what do i need to do to start applying to college
Did you know that almost half of all undergrads in the U.Southward. go to community college? In fact, in that location are 1,100 community colleges nationwide, and they enroll 13 million students! If you're looking to make that 13 million and i, read on to learn how to apply for community college: from deciding where to apply to enrolling in classes. Before getting the ball rolling, let'south review what community colleges offering their students and some good reasons to apply. About customs colleges offering two-year Associate's degree programs in a wide diversity of academic and pre-professional fields. A growing number also offer Bachelor's degrees, though nigh of these programs are relatively new and express in options. People who run community colleges know that not every student wants to terminate at their Associate's degree; in fact, many students nourish community college to earn credits and transfer to a four-year college. To ease this transition, lots of community colleges have "articulation agreements" with their local state schoolhouse organisation. These agreements let a student to transfer credits smoothly from community college and enter as a junior in a 4-year program. Students can also utilize to schools outside of this agreement, merely they may demand to put a bit more individual try into making sure their credits will transfer. This plan, oft referred to as a "ii + 2" plan, can accept serious financial benefits. Community colleges tend to be more affordable than 4-year institutions, and their flexible grade times brand it easier for students to work part-time or even full-time jobs. Almost community colleges are open access, meaning that all students can enroll (with the exception of a few programs, like nursing and engineering). Many students capeesh the typically small grade sizes and attentive professors, who tend to spend almost of their time teaching rather than doing enquiry, as with many of their counterparts at research universities. While most community colleges are commuter schools without residential facilities, they often offer clubs, sports teams, and support services that allow students to connect with one another and school staff. These benefits grade the basis of the master reasons that students utilise to community higher. Allow'southward break down these reasons in a footling more than item. It'southward always good to clarify your reasons before taking a big leap. Students apply to community higher for a number of reasons. Some high school students choose a dual enrollment track, in which they take community higher classes to fulfill loftier school graduation requirements. Some adult students render to school afterward working for several years to further their education or pursue a new degree or career change. While students at 4-year colleges tend to be effectually 18 to 22, the average age of students at community higher is a little older at 28. For the purposes of this guide, let'due south go over the common reasons that students who are about to or who have recently graduated loftier schoolhouse choose community higher, starting with those looking for professional person training. Community colleges are an ideal option for students who know they desire to get into certain professional fields and are seeking the training or credentials to do so. Some of these occupations include nursing, medical assistants, police officers, applied science technicians, and dental hygienists, amidst many others. Every bit mentioned higher up, a few programs, similar nursing and electrical engineering, may ask for sure prerequisites from applicants. Usually, these are specific math and science classes in high school and a minimum GPA. Otherwise, the programs are open enrollment. While some students apply with the goal of an Associate's degree or other certification, others enter community higher intending to transfer subsequently a year or more ordinarily, 2 years. These next iii reasons apply to students looking to transfer and ultimately earn their Bachelor's caste. Maybe your GPA needs a workout before applying to 4-twelvemonth colleges. For students planning to transfer to a iv-year college, attention customs higher can exist a smart and strategic way to strengthen their GPA. Almost 4-twelvemonth colleges crave a GPA of at least two.0 or two.5 to use. For students who had lower grades in loftier schoolhouse, taking community college classes tin can be an opportunity to bring upward their grades. They can raise their GPA, earn credits, and transfer to a college to which they may non have been accustomed immediately later on high school. For students looking to develop their writing and math skills, they tin take the time to do and then in remedial classes. Any ESL students, furthermore, tin can hone their linguistic communication skills in English language language classes. Once students accept completed a minimum number of credits (usually 2 years worth), they typically don't accept to send SAT or ACT scores to transfer. This can also assistance students become into colleges they might not take been able to right afterward loftier school. A couple of years in community college can help students strengthen their bookish skills and renew their delivery to further teaching before transferring to a Available's programme. On a similar note, a twelvemonth or ii in community college can exist a proficient way to figure out what exactly y'all desire to written report. Rather than jumping into college feeling unsure about their direction, some students have community classes to explore their options. Since customs colleges tend to be a lot less financially burdensome, they make this kind of exploration more than feasible. While most community colleges want students to apply to a specific rails of study, they practice allow y'all to switch if yous want to pursue a unlike subject. If yous're planning to transfer, you'd just desire to work closely with your advisor to ensure that you're earning the right credits for a future Bachelor's degree major. Community colleges tend to exist a lot less expensive than 4-twelvemonth schools, as any financial advisor/ceramic squealer worth his weight in pennies will tell y'all. I've mentioned a few times that community colleges tend to exist less expensive than 4-twelvemonth colleges. Exactly how much less expensive are they? According to the National Center for Education, the average community college price for a year (tuition, materials, other fees) was $9,574 in 2013. While this is a significant sum, information technology's less than half of the boilerplate for 4-year schools of $23,872. In addition to saving coin on tuition, community higher students are eligible for financial assistance, including federal grants, federal loans, state assist, and institutional assist. Plus they may be able to choose evening, weekend, or online classes that allow for a office-fourth dimension or full-time job. Students considered "in-country residents" go in-state tuition, which is why most customs college students choose schools close to dwelling house (along with the convenience of the location). If they transfer to a land school through an joint agreement, then they farther save coin with in-state tuition. Ultimately, their diploma comes from the establishment from which they graduated, same as any pupil who attended for 4 straight years. Now that we've gone over the principal reasons that students attend customs college, let's go over how you can use! Practise as the Atlantic puffins exercise. Accept things one step at a time. Every bit discussed above, nearly community colleges are open enrollment, then they don't require as much documentation equally practice applications to 4-twelvemonth schools. Every school I know of lets you apply online. Your first step, though, is deciding where to go. Since customs colleges are open access, you don't have to ship applications to a few different rubber, target, and reach schools as you would for other colleges. Instead, unless you're applying to an specially selective rail, you tin effigy out where you lot want to go and but apply there. If your master concern is staying close to abode, as it is for many students who will exist commuting, and then you may simply choose the school in the near convenient location. Nearly states have several customs colleges; Massachusetts has 15 in 24 locations, New York and Texas have over 30, and California has 113! Chances are, yous shouldn't have too much trouble finding local customs colleges. Of grade, you besides want to make certain that the school has the program(s) you desire. Research its website, email the admissions office, go along a bout, and attend information sessions. These should exist available throughout the year, and usually, you lot tin sign up through the school's website. Simply go to the website and find the "Visit Us" or "Information Session" page. That way you can brand sure you find the all-time community colleges with the programs and resources you need. The majority of college applicants are high schoolhouse seniors, and most of the college application communication out at that place is aimed at them. But what do you lot do if you don't fall into this narrow category? Our eBook on how to set up for and apply to college as a nontraditional student will walk you through everything y'all need to know, from the coursework you should accept under your belt to how to get letters of recommendation when you're not a high school senior. Once you've figured out where to enroll, you can find its online application. While many 4-twelvemonth schools use the Common Application or Universal Awarding, most community colleges take their own online awarding portals. A few states offer ane system for all of their community colleges, such as California with its "CCCApply" site. Every college designs its own website, simply most will have a tab where you tin click "Apply." You lot tin come across a few examples of the application pages of this northeast community higher, Bunker Hill Customs College, along with the Customs College of Philadelphia and Metropolis Colleges of Chicago (notation that the Chicago schools have you fill out an initial course and then ship yous a student ID number to fill out the residue). While they have some differences in blueprint, most customs college applications ask for the aforementioned details: your name, address, citizenship, residency, high school, and intended major. Most enquire for your overall goal, whether you want to earn an Associate's degree or certificate, larn personal or professional skills, transfer to a 4-year institution, or enter the workforce. If you've already taken some college courses, then y'all may be able to transfer credits. Additionally, these applications ask if you're applying for financial aid. Your last footstep will be providing your electronic signature and hitting submit. Every bit for when to apply for community college, virtually applications are processed within 24 to 48 hours, assuasive you to enroll as tardily as ii weeks before the start of classes! I wouldn't recommend leaving your application this terminal infinitesimal, especially if yous're applying for fiscal assistance, only it'southward a nice back up in case another plans fall through. As you can see, y'all typically don't need to write essays, gather recommendations, or send SAT / ACT scores to customs colleges. Generally speaking, the only document you need to provide from your high school is your diploma, GED, or transcript. Community colleges desire to see proof of past or upcoming high school graduation. If you don't have your diploma from graduation yet or a GED, you should send a copy of your transcript. This will show your expected date of graduation and provide testify that you're working toward fulfilling your high school requirements. You can get your transcript from your guidance counseling section. And then you can upload it to your online application, mail, or deliver it to the college in person. If you do have your diploma or GED, y'all usually don't need to send your transcript, except for the select programs with their own requirements. You can merely send ane of those documents. If your school needs your ID, make certain yours has a beginning proper name. If you're applying for in-land tuition, so you may need to provide proof of in-state residency. Students who have attended loftier schools in the same state every bit the community college for more a year usually don't need to transport any further evidence. Your transcript will show that you lived and attended school in-state. If you lot didn't attend loftier school in the country or the college asks for further documentation, you lot could transport a country commuter's license, local depository financial institution account, vehicle registration, voter registration, or state or federal income taxes with in-land residential addresses. All of these should be dated at least a year previous. If y'all're a dependent, and then the certificate you ship should belong to a parent. If you're an independent, then it should belong to you. If you lot're not sure what steps you need to take here, yous should contact the community college to get their communication. You wouldn't want to miss out on financial aid due to confusion with the application. The customs college should contact you if there are whatsoever issues, but information technology's still worthwhile to be proactive and ask them for guidance. Another important fiscal consideration is applying for federal financial assistance with the FAFSA. Your timeline for this may actually fall before than your awarding to community higher. The FAFSA application opens up on January one. As the U.S. Department of Education itself suggests, you should submit your FAFSA every bit early on as possible "to ensure that you practice non miss out on bachelor assist." Financial aid is another good reason to plan early on for higher. The FAFSA will inquire you to list the colleges to which yous're applying so it can transport them your calculated fiscal need and estimated contribution. If you lot change your plans, you lot tin can sign back in and add a recipient. Still, the smoothest plan is to list your customs higher at the time you apply to FAFSA. In addition to applying for federal financial help, y'all might search for and apply to other external scholarships. In that location are all sorts of scholarships out there with different requirements, and so you lot might find one that seems made but for you! The new student orientation will give you a chance to learn about the school, meet new people, and not have to worry about forgetting anybody'south proper noun. As mentioned above, information technology's a good idea to attend a campus tour and an information session earlier you use to acquire more almost your prospective school. Many community colleges as well concord orientations for new students. These unremarkably span a day or 2 and give yous information about financial aid, placement testing, pupil and campus resources and policies, and bookish guidance. They may besides have you set up a schoolhouse account and electronic mail address. If your schoolhouse offers its ain online portal, and then you lot'll probably do your class registration and other communication through that. One unique requirement of community colleges is their placement tests. After the higher processes your application, you'll be invited to accept placement tests to make up one's mind your level for math and English classes. While you don't have to take the SAT or Human activity to enroll, y'all may observe yourself exempt from these placement tests if you have a minimum SAT or Human activity score. These vary from school to school, but tend to exist around a 450 on Sabbatum Reading or a 47 on ACT English and Reading combined. For math, schools commonly want to meet around a 450 on SAT math or a 22 on ACT math. Placement tests don't affect whether or not you get into customs higher. Instead, they help to make up one's mind what courses you should accept in your first semester. It still may be useful to review math and English material before taking them to make sure yous don't stop up in a class repeating much of what you lot already learned in loftier school. Your counselor's there to help! By the time you encounter with an advisor, you should be all set with enrollment and placement testing. Your advisor tin talk to you about the classes you want to take, also every bit give you guidance nearly requirements and classes that could transfer credits to a 4-twelvemonth school, if that'due south in your plans. Yous tin also enquire her most opportunities outside of class, like cultural clubs, sports, linguistic communication groups, and support services. To make the most of this meeting, make sure to enquiry classes and prepare questions. Finally, yous'll register for your classes! Total-time students commonly take about iv to 5 classes per semester. The first semester for first years tends to exist highly structured, then yous may not have a lot of choice with these outset few classes. If your registration is delayed, double check that you've paid all your fees and provided all required documentation, like proof of immunization (required for all college students when they starting time equally freshmen - and grad students as well, for that matter). Once you've registered for classes, you're all washed with the application procedure! It'south time to settle in and go studying! Now that we've gone over the steps for how to use for community college, is there anything else you tin can exercise to get ready? To fully fix, you lot must cross a mountain range with nothing but a walking stick and a haversack full of books. While y'all can technically utilise to community college at the last minute, y'all'd be much ameliorate off planning early, similar in the winter or spring of senior year. Spend some fourth dimension researching local community colleges or out of country schools and their programs. Attend information sessions, go along a tour, and try to speak to electric current and former students almost their experiences. You should clarify your reasons for attending and overall goals to make sure you're choosing the best classes and earning the credits yous need. Role of this research may likewise involve learning about the community college's articulation agreements with state schools and other 4-year schools to which you might ultimately apply. While you may non be sure exactly what iv-year college you'll eventually transfer to, you can still piece of work closely with your advisor to learn virtually credit requirements and how and when to use to Available's programs equally a transfer educatee. As you attend info sessions and meet with your counselor, make sure to set up some questions nigh awarding requirements, form registration, and/or transfer agreements. By gathering all the information you demand, you lot can make the most of your time at customs higher to learn, earn credits, and work toward your long-term bookish and professional person goals. Are you also considering iv-twelvemonth colleges in addition to customs colleges or just wondering what the awarding process is similar? To learn more nigh the procedure, check out this consummate guide to applying to a four-year college. Are you lot applying to college, but your GPA is lower than yous'd like? Don't be discouraged! Read this guide to learn how to put together a stiff college awarding despite lower than average grades. Colleges can get expensive, then you want to be on the ball about fiscal assistance. This comprehensive guide goes over everything you lot need to know about applying for financial assistance, pace by step. Desire to improve your SAT score past 160 points or your ACT score by four points? We've written a guide for each test about the elevation five strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: 
What Tin can Community Colleges Offer to Students?
Why Practise Students Cull Community College?
To Get an Associate'southward Caste or Professional License
To Strengthen Their GPA
To Figure Out What They Desire to Written report
To Minimize the Financial Burden
How to Use For Customs Higher, Step by Step
Pace 1: Decide Where to Apply
Footstep 2: Make full Out and Submit Your Online Community Higher Awarding
Step 3: Provide Your Loftier School Diploma, GED, or Transcript
Step 4: Provide Proof of State Residency, If Applicable
Step 5: Submit Your FAFSA
Step 6: Attend a New Pupil Orientation
Step 7: Take Placement Tests in Math and English
Pace 8: Meet With Your Counselor
Step ix: Register for Classes
How Else Tin can You Fix for Community College?
What'south Next?
Rebecca graduated with her Main's in Adolescent Counseling from the Harvard Graduate School of Educational activity. She has years of didactics and college counseling experience and is passionate most helping students achieve their goals and improve their well-beingness. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT.
Source: https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-apply-for-community-college
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