美国教育体制(4/6)

In 1970, about half of all American students who graduated from high school went to community college or university. Today, nearly three out of four American high school graduates go to college or university. Students have the option of attending a two-year community college(also known as a junior college) before applying to a four-year university. Admission to community college is easier, tuition is lower, and class sizes are often smaller than those in a university. Community college students can earn an Associate's degree and transfer course credits to a university. As to admission to a university, although admission policies vary from one university to the next, most determine admission based on several criteria, including a student's high school course of study, high school GPA, SAT or ACT exam scores, written essay, and possibly a personal interview. Universities often require students to write an essay as part of the application process. The length and content of the essay is determined by each admission office.

在1970年,大约一半的美国学生高中毕业后去社区学院或社区大学。如今,近四分之三的美国高中毕业生进入学院或大学。申请四年制大学的学生要先在为期两年的社区大学(也称为大专)学习。进入社区大学比较容易的,学费也较低,而且班级规模通常比大学小。社区学院的学生可以获得大专文凭，其课程学分也可转移到大学。说到大学录取,尽管各所学校的招生政策各不相同,大多数学校依据若干标准决定是否录取申请学生,这些标准包括学生的高中课程的学习情况,高中成绩,SAT或ACT考试分数,文章写作,还有可能是个人面试。作为申请程序必不可少的一部分，大学经常要求学生写一篇论文。文章的长度和内容是由每个招生办公室规定。