Four-Year Colleges and Beyond
Four-year colleges are the types of schools that most people think of when they say the word "college." Harvard is a four-year college. So are the University of North Carolina, Spelman, and San Jose State. Four-year colleges offer a comprehensive education. In other words, you not only choose something to major in (such as business or physics or film or journalism) but you also receive a well-rounded education in other subjects.

Students earn a bachelor's degree at four-year colleges. A bachelor's degree is the standard "undergraduate degree." If you're an undergraduate, it means you are under, or below, the level of graduation. Simply put, you haven't graduated from college yet!

Sometimes it takes students more than four years to earn a degree at a four-year college, so some people refer to these colleges as "undergraduate schools" rather than four-year colleges. (It may take more than four years if a student takes on a double major, if they take a semester off, if they take a light class load, or any number of other reasons.) In any case, the goal of attending is to earn a bachelor's degree, which is often abbreviated B.A. or B.S., meaning a "bachelor of arts" or a "bachelor of science."

Many higher paying jobs require a bachelor's degree. Some jobs require more—often meaning a graduate degree. There are many different types of graduate degrees. A master's degree usually requires one or two years of graduate school after earning a bachelor's degree. A doctorate (Ph.D.) requires several more years. So, for example, if you have a Ph.D. in History, that means you have a bachelor's degree (either in history or something else) and then you completed enough extra years of education to obtain a Ph.D. Basically, you're one smart cookie with loads of determination!

There are lots of graduate and professional degrees. If you want to be a lawyer, you can go to law school after earning your bachelor's degree. Three years of law school will give you your J.D. (juris doctor). To be a physician, you need to go to medical school after you earn your bachelor's. You'll earn an M.D. (doctor of medicine) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine). Graduate students in business can earn a M.B.A. (master's of business administration). The list goes on and on. The point is that after you earn your bachelor's degree, you can continue your education, should you decide to do so, as a "graduate student" by pursing a graduate or professional degree. It's not a decision that needs to be made now, or even once you get to college, anyway. Some people graduate with their bachelor's degree and get a job for a couple years before deciding they'd like to return to school and get an advanced degree that will, in turn, advance their career.

Two-Year Colleges-Community Colleges
Two-year colleges allow you to earn a degree in two years instead of four; but the two-year degree, known as an associate's degree, is not as valuable as a bachelor's degree. Two-year colleges do give students some great options. For example, two-year colleges are often (although not always) less expensive than four-year colleges.

Some students decide to go to a two-year college and earn their associate's degree, and then transfer to a four-year college where they can earn their bachelor's degree. It's an indirect route, but one that works. Just understand that if, for example, you want to be a lawyer, you would need to follow one of these two routes:

Option 1:

• Earn bachelor's degree from a 4-year college
• Go to law school and earn a J.D.
• BECOME A LAWYER!

Option 2:

• Go to a community college for one or two years
• Transfer to a 4-year college to earn a bachelor's degree
• Go to law school and earn a J.D.
• BECOME A LAWYER!

Trade Schools and Art Schools
Trade schools exist to give students very specific skills in particular areas so that they can find a job in that area. For example, Cosmetology Schools or Automotive Repair schools are trade schools. Culinary schools, where students train to become chefs, pastry artists, or caterers, are another example. The length of time needed to complete these programs vary. Some programs last a year. Other programs are two years or, in some cases, longer. Trade schools are valuable in that you take courses that are geared toward a particular career and you become very well trained for work in that field. The bad part is that you often don't receive a general education, which means that your skills are very focused and don't easily allow you to adapt your skill set to a different career path, should you choose to pursue a different career later.

Art schools generally require that you submit a portfolio of your work, or otherwise demonstrate your talents. Competitive art schools may offer a variety of general education classes, but they are primarily designed to develop the artistic talents of their students.

The Advantages of a Four-Year College
You should strongly consider the possibility of going to a four-year college. If you choose not to later, that's your choice; but it's better if you keep open mind now, rather than limit your choices. Since four-year colleges are generally harder to get into than two-year colleges or trade schools, if you prepare for a four-year college now, then you'll also automatically be prepared for the other types of colleges. The exception, of course, is art schools. For art schools, you'll also need to hone your artistic talent while you're in high school.

As we said earlier, if you want to pursue graduate school, you'll need a bachelor's degree from a four-year college. (In addition, grad schools want to see that you've earned great grades as an undergraduate.) That's another reason for focusing on four-year colleges. Many of the careers that you might be interested in will require (or will pay you more money if you have) a graduate degree such as a masters, Ph.D., or an M.B.A.