Dakota Clark has recently completed her early college courses at CCV, and, like many students, has excelled. Early college is alternative to a student’s senior year, where they take a freshman year of college at a college that supports the early college program, these schools include Burlington College, Castleton College, CCV, Goddard College, Johnson State, Lyndon State College, Norwich University, and VTC.
“I wanted to take this program to get a head start in my college career and better my understanding of what college looks like and how it differs from high school,” Dakota said. “The teachers are very helpful and are more than happy to work with you one on one if need be. CCV offers a variety of resources to help you succeed and be the best student you can be.”
“I took classes such as human growth and development, watercolor painting, nutrition, English composition, bioethics, creative writing, dimensions of work, applied math concepts, and psychology,” Dakota said.
Cairsten Keese, a U-32 counselor, can help any student apply to the early college program. “Every school has an application you can find online, and then you can call the college and set up a time to take an accuplacer, a test to find classes that would fit well with them academically,” she said.
Since the early college program is an alternative to a senior year, it does not match the U-32 schedule. “It is different. It takes seniors off campus, and onto a college campus,” Keese said. “Also the classes are not always 8:00 to 2:30, 5 days a week, you may have two on Monday, one Tuesday night, and another Wednesday, but for the rest of the week you would have time to complete work class, or working, whatever that may be.”
The CCV workload can be challenging, but in the end students find the program enjoyable.
