International Students
Welcome To The Home Of The Lakers!

“Choosing to attend Southwestern wasn’t a decision that was made overnight. My family and I took many other colleges into consideration, but after having gone through weeks of research and discussions, we ended up deciding that getting a degree here would give me the best chances at having a prosperous and long-standing career. Sufficiently internationally-oriented, though still personal and small enough to make the step towards advanced education not too big for me.”

“Coming to Southwestern was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Everyone was kind and thoughtful. They made me feel at home.”

“He estado estudiando en Southwestern Oregon Community College desde hace ya un tiempo y debo decir que ha sido una experiencia bastante agradable. Algunos puntos que podría recalcar son que es un college pequeño a comparación con otros, lo que lo hace más acogedor, como una pequeña familia. La atención que brindan es más personalizada, las clases son de grupos pequeños por lo tanto hay mayor comunicación con los profesores que hasta saben los nombres de casi todos sus alumnos. En lo personal me gusta estar en contacto con la naturaleza y puedo asegurar que este lugar es increíble con respecto a eso, estamos rodeados de árboles, un pequeño lago y a veces cuando camino a mis clases encuentro venados por los jardines del campus.”

“Coming to America for education has always been something I thought was out of reach. I am currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering and plan to enroll in an Aerospace Engineering program for my bachelor’s degree after my two years at SWOCC ends. I have been interested in Aerospace Engineering since my first plane ride. The thrust of jet turbines, landing gear, and undulating wings and rudders of the tail, all piqued my interest. This developed into a love for rocket launches and their design process. I even plan to do space research with one of the instructors at SWOCC!”

“I came to SWOCC to play basketball and study Criminal Justice, yet I have come out of my first year with more than only those two things. SWOCC gave me the chance to learn from wonderful professors, play basketball, and also live in a beautiful place.

On the academic end of it, SWOCC let me be interactive in all my classes with small class sizes and a large variety of people from different steps in life. On the athletic end of it, they have wonderful sports facilities with a very prideful program.

SWOCC also gave me the chance to live and experience the beautiful west coast. The lake on campus, vast beaches, and endless hikes add something special to your experience.”

“I had a very fulfilling life at Southwestern! I felt close to my instructors and was always able to ask them questions. It was easy to make friends so I was able to improve my English and learn about American culture.”

“My goal is to get my physics associate degree here in SWOCC and then transfer to a 4-year university. I am really interested in learning and studying how our world and the universe works, what are the mysteries of the universe. To understand these concepts better I plan to get a Ph.D. in astrophysics. I would also like to get a degree in aerospace engineering.”

“Simply put, I cannot imagine a better study abroad program than what SWOCC offers. From the day that I arrived from Tokyo, it has been stimulating living in Oregon and the experience of studying in Coos Bay allowed me to grow as an individual and discover my own talents.

On campus, the smaller class size helped me actively participate in class discussions. Professors were very friendly and engaging and I have been able to maintain great relationships with them. I got to interact and spend quality time with interesting people every single day. The community that SWOCC is in is quite wonderful as well. I had the privilege of getting involved in musical theater and the experience was just invaluable. They were very accepting and caring and always pushed me to achieve more.

I can’t fail to mention the beautiful Northwest weather too, which has brought me mental and physical comfort. I now have a much broader curiosity, a desire to keep myself educated, and no fear of accepting new challenges.”

“Everyone has been so welcoming, kind and helpful. It’s been amazing!”