• Can Attending a Community College Get Me Into a Good University?

Many international students in the United States begin their academic careers by attending a community college because: the tuition is generally lower at a community college, they tend to have a wide-range of support services for international students, they have smaller class sizes and a variety of academic programs, and they offer intensive English programs suitable for students with low English-language proficiency.

The “2+2” academic system found in American undergraduate schools allows students from community colleges to transfer to 4-year colleges or universities to earn their Bachelors degrees. As long as students earn satisfactory grades, they will find that community colleges are springboards to getting into good Bachelor's programs.

  • Can I finish a bachelor's degree in less than 4 years?
    • Myth: A US bachelor's degree always takes 4 years to complete
    • Reality: You can get a bachelor's degree in less than 4 years!

Credit system
The graduation requirement for undergraduate degrees varies from program to program. Students have to finish required credits to earn a bachelor's degree. Usually the minimal number of credits to be taken is 128.

There are different ways to complete a bachelor's degree in less than 4 years. One of the most common ways is to take courses during the summer session. Universities usually have 2 summer sessions, and each lasts for 6-8 weeks. Courses taken during summer sessions are usually concentrated, and classes have to meet more often.

While most American universities adopt the semester system, some universities use the quarter system. One academic year consists of two semesters (4-5 months) and one to two summer sessions. Four quarters make up an academic year, and each quarter is approximately 3 months long. Thus, students tend to earn more credits in quarter-system schools than in semester-system schools. In other words, a quarter system gives students an opportunity to complete their studies in a shorter time.

Some programs allow students to complete their studies in a shorter time and some schools provide the following options:

(1) Some universities provide a concentrated curriculum.
(2) Several schools allow credits taken applied to both undergraduate and graduate requirements.
(3) A few departments even reduce general education requirements if a student has a superb academic performance.
(4) In some universities, credits taken prior to entering can also be transferred to shorten the degree completion time.

Here's a sample list of schools that provide accelerated programs:
1. Southern Oregon University
http://www.sou.edu/admissions/3yb.shtml
2. Concordia University
http://adp.concordia.edu/degree_options.htm
3. Caldwell College
http://www.caldwell.edu/academics/ac-deg.html
4. La Roche College
http://www.laroche.edu/cadmin/adcp.asp
5. Felician College
http://www.felician.edu/success/
6. University of Florida
http://www.math.ufl.edu/undergradprog/accelerate.html
7. Mississippi College
http://www.mc.edu/accelerated/apply.html
8. Drexel University
http://www.drexel.edu/catalog/DUAL/software.htm

  • Can I Finish a Master's Degree in Less Than 2 Years?
    • Myth: A US master's degree always takes 2 years to complete
    • Reality: Full-time master's degree programs vary from 1 to 3 years in length!

Some master's degrees only take one year to complete!In fact, schools offering one-year master's degrees and one-year MBA's are the fastest-growing sector of higher education in the USA.The reason behind this is that graduate schools have begun to realize that many students, both international and domestic, are returning to school after spending several years in the workforce.Additionally, many one-year programs are able to combine two-years of coursework and research into one year by taking fewer breaks and increasing the number of instructor contact hours per week.

What kind of student would want to complete a master's degree or an MBA in just one year?

  • You are a CPA or chartered accountant and want to transition into another area of business or need to broaden your managerial expertise.
  • You are sponsored by your current organization to do a one-year master's degree, and will return to the same company when you're finished.
  • You hold an undergraduate degree in the same academic area in which you want to get a master's degree, plus training and work experience in that area, and want to return to the workforce as soon as possible..
  • You are a member of a family business and are earmarked to return to the firm to take a leadership position.
  • You are an international student and will return home to continue your professional career.
  • You are an entrepreneur and know that you must grasp the breadth of business before you can create the future.
  • You are a medical doctor, medical resident, or attorney and want to add a deep level of expertise to your core profession.

For example, in a comparison of a one-year MBA to a typical two-year MBA.It's easy to notice that, aside from the loss of the summer internship (which many students with substantial work experience can go without), one-year students lose little compared to their two-year counterparts.

Additionally, many one-year master's degree programs in the USA follow a very personalized, research-based tutoring system which allows students to focus in far greater detail than in a purely instructor-taught program.This allows for much faster completion of one's degree program.

Here's a sample list of schools that offer a one-year MBA program:
1.Pepperdine University
http://www.bschool.pepperdine.edu/programs/mbaprograms/
2.University of Akron
http://www.uakron.edu/cba/iemba
3. California Lutheran University
http://www.clunet.edu/IMBA
4. Johnson and Wales University
http://www.jwu.edu/grad/degree.htm
5.San Jose State University
http://sal.sjsu.edu/Courses/MBA-One_Preparation.html
6. Babson College
http://www3.babson.edu/MBA/programs/
7.Drexel University
http://www.lebow.drexel.edu/graduate/mba/one_yr_MBA.html
8. University of the Pacific
http://www1.uop.edu/esb/mba/accelerated-mba-program.html
9. University of New Hampshire
http://www.mba.unh.edu/
10. University of Notre Dame
http://www.nd.edu/~mba/020718/prospective/one_year_mba_prereqs.shtml
11. Georgia Institute of Technology
http://mgt.gatech.edu/programs/mba.html
12. University of Florida
http://www.floridamba.ufl.edu/FutureStudents/programoverview.asp?bhcp=1
13. Cornell University
http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/academic/tmo/
14.University of Mary
http://www.umary.edu/UM/NonTraditionalLearning/AcceleratedDegreeProgram/
15. Hawaii Pacific University
http://www.hpu.edu/MBA
16. The University of Pittsburgh
http://www.katz.pitt.edu/mba_oneyear.html

Here's a sample list of schools that offer a one-year Master's degree in a specific program:
1. The University of Southern California
M.E. in TEFL (Master of Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/academic/masters/academic_masters_program.htm
2. Johns Hopkins University
Master of Arts in Science Writing
http://www.jhu.edu/~writsem/gradprogram03.html
3. SUNY- Stony Brook University
M.S. in Management and Policy
http://www.sunysb.edu/harriman/one-year.htm
4. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Master of Architecture for students holding a five-year Bachelor's degree in architecture.
http://www.petersons.com/gradchannel/redirects/cntvst.asp?
inunid=9544&typeurl=SV&url=http://www.caus.vt.edu&sponsor
=1&pgm_unit_inun_id=25609
5. Princeton University
Mater's in Public Policy
http://www.wws.princeton.edu/degree/mpp98.html
6. Duke University
Master's in Computer Science
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~dept/degreeprograms97/node13.html

(This list will grow over time.Please refer back often to see which new schools we've added to the list!)

  • Do I Have to Take an Entrance Exam to Get Into ANY University or Graduate School?
    • Myth: The TOEFL and other entrance exams are ALWAYS required for admission.
    • Reality: Some schools will waive these tests!

Situations under which the TOEFL might be waived:
TOEFL seems to be one of the must-have requirements for an international student wanting to attend a university in the U.S. However, considering the academic potential one international student might process in spite of relatively poor English skills, quite a few universities have actually provided provisional admission to international students. Students who waive TOEFL are usually required to be enrolled in their schools' ESL programs and reach a minimum level of proficiency before they can undertake their degree-related studies.

Situations under which GRE or GMAT might be waived:
Either GRE (for a standard Master of Arts or Master of Science degree) or the GMAT (for a Master of Business Administration) is taken as one of the requirements to enter a graduate program in America. In fact, not every graduate program requires GRE or GMAT. Some programs take GRE only as optional reference. However, GRE is crucial for those who want to apply for financial aid from universities. It is advised to check GRE and GMAT requirements before the application process.Additionally, some MBA (Master of Business Administration) programs in the US will accept either the GRE or the GMAT test, not just the GMAT.