WCTC launches program for high schoolers
Going to college immediately after finishing high school may be difficult for some people, but with WCTC Excelerate, high schoolers students can cut down the amount of time they need to spend in a classroom after graduation.
PEWAUKEE — Going to college immediately after finishing high school may be difficult for some people, but with WCTC Excelerate, high schoolers students can cut down the amount of time they need to spend in a classroom after graduation.
The new initiative from the Pewaukee-based technical college allows high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old and otherwise qualified to enroll in one of the college’s programs and receive high school credit for it.
According to a press release, the initiative is designed for students who know what they want to get their degree in, and they can potentially even complete their associate degree or a certificate while still in high school.
While the technical college already has some dual enrollment programs, according to a press release, Excelerate builds on those programs and allows students to make the most of their high school experiences.
“This will build upon and amplify WCTC’s many current dual enrollment offerings, with the main goals of providing high school students with a shorter time to a college degree, a reduction of student debt and earlier preparedness for the workforce,” said WCTC President Rich Barnhouse in a press release.
Barnhouse also noted in the release that, using Excelerate, high schoolers can potentially transfer to a 4-year college in junior standing immediately after graduation.
“This really speeds up the cycle of higher education,” Barnhouse said.
In addition, Sandra Maylen, the manager of WCTC’s Center for Early College Opportunities, said in a press release that students who make use of the program will be offered priority registration at WCTC.
She also said students may be able to combine Excelerate with Start College Now, a program that allows students to take college classes which are sometimes paid for by their high school, to reduce the economic burden of college.
Most of WCTC’s programs qualify for this new initiative, according to a press release. To learn more about it as well as WCTC, visit https://www.wctc.edu/.
