Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 125
Chapter 7: College Years and Beyond 125 Generally speaking, there are three types of institutions of higher education; private colleges and universities, public universities and community colleges. The major difference between public universities and private colleges lies in how they are funded. This affects students because funding is tied to tuition prices. State governments pay for most of the cost of operating public universities, while private colleges rely heavily on tuition and private contributions. This means tuition rates are generally higher. Another difference between private and public colleges is their size and the number of degrees they typically offer. Private colleges tend to be much smaller than public universities and may have only a few thousand students. Public universities and colleges can be big, and some are huge. Class size is another major difference. Private colleges keep classes small, with easy access to professors. At public universities, however, 200 students may be enrolled in some classes, especially in lower-division courses. Community colleges, also called junior colleges , are primarily two- year public institutions. After graduating from a community college with an Associate degree, some students transfer to a four- year college or university for two to three years to complete a Bachelor ’ s degree. College Living Arrangements College is an environment which offers minimal or no supervision from parents or teachers, and if students are residing in dormitories, this can be even more challenging for parents. With the coming of age (turning 18) comes the realization of sudden legal freedom, which in certain cases translates into freedom from the boundaries set by parents. Children do not need parental consent for anything as they approach 18 and, at the age of 21, more doors are opened as alcohol becomes legal.