Category: Colleges

As you plan your education, you may consider a variety of institutions, including colleges and universities. And you may wonder about the differences between the two.

In general, a college is an institution that offers degrees (undergraduate only) in a particular area. Thus liberal arts colleges and technical colleges. However, a college doesn’t need to be a four-year institution, nor does it need to be a liberal arts or technical teaching institution, necessarily. Community colleges are a good example here. These two-year schools offer an Associate degree, certificate or diploma. This includes junior colleges as well as technical schools and specialty schools focusing on a particular profession.

When is a college the right choice for you, and how do you choose the right school?

Colleges are the best choice for you if you intend to prepare for a particular profession, like medical technician, radiology technician, or even nursing. A professional school can help you learn the skills you need and get into the workforce faster than a four-year school, and with a much lower investment. A community college or junior college may be the right choice for you if you are returning to school after a long gap or if you need to improve your grades before applying to a university. Also, if you’re not sure that you want to invest in a four-year degree, junior colleges are a good first step.

Four-year colleges have much to offer students, as well. Liberal arts colleges are often small and give students a chance to get to know each other and their professors, and can serve as a good incubator for students who plan to go on to graduate school in their field. Technical colleges are almost exactly the opposite of liberal arts schools and prepare their graduates for more skilled positions, although they, too, are a good incubator for future graduate students as well as a great place to get a degree in the more scientific and technical fields.

How do you choose from all the colleges available?

First, consider what you want to do and what you want to accomplish after you graduate. If you’re planning on getting an advanced degree, then you will want to go to a four-year college. Within that broad specification, you’ll generally find liberal arts colleges and technical colleges. If you’re interested in, say, engineering, then you’re going to want a technical college. If you want to major in English literature and later go on to teach college, you’re looking for a liberal arts college.

If you’re interested in a specific vocation and can get a diploma, certificate or two-year degree and pursue that vocation, then you’ll want to go to a vocational or community college that offers the credential you need. Knowing what you want to do greatly narrows your choice of colleges, and then you can look at the various schools available for your career choice. You may want to go to school near where you currently live, so that narrows it down. Or you may want to go to school in a particular place or to attend one of a group of particular colleges. Colleges are a fine choice for your educational future, whether your plans are very specific to a particular vocation, or more general in nature.