If Western universities are now only affordable for the rich, then colleges are a real chance for children of the "middle class" to get a European education. Studying at a college is 3-4 times cheaper than at local schools or universities. That's one. Two: professions for which people go abroad are either not taught here, or the level of teaching lags behind world standards. Three: after college, there is a chance to get a job in the same country (in some countries you can work while studying – we'll talk about that below). Four: from college, a direct path opens to university, and immediately to a master's program. For example, a six-year path to a Western master's degree under the scheme "6 years in college + 2 at university" will be cheaper than the option "2 years at school + 6 at university".
Western colleges are not at all analogous to our technical schools or especially vocational schools (although some of them have also been renamed colleges). As a rule, this is a type of education that combines the program of high school and the first stage of university. In our country, for example, a 19-year-old graduate receives a diploma of secondary vocational education. And a 22-year-old graduate of a Western college receives a bachelor's degree – that is, a document on completion of the first stage of higher education.
Interest in foreign colleges in our country is growing. Just a couple of years ago, there was no talk about them. But already now, domestic educational companies send at least 100 people each year to study at foreign colleges.
Speaking of professions for which people most often go to the West, to Great Britain they go to study law, design, art, engineering, and medicine. To Spain – also design and medicine. Technical sciences and business – to the United States. Mechanical engineering – certainly to Germany. Hotel and restaurant management – of course, to Switzerland and Australia. Although this list is far from exhaustive of everything that can be learned in these countries.
Anna Danilova, 19 years old, student at American College of Switzerland, majoring in "Hotel Management":
- I often go on tourist trips, so from my own experience I know what good vacation conditions mean for a tourist. I really want to participate in creating coziness in hotels and a warm, friendly attitude towards guests. I like communicating with people. Studying in Switzerland gave me the understanding that a lot of effort and patience must be invested in the hotel business. I became convinced of this when I did an internship at a hotel in Turkey. And the more I learn, the more I like my profession.
Some choose college because it gives them the opportunity to stretch the time of preparation for university and earn money for studies. This applies to those countries where students are allowed to work part-time (USA, Australia, New Zealand).
Oksana Petrenko, student at Washington Tutors College:
- Last year my husband and I moved to the States. I want to study at a university to become a PR manager. But it will cost me $10,000 a year. I don't have that kind of money yet. I enrolled in a college. Studying here costs only $2,500. I got a job at a small PR company as an assistant manager. My husband is a computer specialist. And I hope we will manage to save up money for university.
MULTI-LEVEL TRANSFER
You can enter college at age 16. But it's possible later; you just have to consider that the system differs everywhere. And you will have to enroll not in the 1st or 3rd year, as is customary here, but in a particular stage (level) of study. This is a significant difference, because each stage requires different preparation and issues different certificates.
In Great Britain, the USA, Germany, and Spain, a 4-level college structure is adopted. Let's look at the English system as an example.
Level 1 corresponds to two senior high school grades, and upon completion, a certificate of general secondary education is issued (in England, this level is called A-LEVEL). But unlike school, in college not all subjects are studied in full, but primarily those that are necessary for the given specialty (it's clear that a future bachelor of law should drill more humanities, while an engineer and a doctor – conversely, natural sciences). And unlike school, a college student has the right to choose subjects – at least five per trimester. This is a preparatory level that does not yet provide a professional certificate.
At the second level, you can study from age 18 – either after level 1 at college or after high school. In England, this level is called New Foundation. In the first year at this level, four subjects in the chosen specialty are studied. In the West, they believe it is better to study fewer subjects but thoroughly. One of them must be taken as a qualification exam at the end of the year. In the second year, three subjects remain and accordingly three exams. Based on the results of these four exams, the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma is issued. This diploma gives the right to work in the specialty, but, of course, not in managerial positions (for example, as an assistant notary, etc.). And the final exams of this level can be counted towards admission to university for the first stage of higher education.
Now the student has three options: go to work, continue studying at college, or go to university.
At level 3 of college, they study for one year and receive a General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ) certificate. For the most part, young people striving to grow into managers and first-line supervisors enroll here. Those who want to improve their qualifications or change to a related profession also go to this level.
And finally, level 4. Another year of study – and you are awarded a bachelor's diploma, which gives the right to hold mid-level managerial positions or manage a small firm. For example, a lawyer can open his own office, and a doctor can open a treatment room.
As for employment, in England and Germany it is allowed to work after the second level of college. And in Spain, only after the third level. In the US, officially it is allowed to work after the second level, but in practice many students start working immediately, as if unofficially, without paperwork, and receive cash wages.