How does college work

The goal of online education is to create a flexible learning environment so individuals can more easily balance their professional, personal and education commitments.

Online programs should make sure you have direct access to professors, advisors and classmates—as much as you would in a traditional program. During class sessions, you can interact with professors and classmates through online chat. Outside of class, you can exchange emails and phone calls with professors and advisors.

In many online courses, you will also be required to complete group work assignments. The number of course credits required will be equivalent to a degree that would be completed on-campus, but the frequency of courses, flexible academic calendar and transfer-friendly nature of some online colleges can expedite degree completion.

Now you have a better understanding of how online college works. Does it sound like a great option for you and your career goals? If so, now you need to find the right online college. Franklin offers transfer-friendly degree programs taught by industry experts that can be completed at your pace. With 75 different online degree programs, Franklin makes it easy to find the degree program that is right for you.

Franklin University S Grant Ave. Columbus , OH Local: Toll Free: admissions franklin. Request Information What type of program are you seeking?

What is your program of interest? When would you like to start classes? Whichever form you use, be aware that each college sets its own application deadlines. Additionally, beyond an application form, each university or college will have its own required application checklist.

International student applicants will need to take at least one type of test to determine English proficiency e. For most colleges in the US education system, your academic records translated into English will be the most important piece of the evaluation process.

For undergraduate applicants, that means submitting transcripts from every institution you have previously attended: your complete secondary school academic transcripts, external exams, and for transfer students any prior colleges or universities. For graduate applicants, it means submitting official copies of undergraduate and any graduate degree transcripts of coursework taken.

More selective colleges and universities will require an essay for undergraduate applicants or statement of purpose for graduate applicants and letters of recommendation. Whichever path you choose, the college application process is not meant to be done alone. A dedicated college guidance counselor or advisor can assist you through the college admissions process. If you have already done some undergraduate coursework, you may be considered a transfer student, and this can change application requirements for study in the US.

Transfer students have a slightly different application process, especially with standardized test requirements and deadlines. Some colleges and universities may only take transfer undergraduate or graduate applicants for the fall term, while others let transfer students start in spring or even summer. These are called transfer credits. Transfer programs at US colleges and universities are designed for students who have not taken more than two years of study and, at many colleges, no more than two years of course credit can be applied toward fulfilling degree requirements.

In the American education system, the academic year typically begins in August or September. Depending on the university, the academic year may be divided into quarters, trimesters, or semesters, and will run until May or June.

For colleges that follow semesters, the fall term runs from late August or early September to mid-December, and the spring semester runs from January through May. For new international undergraduate students considering US colleges and universities, applications are generally accepted as early as a year before the academic term you wish to join. For example, if you want to start at the University of Illinois at Chicago in late August , you could have applied for admission as early as September While many selective universities in the USA have regular admissions application deadlines in January or February, some colleges also offer early decision or early action deadlines in November.

These earlier deadlines give students the chance to get a decision as far in advance as possible, although it often requires a commitment to enroll if admitted.

Other colleges have rolling admissions policies and will accept applications throughout the year for the next academic term or year. Typically, early decision or early action applicants find out if they are accepted within a month of the submission deadline.

For January or February application deadlines, students will learn if they are admitted in March or early April. International students who apply to rolling admissions colleges, like many of the Shorelight partner universities, generally find out as early as a few days to three to four weeks.

After admission, you will be told what your next steps are to accept an offer from a college or university. Many American universities will set a deadline date for admitted students to send in their deposit the amount varies by college to hold their place for the next academic year. In US colleges, class sizes can be as large as students in an auditorium or as small as four students around a table.

At larger state universities, you will likely find big class sizes in the first two years of study. At liberal arts colleges, smaller class sizes 10 to 20 students are standard. Colleges and universities must list on their websites their average student-to-faculty ratio i.

For instruction, professors and academic experts typically teach college classes. Teaching assistants often graduate students working for a professor may teach large lecture classes or smaller lab or discussion sections. In addition to teaching staff, you will have either an academic advisor or faculty advisor once you declare an academic major who will help you choose classes and make sure you are on track for graduation.

On the first day of each class at the beginning of an academic term, students receive a syllabus from the professor or instructor, which covers what students can expect during the course — all the scheduled quizzes, tests, papers, and final exam requirements. Additionally, the syllabus will list the required textbooks and the reading that must be done for each class meeting. In many classes, the syllabus will also break down what percentage of your course grade comes from papers, quizzes, tests, group projects, mid-term and final exams, and even classroom participation.

Once you are settled, you may want to explore the opportunity to work on campus. Legally, as F-1 student visa holders, if there are jobs on campus available for international students, you can work up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session and up to 40 hours per week during vacation periods. As you progress into your academic major, there may be internships, co-ops, or other work options off-campus in jobs related to your program.

Many of these internships or co-ops may also offer credits toward your degree studies. Most US colleges use a combination of a 4. Grades often look like:. Students usually take between three and six classes each academic term, and each class is given a certain number of academic credits.

As long as you pass a course i. Most university classes are worth between three and five credits. The number of credits per class varies by the hours of instruction each week. For example, if you have a course that meets a total of three hours a week over the course of a week semester, that course will typically be worth three credit hours.

Advanced Placement courses or dual enrollment are two great options for earning dual credit in high school—but which is better for your student? In this article, we discuss the differences between them to help you answer this question.

Why do so many colleges disagree on what it takes to graduate? The answer is simple. Unfortunately, navigating the process These 5 steps will teach you how. Transfer credit can be an efficient way to save thousands on college But how do you know which courses will transfer before taking them? The answer: college course codes. Everything you need to know about scholarships, how to get them, and whether you even need to earn one in the first place.

How does financial aid work? What does "aid" even mean? In this post, one of our very own Admissions Counselors answers these questions and demystifies the term "financial aid" once and for all. What is a savings plan? How does it differ from a prepaid tuition plan? Are these things you should have?

And if you do have one, what can you do with it? In this post, we answer all these questions and more. While you may think getting your degree—no matter what it takes—will set you ahead, student loan debt might actually end up being the ball-and-chain you carry around your neck for decades. In the United States, students begin college after completing 12 years of education.

There are a number of different types of colleges in the United States. Most colleges focus on what is known as a liberal arts education providing education in a variety of fields. Some colleges focus their education on technical education or education in music or the arts. Some colleges, commonly called community colleges, provide only two years of college.

Students at these colleges receive a two year degree after which they can work in certain fields.