Many Chinese students second-guess the benefits of attending a US community college.

很多中国学生对去美国社区大学学习心存疑虑。

The doubt usually derives from concerns about “diploma mills” that churn out degrees without providing a proper education. Some would-be applicants are also ashamed of telling people that they were planning to go to a two-year college instead of a four-year university.

这种怀疑通常源于（社区大学）“文凭工厂”的头衔。这些“文凭工厂”大量颁发没有任何含金量的文凭。有些申请者甚至羞于公开他们上两年制社区大学而不是四年制普通大学的计划。

But according to Xinhua, 44 percent of American students attend community colleges. These institutions provide not only technical skill training but also opportunities to transfer to major universities. In fact, US President Barack Obama enrolled at Los Angeles’ Occidental College at age 18, before continuing his studies at Columbia University.

不过据新华社统计， 44%的美国大学生上的是社区大学。这种大学不仅提供技能培训，还提供转学重点大学的机会。其实美国总统奥巴马18岁时就曾在洛杉矶西方学院就读，直到他转到哥伦比亚大学继续深造。

Take the College of San Mateo (CSM) in California as an example. It has a transfer admission guarantee (TAG) with seven branch campuses of the University of California, as well as major universities in other states. That means, as long as students get a GPA higher than 3.6, they’ll be able to seamlessly transfer from a community college to one of the world’s top universities, according to Guangming Daily.

以加利福利亚州的圣马特奥学院为例，它和七所加州大学分校以及其他州的重点大学签署过转学合作协议。光明日报称：这意味着只要该校的学生成绩平均积点达到3.6分，他们就将有机会直接从社区大学转学去世界知名大学。

The threshold for entering a community college is much lower than for a major university. At CSM, all you need is a score of 56 on the TOEFL, or a 5.5 on the IELTS, according to sina.com. This provides a second chance to students whose high school records are not strong enough for acceptance at four-year universities.

社区大学的申请门槛比重点大学低很多。据新浪网报道，申请者只需要托福成绩达到56分或雅思5.5就能申请。社区大学为那些高中成绩不佳不够格申请四年制大学的学生打开了另一扇门。

The tuition is also much more affordable. “It costs only $3,000 (19,000 yuan) a year, while tuition at major universities is usually 10 times as much,” said Lu Hanheng, 22, a former student at Citrus College, Los Angeles.

相比来说，社区大学的学费也更实惠。“这儿一年学费只要3,000美元（19,000人民币），而重点大学的学费通常高出几乎10倍，”洛杉矶西勒斯学院22岁的学生陆瀚恒说。

But the lower threshold also means a more diverse student body. “There is a wide age spectrum among students, from 18 to over 50,” said Lu. “The students’ academic levels are also polarized. Some are devoted to their studies because they’re aiming for major universities, while the rest are just dawdling about.”

不过较低的入学门槛意味着社区大学的学生鱼龙混杂。陆瀚恒说：“这儿学生的年龄从18到50多不等，学生的学术水平也是两级分化严重。有些学生一心向学目标是转入重点大学，而另外一群学生就是混日子的。”

That is why community colleges may not be the best choice for students who lack self-discipline, according to JJL Overseas Education.

所以金吉列留学认为社区大学并不适合那些缺乏自律的学生。

The agency also cautions students to check whether a community college is authenticated by China’s Ministry of Education, before applying. Students also need to make sure that it has a TAG program, if they hope to transfer to a larger university.

金吉列还告诫学生，申请社区大学之前应查询一下它们是否通过了中国教育部的认证。另外那些以社区大学为跳板的学生，也需要确认自己申请的社区大学是否同其他大学签署过转学合作协议。