Las Positas College is now accepting Applications for Spring Classes and Offers options to take online, evening and weekend classes.
As one of the top ranking transfer colleges, students that attend LPC are guaranteed transfer admission to over 30 universities. Discover what Las Positas College has to offer, visit www.Laspositascollege.edu and apply for admission today!
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Las Positas College currently enrolls nearly 8,500 day and evening students. The College offers curriculum for students seeking career preparation, transfer to a four-year college or university, or personal enrichment. The College provides university transfer classes, retraining classes for those in need of employment or career advancement, a first-time educational opportunity for many adults, enrichment classes for those seeking a broader perspective, and career and technical training for those entering the technical and paraprofessional work force. Las Positas College excels in helping students transfer to the University of California system, the California State University system, and other four-year institutions.
Students who come to the College can choose any of 24 Occupational Associate Degrees, 17 Transfer Associate Degrees, and 44 Certificate Programs. In addition, the College offers community education courses geared toward personal development and cultural enrichment.
Academic rigor is maintained in a friendly, personal atmosphere. Las Positas College faculty and staff are distinguished by their energy, creativity, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of the students they serve.
Las Positas College is a learning-centered institution focused on excellence and student success, and is fully committed to supporting all Tri-Valley residents in their quest for education and advancement.
The campus is accessible from BART and Interstate 580. Students can take buses from the Pleasanton-Dublin BART station and from many locations in Livermore and Pleasanton. The College is proud of its exceptional safety record, which has made it one of the safest colleges in the Bay Area, and its commitment to sustainability, including LEED facilities, recycling and paper reduction practices, and photovoltaic (solar) parking structures generating one megawatt of energy.
http://www.laspositascollege.edu
Chabot College is a learning-centered institution with a culture of thoughtfulness and academic excellence, committed to creating a vibrant community of life-long learners.
Chabot College is a public comprehensive community college that prepares students to succeed in their education, progress in the workplace, and engage in the civic and cultural life of the community. Our students contribute to the intellectual, cultural, physical, and economic vitality of the region.
The college responds to the educational and workforce development needs of our regional population and economy. As a leader in higher education, we promote excellence and equity in our academic and student support services. We are dedicated to student learning inside and outside the classroom to support students’ achievement of their educational goals.
The colleges’ vision and mission are supported by the following collective values:
Learning and Teaching
Community and Diversity
Individual and Collective Responsibility
Chabot College in Hayward is a comprehensive community college in the heart of a thriving, diverse community where students of all ages and backgrounds can get a high quality education at an affordable price. The college awards associate degrees and certificates, and specializes in university transfer, workforce training, and lifelong learning opportunities. http://www.chab
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Community colleges are the often-overlooked institutions of learning, that are hidden gems in one’s backyard.
In India, the system of community colleges is seen as an alternative system of education that can be used to acquire trade skills, but not as a conduit to institutions of higher learning. In the United States, on the other hand, community colleges are seen as junior colleges giving a leg up to those that need one, in climbing into the four-year college system. If the student so desires, he or she could earn college credits at the local community college and then transfer to a four-year educational institution in the United States. By completing two years worth of credits at a community college the student then needs to spend only two years at a University school like UCLA to earn a Bachelors degree.
The aim of both the Indian and American systems, however, is to empower the disadvantaged and the underprivileged through appropriate skills-development, leading to gainful employment.
The booming popularity of community colleges could also be attributed to President Obama, who was hailed as the “Community College President”, for funding and supporting these educational institutions. During his campaign, Obama spoke regularly of the importance of community colleges in keeping America economically and educationally competitive in the 21st century.
The Evergreen Valley College (E.V.C.), located on a sprawling 175 acres in the eastern foothills of San Jose, California, is just such an institution that prepares students to transfer to four-year college systems, such as those of the Universities of California and California State Universities. It has transfer agreements with all 23 California State Universities, 6 of the Universities of California, and some private universities. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – a national accrediting body – the E.V.C. is the largest feeder community college to the San Jose State University.
Community colleges are especially attractive as stepping-stones to international students who need to improve key academic skills, including language skills, before obtaining admission to a Bachelor’s level program. The credits earned at the community college help complete university education in a time- and cost-effective manner.
The Evergreen Valley College has a large number of international students from India. Elizabeth Tyrrell, Director of the International Student Program, travels to India and meets high school students in order to explain the American community college system:
“We have the 2 + 2 system. At the end, students receive their Bachelor’s Degree from the 4-year institution (from which they graduate). Almost all of E.V.C.’s international students transfer to accredited 4-year institutions. 94% of E.V.C.’s transfer-ready students do, in fact, transfer. Students can apply and transfer beyond California and go to any university or college in the U.S.”
Evergreen Valley College is S.E.V.I.S. certified and approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue the I-20 Form, which is required to apply for a visa to study in the U.S.
Students from India do not need to take the S.A.T. or the T.O.E.F.L. exam, as long as their high school transcript is in English, and they come from an English medium high school.
The application process is more relaxed as well. Students may apply for admission till as late as June 30, 2018 for the Fall semester that begins on 4 September, 2018, or apply between October 15 2018 and December 1, 2018, for the Winter session that starts on 28 January, 2019.
There is no question that the savings are significant when it comes to tuition. While the annual tuition at a Universityof California would cost approximately $41,000, a student would only pay $6748 at the Evergreen Valley College – a savings of nearly $35,000. However, taking into account the cost of living – housing, transport, fun-money, books and supplies – students would be well-advised to budget for $21,500 for the year, per E.V.C.
In addition to the compelling financial savings, students also step into a learning environment akin to that of a University. While at the beginning of each semester, students are responsible for signing up for classes, maintaining attendance, completing course work and submitting assignments, they have the added advantage of having Counselors on hand, to guide them in the choice of courses and help them meet the necessary pre-requisites for their Major.
The average class size in community colleges is typically smaller. While the student-teacher ratio at E.V.C. is only 28 – 45 students to 1 teacher, the class size at a U.C. can sometimes run to over 300 students. Additionally, students in community colleges have Professors teaching the course themselves, while in large universities, the course may be taught by a Teaching Assistant.
The 2015 enrollment statistics published by the American Association of Community Colleges, reveal that 46%, of all the U.S. undergraduates, are community college students. Of the 12 million students who go to community college in the U.S. every year, 2.1 million choose California community colleges.
Community colleges cater to the needs of the local job market and have professors who work closely with the students to groom them not only for the needs of the local area, but also equip them with skills that are transferrable beyond. With the voracious appetite for new talent and the ever-changing skills needed in the Silicon Valley, community colleges provide an alluring and viable solution.
Says Michael Riordan, a tax accountant and teacher at a local Bay Area community college, of the merits of community colleges “This is a win-win situation. Save your money for (the students’) Masters.”
For queries please contact: Elizabeth Tyrrell, Evergreen Valley College, 3095 Yerba Buena Road, San Jose, CA 95135 E-mail: International@evc.edu Phone: +1 (408) 270-6453
Ritu Marwah is the Features Editor at India Currents and is an avid student of educational systems.
