UNDERSTANDING YOUR POST-HIGH SCHOOL OPTIONS
1. TIME OUT
Some students may want to explore alternatives to formal education
immediately after high school. Some options are:
 Internships in community, social or religious service
 Leadership training
 Travel, education
 Work experience
Despite the choices above, we encourage you to apply to
colleges in order to keep your options open or defer
admission if the college has such a policy.
2. THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR JUNIOR COLLEGE
The community college offers a wide variety of courses and
programs, some of which lead to the Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree
and others that are designed to improve specific job market skills.
(Traditionally, Kamehameha graduates who have elected this option
have transferred to a four-year college in pursuit of the
Bachelor’s degree.) A well-planned start at the community or
junior college can result in a smooth transition to the final two
years of a Bachelor’s degree. Advantages include:
 Lower cost
 Smaller class size
 Convenience (location, parking, registration)
 Open admission
 Some local and mainland two-year colleges also offer dorms
3. THE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE
Liberal arts colleges are four year, undergraduate schools, which
offer the Bachelor’s degree and a college experience that fosters
critical thinking, writing, speaking, and computational skills and
an appreciation of the creative arts. Also included is in-depth
study in at least one area of concentration, beginning usually at
the end of the sophomore year. Nearly all of the liberal arts
colleges in the United States are private, some are religiously
affiliated, most are small in size, and they represent a wide range
of admissions selectivity. At the core of all universities in the
United States is the liberal arts college normally identified as
follows:
 The College of Arts and Science
 The College of Letters and Science
 The College of Arts and Humanities
Around this central core of the university are a series of
professional schools, which are explained under the University.
(Over)
4. THE UNIVERSITY
 The university contains more than one college
 Universities offer both undergraduate and graduate work and
confer Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees
 At the undergraduate (Bachelor’s) level, students may
enroll in either the liberal arts college or in
professional schools.
Professional undergraduate schools train students in a specific
profession or career. For example, majors in architecture, business,
education, engineering, and physical therapy lead to specific
careers. While 75%-90% of the courses taken by students in
professional programs are oriented toward their proposed career, most
universities require that students take some courses in the liberal
arts.
Typical University Structure
School
of
Business
College of Fine
and
Performing Arts
College
Of
Engineering
College of
Letters and
Science
College of
Environmental
Design
School of
Industry and
Labor Relatons
School
of
Journalism