CHOOSING BETWEEN A 2 YEAR COLLEGE AND A 4 YEAR COLLEGE

 

Here you are; you are about to enter your college career and you need to make a decision about which college you are going to attend.  With a plethora of options facing you, it can be hard to determine which school is right for you.  One of the best ways to narrow down your options right from the get-go is to make the decision about whether a four year college is the route that you want to start with or whether a two year college is a better way to go.  Each has their benefits and both can be great for the right kind of student, so knowing a little bit more about each of them should help you start to feel less overwhelmed about your college choices.

 

There are three main differences between the four year college and the two year college which you might want to take into consideration at the start of your college planning.  First, there is a major difference in cost between the two types of institutions, so if money is a factor in your education, you’ll want to make sure you note the differences.  Second, the types of careers that you can enter with a two year college degree differ slightly from those that you can enter with a four year college degree, although there is always the opportunity to alter your education to suit your changing career aspirations.  Finally, there is a significant difference in the academic environment of the four year college as compared to the two year college, which you’ll want to think about since you are going to be spending quite a bit of time involved in the academic life.

 

As far as cost is concerned, the two year college is almost always the less expensive college option.  Individual classes are less expensive, options for attending school part-time or less are often more readily available and even secondary items such as books, software and art supplies are sometimes less expensive for the two year college classes than they are for four year institutions.  On the other hand, if you are going to be attending college full time, there might be more options for financial aid and scholarships if you choose a four year college over a two year college.  If money is a big factor in selecting your college, you should take a careful look at what your college costs are likely to be when attending either type of institution.

 

Secondly, you should consider the type of career that you are hoping to get when you leave college.  If you know what you want to do, then you have an easier time deciding which college is right for you.  For example, if you want to go into the field of social work, you might be planning to work in a substance abuse counseling program or you might hope to open your own private practice treating victims of social injustice.  If the former is the case, a two year degree should be sufficient to getting you started on your career track, whereas if you are going for the latter, you will need at least a four year college degree.

 

That said, many people who are about to enter college don’t know yet what they want to do with their lives.  That’s perfectly fine.  The first two years of your college education are likely to involve taking a number of general education courses which will assist you in making your career choices later on.  These courses can be taken as part of a four year college program or they can be completed at a two year college.  The benefit to completing a two year college program is that, at the end of the two years, you will have an Associates Degree.  This means that, should you decide to not continue your education, you will have some credentials to assist you in your career.  At the same time, if you choose to continue on with your education, many of your two year college classes will transfer over to your new four year college program, so you will be able to continue with more schooling if that is what you decide is right for you.  In contrast, if you complete your first two years at a four year college and then do not continue, you have received no degree or credentials.

 

Although there seem to be some benefits to the two year college as compared to the four year college, in terms of lesser cost and a quicker degree, you should take into consideration all of the pros and cons of the actual academic environment of each type of college before you make a final decision as to which segment of colleges you’ll be looking at as you continue to narrow down your choices.  The two year college tends to offer smaller classes than counterparts at four year colleges (although it should be noted that some four year colleges specialize in small class size).  This means that you may get more personal attention at a two year college which is sometimes perfect for the high school student who is transitioning to college.  On the other hand, the four year college may offer more to you in terms of social opportunities and larger networking options.  It is with the four year college that you will get the chance to live on campus, enjoy a large school library, participate in big on-campus clubs and likely meet more people. 

 

Looking at the three basic factors of cost, career and experience gives you a good start to determining whether a four year college or a two year college program is right for you.  If you have looked at all three options and can see that one type of education clearly outweighs the other, then you have significantly narrowed down your college search.  And even if you are still undecided, you’ll have come a long way in determining which factors of your education are going to be important considerations as you continue forth with selecting your college.

Here are more articles about choosing between 2 year community colleges and 4 year schools

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