which english course is right for me california community colleges

by Amina Hoppe 7 min read

Why are community colleges important to English language learners?

Due in large part to their accessibility and affordability, California’s community colleges (CCCs) play a central role in educating students who are not fully proficient in English.

What is ESL in Community College?

Community college ESL programs serve a large and diverse mix of students, including young adults who attended California’s K –12 schools, immigrants with high school, college, or graduate degrees from their home countries, and working-age immigrants in California’s labor force.

How can community colleges embed grammar exercises into writing courses?

English as a Second Language in California’s Community Colleges 16 was natural to embed grammar exercises into a writing course—for example, by identifying error patterns and providing “just-in-time” support.

Do community college students in California get financial aid?

Many students at community colleges in California get financial aid to help with school costs. California boasts the highest gross domestic product in the nation. This number reveals the total market value of goods and services produced in a given year. It is a common indicator of economic strength.

What is the #1 community college in California?

Pasadena City College is ranked #1 for first-year retention rates on our list of Top Community Colleges in CA. A perennial contender on our list of top ten community colleges in the state of California, the Pasadena City College is one of the largest community colleges in the country and a high performer.

What are the easiest community college classes to take?

That being said, here's a look at some college classes that tend to be easier than some core classes.Creative Writing. ... Physical Education. ... Psychology. ... Public Speaking. ... Anthropology. ... Art History. ... Acting. ... Photography.More items...

Do California community colleges accept everyone?

Admission to a California community college is open to any California resident possessing a high school diploma or equivalent. California community colleges may admit any nonresident possessing a high school diploma or equivalent or any person over the age of 18 who, in the judgment of the board, is capable of ...

Which California community college has the highest transfer rate?

De Anza College tops the list with one of the highest graduation and transfer rates in the state, coming in with a solid 72%. Located in Cupertino, California, this community college is known as being an essential part of the Silicon Valley community.

What is the #1 community college in the US?

For the second year in a row, SmartAsset selected Brunswick Community College as the Best Community College in America. Three metrics were used to conduct this study of 820 community colleges across the nation: graduation rate/transfer rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and cost of tuition and fees.

How do I know what course to take?

10 steps to choosing a course you are truly interested in1) Identify which category you fall under. ... 2) Ask yourself why you want to study. ... 3) Decide on what career you want. ... 4) Study Destination. ... 5) Mode of study. ... 6) Identify the most important factors you are considering. ... 7) Research. ... 8) Narrow down your options.More items...

Is it better to go to community college first?

Community college is usually more affordable than four-year colleges. Students who want to start at a community college then transfer to university will have the chance to save thousands of dollars and gain adequate preparation for the academic standards of a four-year college.

Can you go to community college at 17?

there is no age threshold for admission to a community college as a special admit . Education Code authorizes even elementary age children to enroll in a community college .

What happens if a college doesn't accept you?

You have two major options: to attend community college right away and apply to transfer to your preferred college later, or to take a gap year and reapply to your preferred college in the next admissions cycle.

Does UCLA accept community college transfers?

We give highest priority to applicants from California community colleges and other UC campuses. UCLA admits students for fall quarter only. Following are many of the criteria we consider: Junior-level standing (60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units completed) by the end of the spring term before you transfer.

Is it hard to transfer from community college to UCLA?

In 2019, UCLA received 23951 transfer applicants. The school accepted 5770 students. Therefore, the transfer acceptance rate for UCLA is 24.09%. This indicates how hard it is to transfer into UCLA.

What is the biggest community college in California?

The largest community college in California is East Los Angeles College with 36,885 students.

WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES

With 1.8 million students attending 116 colleges, our mission is to provide students with the knowledge and background necessary to compete in today’s economy.

Take Courses Online

The California Virtual Campus – Online Education Initiative is a collaborative effort among community colleges to ensure that significantly more students are able to complete their educational goals by increasing both access to and success in high-quality online courses.

Calbright

Calbright is a new online college that prepares Californians who feel stuck in “go-nowhere” jobs for careers with a future through online classes, mobile apps, and apprenticeships.

Still have questions?

Please explore our students and system operations areas and also check our FAQs. Or simply enter your question in the search form below.

Pasadena City College

Pasadena City College is well recognized as one of the top community colleges in Los Angeles. Serving 30,000 plus students through its on-campus and online course offerings, PCC offers classes in over 90 academic areas. The community college provides exciting enrichment opportunities, including study abroad and an honors program.

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles City College has been around for almost a century, offering more than 100 vocational and professional programs including degrees, transfer programs, and certificates to more than 18,000 students. Notable alumni from one of the best community colleges in L.A.

San Diego City College

Located in the vibrant downtown area of San Diego, one of California’s best community colleges gives students a chance to pave their way to a successful future. San Diego City College is dedicated to student success, inclusivity, and innovative approaches any student would appreciate in a higher education institution.

San Diego Miramar College

San Diego Miramar College has been around since 1969 and currently delivers quality education to approximately 20,000 students in 164 programs. As one of the best community colleges in San Diego, Miramar offers degrees in a variety of fields spanning from political science to art history.

Irvine Valley College

Located on a 60-acre campus in one of California’s best college towns, Irvine Valley College has a dedicated staff, modern facilities, and 70 associate programs. Most learners can earn a degree in two years or less, depending on their prior educational experience—some programs are also available entirely online.

Santiago Canyon College

Another one of the best community colleges in Orange County is Santiago Canyon College. As a part of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, SCC offers 45 associate programs for students who wish to continue their studies at a four-year institution or become career-ready after graduation.

Las Positas College

Las Positas College is located 40 miles southeast of San Francisco in the beautiful town of Livermore. Enrolling nearly 8,500 day and evening students seeking career preparation, transfer to a four-year college or university, or personal enrichment, Las Positas is one of the best community colleges in the Bay Area and a fine choice for students.

How many credits does California Community College accept?

The college accepts up to 48 transfer credits from regionally accredited colleges and universities.

How many community colleges are there in California?

As of 2019, the California community college system comprises 114 separate institutions, some with multiple campuses and many with online learning programs. With so many choices, you may find selecting the right school for you a challenging task.

What colleges are part of the UC transfer guarantee?

The college participates in the UC transfer admission guarantee program, which includes University of California colleges in Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. The college boasts many support programs for degree-seekers, including childcare services for learners with young children.

What is the graduation rate for LPC?

Graduation Rate: 39% . Established as an independent college in 1988, LPC offers associate degrees, certificates, and continuing education classes on its Livermore campus. The college also delivers online associate programs in arts and humanities, business, computer science, marketing, and sociology.

What is PC in California?

Like all community colleges in California, PC features a matriculation office that helps students determine initial English and math course placement.

How many credits are required for a transfer associates degree in California?

In general, associate degrees consist of 60 credits. All programs at this California community college require degree-seekers to earn at least a 2.0 GPA in all courses.

Is Sierra College accredited?

Sierra College holds regional accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, a division of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Tweet this Share this. Click here to see the best colleges in California. Last Updated: March 05, 2020.

How many community colleges are there in California?

Community Colleges in California. The California Community Colleges System (CCCS) consists of 121 community colleges in 72 community college districts. CCCS is the largest system of higher education in the world, serving more than 2.1 million students every year.

Where is Orange Coast College?

Orange Coast College finds its sunny home in Orange County, California and offers a wide variety of two year degrees and certifications. More than 25,000 students enroll in this Costa Mesa based college every semester. Close to beautiful beaches and Disneyland, OCC is perfect for students hoping to enjoy life in the OC. Among colleges in the county, Orange Coast College is the highest ranked in transfers to University of California and California States schools as well as other schools across the country.

What is CCCS in California?

The CCCS empowers students with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in today’s workplace. With a wide variety of educational offerings, California community colleges provide certificate and degree programs to prepare students for the workplace or to transfer to four-year colleges.

What is CCC application?

CCC Apply is a one-stop solution for finding and choosing a college and submitting your college application along with financial aid forms.

What is Feather River Community College?

As a small college with mountains of opportunities, Feather River Community College is nestled on the side of a forested mountain. The 256-acre is literally home to wildlife (deer), and makes education a beautiful prospect in this unique setting. Removed from the crowds and noise of city noise, FRC offers students an opportunity for study, relaxation, and self-discovery, while maintaining high levels of academic rigor. With strong relationships with universities in the state and a high transfer rate, FRC is a special education experience that students are unlikely to find anywhere else.

Why do people start post secondary education in college?

The truth is, many students start their post-secondary degrees in college as a money saving factor. By taking the first two years of a four-year degree in a community college, students take out fewer loans and won’t carry as large of a debt burden. Many students (and parents) are seeing community colleges as a great stepping stone.

Where is Cuesta College?

Cuesta College finds its home near the central coast of California. Offering over 76 associate degree programs in the science and arts on top of 96 certificate programs, students here will find that the strong academics will prepare them for life in the real world as well as in a four-year university. Cuesta College also features the Cuesta College Promise, a scholarship program enabling all San Luis Obispo County high school graduates to attend their first year of college fee-free. This isn’t the only way Cuesta looks to help the community. Summer camps at Cuesta allow middle school students to have a taste of what different careers feel like with hands on experience in business, health, information science, and welding.

The list of the best community colleges in California for transfer

Here are some of the best community colleges in California for transfer:

Transfer Requirements-What do I need to transfer?

Transfer admission requirements can vary from University to University. Some universities have very strict outlined requirements while other universities have more open-ended criteria.

Recommendations

15 cheapest community colleges in new York for international students with their tuition.

What is ESL in California?

Community college ESL programs serve a large and diverse mix of students, including young adults who attended California’s K–12 schools , immigrants with high school, college, or graduate degrees from their home countries, and working-age immigrants in California’s labor force. In the 2016–17 academic year alone, more than 58,000 students enrolled in one or more English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at community colleges across the state.1 Some ESL students need to improve their English in order to progress toward associate degrees, career certificates, or transfers to four-year schools. Others enroll in ESL for personal reasons or to improve their job prospects. The range of motivations and goals present a challenge in ensuring successful outcomes for all students.2 But in an economy where job opportunity is tied to skills and higher education (Johnson, Cuellar Mejia, and Bohn 2018), research has consistently shown that acquiring higher levels of English proficiency improves labor market outcomes (Bleakly and Chin 2004; Chiswick and Miller 1995; Gonzales 2000; Rivera-Batiz 1990).

What percentage of ESL courses are prerequisites?

Roughly 27 percent of ESL course sections are prerequisites for transfer-level English, or “sequence courses.” These course offerings reflect the needs of students at a given community college, but are also shaped by alternative ESL providers in the community, such as adult schools.6

What is non credit ESL?

Non-credit ESL, which was not included in the Chancellor’s Office recommendations, was being considered or implemented at six colleges. Colleges described using non-credit ESL in two ways: (1) to replace the lowest levels of credit ESL and (2) to mirror the credit ESL sequence. Both approaches focus on students who need more than three years to reach transfer-level English. As one faculty member noted, the three-year timeframe could drive some students toward the non-credit pathway—especially those at lower levels. Several faculty at colleges with lengthy sequences spoke about turning the lowest levels into non-credit ESL. Others spoke about developing non-credit courses that mirror the credit ESL sequence—so that all students could benefit from the same ESL course whether it offers credit or not. Faculty shared that in addition to being outside a three-year timeframe, non-credit courses are free and repeatable. Several faculty also noted that a non-credit option would be helpful for students who do not intend to obtain a degree or transfer to a four-year school.

What is an ESL program?

ESL programs are typically designed to teach a range of language skills—listening, speaking, reading, grammar, writing, vocabulary—at a variety of proficiency levels. Traditionally, each language skill was taught discretely in a standalone course. For example, a student might enroll concurrently in a reading course and a writing course, and the two courses would have largely unrelated content. More and more, colleges are offering integrated sequences, which teach more than one skill in a single course—for example, a student with mid-range English skills might enroll in an intermediate reading and writing course. A handful of colleges have adopted new course sequences that allow students to skip levels of ESL, depending their proficiency (these are known as accordion sequences), compress multiple levels of ESL into a single course, and support ESL students enrolled in transfer-level English courses. These recent reforms attempt to shorten the pathways from ESL to transfer-level English—with the aim of reducing attrition and improving student completion of ESL sequences.5 As evidence in developmental English and math suggests, shortening the pathway to transfer-level coursework and strengthening the alignment with the transfer-level course improves the odds that students enroll and pass transfer-level courses (Cuellar Mejia, Rodriguez, and Johnson 2018; Rodriguez, Cuellar Mejia, and Johnson 2018, 2017).

Does Cuyamaca College take placement tests?

Prior to fall 2018, Cuyamaca College primarily relied on standardized placement tests and writing samples. For instance, applicants would be asked a few questions to determine whether they need to be referred to ESL (e.g., is English used in the home, is English your first language, etc.), then they would take the Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA) and respond to a writing prompt that was graded by faculty. Because this approach had low predictive value, the college completely transformed the way it assessed and placed students into ESL. The college has eliminated the placement test and instead uses the “best of” three measures:

Why is Mira Costa College called Community College?

The name Community College was given to these institutions for higher learning because these colleges primarily attract students from the local community and are largely supported by local tax dollars.

Why do people choose community college?

One is to save money, community college students are saving money and can be attended without going into student loans right away. Most credits earned at a community college transfer to a 4 year college as regular credits.

How many transfer degrees are there at Monterey Peninsula College?

Monterey Peninsula College has 14 transfer degrees that upon completion students are guaranteed admission to CSU. Some of those transfer degrees are Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Physical Sciences, History, Mathematics and more. MPC is undergoing construction to modernize the facilities and offer more to its students and the community.

What is the diversity of Taft College?

Taft College offers diversity in students, faculty and programs. Those enrolled in sports, Westec, or other programs receive priority registration. Majors and programs that have seen the highest enrollment are humanities, childcare, and health service providers.

How many degrees does PCC have?

As one of California’s top transfer community colleges, PCC prepares students through their diverse degree and certification programs. PCC overs over 200 degree and certification programs for their diverse student body. PCC has accommodated students with divisions in the

How many students does Glendale Community College serve?

Glendale Community College is one of the longest standing junior colleges in California that began with the vision to make higher education available to more individuals within its community, it continues to do that today and serves over 25,000 students.

What is the best nursing school in California?

Mt. San Antonio College aka Mt. SAC is one of the best community colleges in California for nursing. It boasts 90 degrees and over 150 certificate programs ranging from graphic design to nursing to HVAC, Mt. SAC is a fabulous place to start any career.

image