Introduction
Most people in California attend the California community college. The question is why do many people choose to go to community colleges instead of the other higher institution? Or rather, how do the California Community Colleges attract a large number of students? The reasons behind this scenario are many with some of them being the fact that California Community Colleges provide life-long learning skills courses and vocational education (Solarek 1). However, the most important reason is the availability of academic transfer preparation for all scholars.
Main body
In California, for example, the Mt. San Antonio College abbreviated as Mt. Sac College provides a lot of basic skills courses and special programs. These are to help the students who are in dire need of such courses or programs for example the mentally handicapped. The basic skills and special programs departments work hand in hand with local K-12 districts, the county and state agencies to provide the programs to students with special and/or basic skills needs (“Community Colleges” 1). Some of the courses and services offered include Parent Education Courses, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Preparation, High School, and career counseling just to mention but a few. Attending the Mt.sac college’s Parent Education Courses for parents who have just had their babies is beneficial as it will help them manage their lives and get to know how to take care of babies(Solarek 1).
Moreover, Mt.Sac College also provides different kinds of language learning courses, especially for foreign students. English classes are available at all levels of proficiency to students who want to learn English as a second language. The classes begin from low literacy to advanced, transitioning to credit. California Community Colleges such as the Mt.sac College also provide different kinds of life-long learning skills courses to fit different kinds of people’s needs.
In addition, community colleges provide courses that guide different people to get their vocational degrees (Solarek 1). Mt.sac College provides certain courses which on accomplishment the people obtain certificates required in their career life. For instance, Mt.sac College offers a Nursing Program coded 195661 for people to get certificates in Nursing. This certificate program prepares participants to work in both long-term and acute care facilities. This in the end provides an entry-level to the diverse work opportunities in the ever-growing and changing health care field. On completion of the program, participants are considered to have met the requirements for California state certification as a CNA (Certificated Nursing Assistant).
The other advantage is the fact that participants spend much less time acquiring their certificates since all coursework can be completed within eleven weeks. Besides Nursing Program, Mt.sac College also offers other programs, such as the Retail Management program specifically for people who need the certificates to obtain and get to start their own business. California Community Colleges offers great opportunities for different groups of people to achieve certificates required to start doing their own business.
Most importantly, community college offers students a great opportunity to transfer to other good four-year university programs. In California, more and more high school graduates prefer attending Mt. San Antonio College instead of going to universities directly. This is because Mt. San Antonio College provides scholars with transfer courses in the lower division to meet the requirements for most majors in bachelor’s degrees offered by recognized colleges and universities (“Community Colleges” 1). Thus, the scholars end up spending much less money which in turn reduces most of the people’s financial issues.
Furthermore, Mt.sac provides very useful counseling resources to help students to make ideal educational plans to achieve their goals in the best way. The students are usually required to meet with a counselor or an educational advisor in the Student Services Center in a bid to get information about transfer courses in their major. In the Mt.sac catalog, students can see a well-defined list of California State University general education requirements needed for transfer to higher institutions. Therefore, the students can take both general education courses and lower division major courses at the beginning of their college lives. Furthermore, scholars in the Mt.sac College spend much less money than in universities because The College provides financial assistance to needy students. This aid is in the form of grants, loans, scholarships, and part-time employment for students who meet the financial aid program eligibility requirements (“Community Colleges” 1). Last but not least, California Community Colleges provide students with a great studying atmosphere as they prepare for higher institutions.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, California Community college provides three distinct curricular areas: life-long learning, vocational education, and academic transfers in preparation to help scholars succeed in the future. Different groups of people can find what they desire to achieve in California Community College. Moreover, the community college provides many useful and helpful resources which guide scholars to achieve their goals more easily. Choosing to study in a California Community College is a choice worth making.
References
Community Colleges. “Alphabetical, Regional & Dormitory College Listings”. 2009. Web.
Solarek, L. California Two- Year Colleges. 1998. Web.