Why Early College?


Environment

Teens search for belonging but also seek their own path. Both are possible with Early College.

Teens want to belong, but they need to find their unique voice, too. To navigate all this, teenagers need to feel support and acceptance during the huge changes that occur in adolescence. But that often doesn’t happen in traditional high school settings, where social pressures and lack of peer acceptance often result in unnecessary stress in high school students. This can hamper the main reason for high school--learning.

Early College provides something different. Community college campuses around the country exhibit some of the most diverse groups of people in different stages of life and learning. This community can be more encouraging and supportive for all types of students, including your teenager. This is the type of inclusion that gives teens the space to confidently explore and grow.

Not only are there benefits to the social environment, but also a teen’s community college learning experience. College instructors spend their class time teaching the subjects they’re passionate about and almost zero time on classroom management, so students are more engaged. There is less “busy work” and fewer distractions. All this leads to improved learning for teens, which is, of course, the reason they are in school.

Time

Teens learn time management and as they do, they learn more about themselves.

Time management is life management. Early College students get to organize their time with greater independence and flexibility, based on their own priorities and interests. They learn to do it themselves, not according to a rigid high school criteria. In the process, Early College students gain experience with this life-skill that is so critical to success, which will serve them as they navigate the demands of a university and life beyond.

Early College also allows a teen to have more unstructured time, which is increasingly rare these days. With this gift of extra time, a teen may explore interests, get a part-time job, or simply have a bit of down time. Teens have some power to choose how they use this unstructured time. Time to hang with family and friends, time to process confusion and consider life challenges, and time to spend on personal creative endeavors are all possible on the Early College path.

Affordability and Access

Students save tens of thousands of dollars through Early College Programs, paving the way for a much brighter economic future.

The average student loan debt in America is $30,000, almost twice as much as credit card debt, and it’s growing every day. The typical college graduate needs almost twenty years to pay off their student loan. These figures scare many students and their families as they consider their college options.

Early College offers a more affordable path. The cost of the college classes that students take are almost always covered by their Early College High School. So, they’re free! The average cost of attending a public university is $25,000 a year. If you complete two years of Early College, a student can save about $50,000 in college expenses. Unshackled from debt, graduates can use their salaries to grow wealth, or they might attend graduate school, which will allow them to earn even higher salaries in the future.

These potential cost savings create more equitable access to higher education. For many families, college—with its inflated price tag—seems daunting. Earning Early College credits helps remove those barriers by making college more affordable. Once one person in a family goes to college, others follow because they now know it can be done. Small opportunities often spur big societal change.

Rest

A rested teen is a healthier, happier, focused teen.

Tired teens learn less effectively and are more vulnerable to social and academic pressures. Studies have proven that lack of sleep leads to poor physical and social outcomes. During adolescence, there is a strong tendency toward being a “night owl”, staying up later at night, and sleeping longer into the morning. Many teens attending traditional high school are forced to wake up early in the morning resulting in insufficient rest and diminished academic and physical performance, as well as more impulsive behaviors and accidents.

Early College allows teens to build a class schedule that supports their personal daily rhythm. A student can choose to start classes later in the day or even at night. When they create a schedule that best suits them, teens get more consistent rest which leads to sharper focus during class. Better rest can also improve relationships, enhance creativity, and boost enthusiasm for their lives outside the classroom.

Motivation

Given more autonomy, motivation will skyrocket.

We discover more motivation when we experience the independence and power to determine the course of our own lives, according to Dan Pink, a leading researcher on motivation. Standard high school demands can leave teens feeling powerless, as they spend countless hours managing classes that seem irrelevant. These schedules leave little down time for rejuvenating activities, often leading to burn out, a term most often associated with middle-aged workers, not vibrant teens.

Early College provides educational efficiency, eliminating the wasted time and busy work of high school. Students can customize their schedule and make choices that suit their own needs. When they take control of their own learning, they report more pride in their educational journeys, and their motivation to succeed multiplies.

Early College pathways contribute to greater EQUITY in EDUCATION
Anxious
Bored?
Unmotivated?
Exhausted?
Powerless?
Overwhelmed?
Early College is an educational pathway that contributes to the important work of building a more equitable society. The central focus of this path is to provide greater access to higher education. Early College opportunities increase affordability, improve college readiness, and offer a more diverse learning environment. Originally created to assist underserved student populations and to break down socioeconomic barriers, Early College has evolved into an educational opportunity that provides social, intellectual, and financial benefits to all kinds of families.

What Teens Are Saying About Early College

“Lots of H.S. students were having the same experience as me. As soon as you know there is a different path, your feelings of hopelessness change. You rise to take accountability of your education.”

Emily M.

Student
“I feel so much better doing Early College and actually getting somewhere. It would have been miserable to spend 2 more years in H.S. doing busy work and feeling bored, tired, and demotivated. I want to be involved in something where education is actually a priority. Now I’ll have more time to play piano and prepare for music conservatory school too.”

Lucca

Student
"Because I was on a community college campus, I knew people so well and met other students with similar values as me. We were able to create clubs and be very involved on campus. When I was applying to selective private colleges it reflected very positively on me."

Isabelle V.

Student
“I started doing Early College because I wanted a different learning environment. I was stuck in a cookie-cutter education scenario. I have loved Early College and I have a ton of transferable credit and it has saved me a ton of money.”

Daysia J.

Student
“People in H.S. don't want to be there, and I would have struggled with that. I loved making my own schedule in Community College. It was amazing to just take classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have more free time for other stuff, like rowing. It taught me how to deal with freedom and manage my time.”

Sam P.

Student
“It was awesome. I fit in. You can be who you want to be and no one will judge you. It was great to get out of the toxic high school environment. Very eye-opening.”

Emily N.

Student