After high school, you have many exciting paths you can take! You can go to a community college, a four-year university, or a special school to learn job skills (like a trade school). Let's explore your options!
Community colleges are awesome places to start your college journey!
Community colleges usually cost much less than bigger universities. You can save a lot of money on classes, and if you live at home, you save on housing too!
It's usually easier to get into a community college than a big university. Most just need you to have a high school diploma.
If you're not sure what you want to study yet, community college is a great place to take different classes and explore your interests without spending too much money.
Many students go to community college for a year or two and then transfer to a four-year university. This can be a great way to get into a university that might have been harder to get into right after high school. Many community colleges have special programs that help you transfer smoothly to California's public universities (like UC and CSU schools).
Community colleges also have special programs that teach you skills for a job very quickly. You can get a certificate or a two-year degree (called an Associate's Degree) that prepares you for work in many different fields.
Community colleges often have extra help for students, like tutoring centers, special support for students with disabilities, or programs that help you explore different careers.
There are so many colleges out there! It's important to think about what is most important for you when you're picking one.
Do you like a super big school with lots of people, or a smaller, cozier one?
Do you want to be near your family or far away? In a big city, a small town, or somewhere in the middle?
Is it a public school (run by the state) or a private school (not run by the state)?
Colleges can be expensive. Look at the tuition (what you pay for classes) and other fees, and how much it costs to live there.
Many schools offer financial aid (money to help you pay). Find out if they have scholarships or grants (money you don't pay back), or loans (money you have to pay back).
Do they have the major (the main thing you want to study) or the program you're interested in?
Are they big classes with many students, or smaller, more hands-on classes?
Is it mainly for learning, or do people also like to have fun and join lots of clubs?
What kind of places do students live in (dorms)? What's the food like? What kind of clubs, sports, and activities are there?
Look at how many people apply and how many get accepted. How good do your grades and test scores need to be?
Do they have places like a tutoring center, a writing center, or a counseling office if you need help?
Do they help students find jobs or get into more school after they finish?
It's a good idea to apply to a mix of schools:
These are places you really want to go, but they might be pretty hard to get into.
These are schools where you have a good chance of getting in, and you'd be happy to go there.
These are schools you know you'll probably get into, and you'd still be happy to go there if your other choices don't work out.
Many students apply to 5-8 colleges.
Most colleges have great websites with tons of information.
This person at your school knows a lot about colleges.
These are events where many colleges come to your school or a big hall, and you can talk to people from them.
Sometimes colleges will visit your high school to tell you more about their programs.
If a college visits your school, go say hi!
If you can, go see the colleges in person. It's the best way to get a feel for a place. You can also do "virtual tours" online if you can't visit in person. While visiting, try to:
Chat with people who currently go to the college or who already graduated from there.
These are like short courses that teach you a specific job skill (like cooking or being an EMT). They usually get you ready for a job quickly.
This usually takes about 2 years at a community college. Some are for hands-on jobs, and others help you get ready to go to a four-year college later.
This usually takes 4-5 years at a university. You learn general stuff and then pick a main subject (your "major").
This is after a Bachelor's Degree, usually 1-2 more years. It's for studying one thing really deeply.
This is the highest degree, after a Bachelor's. It takes a long time and usually means doing a lot of research.
These are for special jobs like being a doctor (MD), dentist (DDS), or lawyer (JD). They need many years of school.
These are classes that teach you real job skills and help you get ready for work. Many ROP classes can even count for college credit at community colleges or universities. Some ROP programs can help you get a special certificate or even a job right away. You can find more info at these websites:
This is a cool way to "earn while you learn" – meaning you get paid while you're learning important job skills! You can find these in different kinds of jobs like making things, building stuff, working in government, in stores, or with transportation. Check out the California Apprenticeship website to search for these kinds of jobs:
These schools offer lots of different programs for specific jobs like car mechanics, airplane mechanics, healthcare, business, hair styling, or even truck driving.
CaliforniaColleges.edu is a special website from California that helps you plan for college and your career. It's like a one-stop shop where you can:
It's a really helpful tool to make your journey after high school smoother!
When you apply to a college, you usually need to send a few things:
Most 4-year colleges used to want you to take a test like the ACT or SAT.
IUSD PSAT and PreACT Score Review Night
When:
What:
If you want to play sports in college, you have to do well in school too!