Parents Guide FAQ

Who attends Westchester Community College?
Why should your son or daughter begin their college experience here?
Who will help guide your child through the college?
What special services will be available for your student?
What special opportunities are available?
How will your child prepare for life after Westchester Community College?
How will you pay for your son or daughter’s education?
What extracurricular activities exist at Westchester Community College?
What’s your next step?

Who attends Westchester Community College?
Education at a community college makes sense for all types of students starting right out of high school. Our students range from those undecided about their future to those who are seeking a cost efficient way to begin their college education. Here are just some of those who make up our student body:

Students unsure of their future. With our ever-expanding range of programs, there are plenty of options to explore. Our Liberal Arts Programs allow undecided students to enroll in general education courses such as English, mathematics, history, and psychology while exploring other academic interests. With more than fifty academic programs, our students have a tremendous range of choices in deciding a major.
Students concerned about finances. Since the college is supported by state and county funds, we can offer the most affordable tuition in the county, in addition to numerous options for scholarships and financial aid. Students can complete the first two years of their college education for approximately 1/10 the cost of a private college.
Students needing personal attention. Our faculty members are committed to teaching undergraduates. Their focus is on assisting students to reach their academic goals. Students who seek counseling or academic support to reach their potential are encouraged to make use of our extensive resources.
Students choosing to study close to home. Since we are centrally located, our students save money by living at home and can easily commute to local part-time jobs.
Students seeking careers. Many of our academic programs lead to jobs immediately after graduation.

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Why should your son or daughter begin their college experience here?
Our faculty, staff, and students agree that this is the best place to start a college education!

At Westchester Community College, student success begins with our faculty. Our teachers’ primary role is in the classroom. Our small classes are taught by caring instructors who specialize in their fields and have won more State University of New York Chancellor Awards for Excellence than any other faculty at SUNY community colleges.

In addition to our excellent teaching faculty, other important reasons to choose Westchester Community College include:

Ease of transfer. If your child chooses to transfer to a four-year school, we make it simple. Our two-year programs include most of the courses required for transfer to other SUNY schools. Plus, we have transfer agreements with many other regional institutions.
Preparation for careers. We have programs that will get your son or daughter out the door quickly and into their first job, as they launch their careers with the help of relevant academic programs and our Career and Transfer Center.
No matter what their skill level, we provide support for your student. In addition to offering extensive basic skills tutoring and counseling services, our highly respected Honors Program boasts graduates who now attend Ivy League schools.

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Who will help guide your child through the college?
The personal touches make the difference at Westchester Community College. Nowhere is this more evident than in our vast range of counseling services. Your son or daughter will not be going it alone! We have dozens of counselors at all levels ready to help students in a variety of areas including:

Academic counseling. Counselors will meet with your student to discuss their interests and skills, and will help your son or daughter pick the right major and classes.
Academic support. Our Library and Learning Resource Center has a dedicated area (Academic Support Center) available for tutoring services in math, reading, science, writing, and English as a Second Language. Your child can also get help in our Writing Center, or can take any of dozens of workshops on subjects including study skills improvement and reducing test anxiety. Online academic support assistance is also offered.
Personal counseling. The college has a full staff of counselors who are experts at assisting students with issues that may impact their studies.
Mentoring. The Faculty/Student Mentoring Program helps students develop a one-on-one relationship with a faculty member who can become an advocate and role model. Mentoring can take several forms, including career exploration and life skills development.
Faculty advisement. Our teaching faculty members serve as academic advisors and maintain office hours. The college is known for its friendly instructors who work at a community college because they are committed to students and want to get to know them as individuals.

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What special services will be available for your student?

Financial Aid. The experts in our Financial Aid Office are there to match students with more than $11 million in financial assistance. Although tuition is affordable, many of our students take advantage of grants, loans, and work study options.
Specialized services to disabled students. More than one thousand students annually receive assistance from our Disabilities Support Services Office counselors. Working with those facing learning, physical, emotional disabilities or impairments, our staff members serve as advocates for these students. State-of-the-art technology includes enlargers, scanners, Braille printers, and specialized computer software.
Educational Opportunity Program. This state program provides academic support and financial assistance to those who may find college transition difficult. Offered primarily to full-time students who are New York State residents, it accepts those who qualify, academically and financially.
TRIO Program. Approximately 150 eligible students receive advisement and tutoring services and attend various academic support workshops through this federal program.

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What special opportunities are available?

Honors Program
Hundreds of highly motivated students take these challenging Westchester Community College courses for two years. In addition to these intellectually stimulating courses, students are invited to participate in events sponsored by Philosophia, the Honors Program club. After graduation, more than ninety percent of these students go on to leading colleges and universities in the region and throughout the nation.

Internships, Co-ops, and Clinicals
We prepare students to start their careers, but there’s no need to wait! Our Co-Operative Education and Internship Program will get your son or daughter started even before they graduate. The Career and Transfer Center has arranged for hundreds of students to work in their chosen field and to earn college credits while they explore career options. Students have worked in entry-level positions for television stations, small businesses, and large corporations in fields including communications, marketing, computer technology, accounting, engineering, graphic arts, and business. Not only do the students get an opportunity to “try out” a career, they can earn money to help pay for college at the same time.

Our students participate in the Walt Disney World College Program where students enjoy the Florida sunshine while working in customer service positions at the theme park, and they also work with legislators through the New York State Assembly Internship Program. In addition, a number of academic areas offer clinical or field experiences at local schools, hospitals, restaurants, and corporations.

International Study
Each summer, a select number of students are given the opportunity to study at England’s renowned Cambridge University. In addition to this Honors Program option, the college offers other students a number of opportunities to study abroad including our popular course in Italy. Also, through the State University of New York, there are many other reasonably priced options for international study.

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How will your child prepare for life after Westchester Community College?
Although our students love it on campus and hate to leave, our main focus is to prepare them for their future. Whether it’s transferring to another college or university or starting a career, we will give your son or daughter the tools they need to succeed, as we have for thousands of students before them.

Career and Transfer Center
After graduating from Westchester Community College, the next stage of your child’s life will begin with a new career or transfer to a four-year college or university. The professionals in the Career and Transfer Center will get to know your son or daughter and will help advise them about their options. With this personal assistance, attendance at job search workshops, trips to other institutions, and through our annual College Transfer Fair (where more than 100 institutions compete for our students), your student will be on his/her way!

Here’s a partial list of institutions where our students have transferred:

All of the four-year State University of New York campuses
Mercy College
Pace University
Iona University
Purchase College
College of New Rochelle
Smith College
Yale University
New York University

Many of our students are actively recruited by various employers. Here are some of the companies which employ our graduates:

Con Edison
The Bank of New York
Allstate Insurance Company
New York City Police Department
White Plains Hospital
Disney
Marriott
Kraft Foods
Verizon
Mastercard

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How will you pay for your son or daughter’s education?
The rising cost of higher education has all parents concerned about meeting the educational needs of their children. Although we pride ourselves on being affordable, we find that many of our students, and their parents, need assistance in paying for school.

Whether your son or daughter is earning a short-term certificate or a two-year degree, you should find out if you will qualify for financial assistance including financial aid.

Our Financial Aid Office distributes millions of dollars in direct aid, loans, or work study opportunities. The friendly staff works with students to help them complete the necessary forms and also hosts informative workshops.

You should also be aware that we give out nearly $400,000 in scholarships to students who choose Westchester Community College right out of high school, and another $640,000 for students who continue at the institution. In addition, once your son or daughter moves on, don’t forget that we also offer another $375,000 in scholarships for those who transfer to four-year schools.

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What extracurricular activities exist at Westchester Community College?
We know that college life happens outside the classroom, too! From our nine intercollegiate sports teams to cultural events and student clubs, free barbeques and band performances, there’s plenty to do outside of class:

Sports teams:
Men’s basketball (Division I)
Men’s baseball
Men’s soccer
Men’s golf
Men’s and Women’s bowling
Women’s basketball
Women’s softball
Women’s volleyball

With more than seventy clubs, there’s something for everybody, including academic organizations.

Student Clubs include:
Alpha Beta Gamma
Art Club
Business Club
Drama Club
Manufacturing Engineers Club
Math Club
Paralegal Law Society
Phi Theta Kappa
Fashion/Retail Club
Student newspaper
WARY Radio Station
Television Station
French Club
Caribbean Student Association
Il Club Italiano
Muslim Student Association
Car Club
Martial Arts Club
Ski Club
Yoga and Meditation Club

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What’s your next step?

Now that you’ve found out more about Westchester Community College, it’s up to you and your child to take the next step toward an education. We recommend that you join your student on a tour of the college, or have them come in and meet with an Admissions counselor.

For more information, contact:

Office of Admissions
Westchester Community College
95 Grasslands Road
Valhalla, New York 10595

Call 914-606-6735; fax 914-606-6540, email admissions@sunywcc.edu

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