm saying America isn't nice :S It seems like a lovely place,

It just seems a bit unfair how blatantly it is about money, where you get to go to college. Basically the rich kids get to go wherever is best- out of state and so on, while those who can't afford hundreds of thousands of dollars have to content themselves instate.

Surely that isn't fair? I mean how much does it cost to go to Harvard or MIT?