TCTC offering Dropouts chance to Connect to College

Every nine seconds, a student somewhere in the United States drops out of high school. Whether they leave public, private, or online schools, the bottom line is the same, not having a diploma means a difficult road ahead. They will find it tough to find a job, even tougher to make enough money to live on, and almost impossible to experience career advancement. In Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties, the Connect to College program at Tri-County Technical College offers hope to those who need a second chance, explains Connect to College director Diana Walter.  “Connect to College is a program for youth, between the ages of 17-20, who need another option to earn a standard SC High School diploma.  They have not been successful in traditional high school environments for a variety of reasons, some of them have dropped out, some have been bullied, and they might have had health issues and all kinds of reasons.  It is a program that helps students earn a high school diploma primarily by taking college credit, so they are earning college credit and high school credit at the same time.  The diploma is awarded by a public high school in Anderson, Oconee or Pickens counties.” Walter gives the eligibility criteria for students looking to enter the Connect to College program at Tri-County Technical College. “They have to be between the ages of 17-20.  Depending on the high school that ultimately sponsors them and sponsor means that they are willing to transcript the credit and ultimately award the diploma.  Some high schools require that they have completed a certain minimum number of units.  The student has to take Tri-County Technical College’s placement test and score within the range that the college handles, for instance if they score really low in reading that is not a student that we could serve for example.  The tuition and books are paid for but they have to be able to pay their fees, so being able to pay that amount even though it is incredible reasonable, it is still a cost for everybody.” Students in Connect to College take college courses taught by college faculty on Tri-County Technical College’s Pendleton Campus. Connect to College is based on a nationally recognized model and is a collaborative offering of the school districts of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties and Tri-County Technical College.  To learn more visit www.tctc.edu/C2C or call 864-646-1461.