4-year College, also known as university or simply college. College allows high school graduates to further their education and earn an academic degree. The degrees offered by 4-year Colleges are usually required to even be considered for most professional entry level positions, or for admittance to graduate or professional schools, like law and medical school. 4-year College is the most expensive of the post-high school educational options, and it is the Path that requires the most amount of preparation to follow.
General Characteristics Of 4-Year College
There are literally thousands of different 4-year Colleges in the U.S., varying in location, size, cost, academic and extracurricular offerings and many other features. However, there are certain basic characteristics that all 4-year Colleges share. We'll go over these now.
4-year Colleges provide a unique social and academic community which encourages you to explore your extracurricular and scholastic interests. If you choose the 4-year College Path you will likely live on campus, interacting with students, professors and college staff on a day to day basis. You will also choose courses that interest you and get involved in the social life of the school you choose to attend.
After you complete a course of study at a 4-year College you earn a Bachelor's degree, which will qualify you to work in the widest range of career fields. In fact, many jobs require that you have at least a Bachelor's degree, and if you want an advanced degree, like a Doctorate or Master's, you'll definitely need a Bachelor's degree first. To look at a few examples, ff you're interested in careers like lawyer, computer scientist, engineer, and teacher you'll need to graduate from a 4-year College.
To get into a 4-year school you will have to apply. This involves submitting an application, high school transcript (a list of classes you've taken and your grades), standardized test scores (from the SAT, ACT, AP, etc.), a personal essay, and recommendations from adults who teach, work with, or supervise you. If a college likes your application and qualifications, then you will usually be offered admission.
4-year College is also the most expensive college option. Although many 4-year Colleges are priced very reasonably, and financial aid is available for any student who applies, choosing the 4-year College option may mean spending a great deal of money on tuition or even taking out loans and paying them back after you graduate.
Students Who Attend 4-Year College Are...
Typically between 18-24 years of age and come from a wide range of ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds. College admissions officers work hard to create multicultural and intellectually diverse campus communities.
If you want to be a good fit at your school, be prepared to interact and work with people whose experiences may be radically different than your own. You should also be intellectually curious and engaged if you want to reap the maximum benefits of a college education.
People Who Choose This Path Usually End Up....
Like we said above, people who earn Bachelor's degrees either accept entry level career positions, or go on to complete professional degrees at graduate schools. Regardless of what you choose to do after you earn your degree, a college diploma will open many doors for you. In fact, college graduates make, on average, about $1 million more than high school graduates over the course of their working lives.