By Patrick Cavendish
Director of International Programs
Pierce College

Two-year community colleges are becoming a popular choice for international students planning to complete B.A. or B.Sc. degree. Of course, this strategy has been popular with American students for many years. Two-year community colleges offer the AAS Degree (Associate in Arts and sciences), which is valid for transfer to universities.

There are several advantages to completing the first two years of the four-year B.A. degree in a two-year college. Costs are lower, classes are generally smaller and teachers and staff are easier to contact. All classes are taught by fully qualified instructors: none are taught by graduate students.

Another advantage, of course, is that English-language and general educational requirements for admission are usually lower at two-year colleges than at universities.

If the two-year college requires a TOEFL score of 500 for admission to academic programs and the university requires 550, for example, you can improve your English very rapidly in two-year college classrooms while also accumulating college credits towards your B.A. degree.

You will probably need an official TOEFL score when you transfer to a university, but your English will have improved greatly as a result of your greater practical experience of the language. And, of course, you can usually find ways to reinforce this experience with higher-level ESL study.

Admission to a university is usually easier from a two-year college than from outside the system. In some states, there are actually preferential arrangements for two-year college graduates.

In all states, the university will have a good understanding of what two-year college classes and grades mean. They also know that a successful graduate of a two-year college will understand the American classroom and American educational expectations in general. You will also have teachers and advisers who know you and who can write letters of recommendation and help you in other ways. For example, they can pick up the phone and iron out problems with university admissions.

Another more subtle point is that your teachers and advisers at the two-year college can help you find your way through the maze of the American college system.

As you know, the number of colleges and programs in the US is truly amazing. How can anyone make good choices when confronted with so many alternatives?

Two years at a community college will give you an opportunity to consider choice of university with the benefit of expert advice - including the advice of other students. You may well find that your original plan is not really the best one for you. If you are not sure about your choice of major, you will have the time to think that over, too.
Two-year colleges provide the first two years of the B.A. program, often called "lower division" classes. The curriculum centers on requirements in math and English and on so-called breadth requirements. These ensure that the student completes a wide selection of classes in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. There is also time for some elective classes, meaning classes that you can choose for yourself.

There are some disadvantages to two-year colleges, of course. Probably the biggest disadvantage is that very few two-year colleges have dormitories or student housing.

After all, these colleges are basically intended for the local population living within easy commuting distance. Another, related feature is that many American two-year college students come on campus only to go to class and hurry off after class to go to jobs or take care of families or other duties. Consequently, there are usually more student activities at four-year colleges.

On the other hand, most two-year colleges, like my own, will make sure that you find a suitable host family or an apartment near the campus. Most colleges also have many student clubs, including an international club, and make sure that activities are available to international students.

Many four-year colleges also have funds available to give financial assistance to international students, something that few two-year colleges are able to provide or are allowed to provide by state law. However, the difference for undergraduate students, is usually canceled out by the higher tuition fees.

I have seen hundreds of international students, including many from Hong Kong and Taiwan, transfer successfully from my own two-year college to four-year universities, including students who would probably have had a difficult time in the rough and tumble of the university during their first year or two.

They arrive at the four-year university with a good understanding of their environment, a much clearer idea of their goals, and all the self-confidence generated by success in the two-year program. It's a formula for success.