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Academic Leaps: Program Allows High School Students to Get a Head-Start on College

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Chuck Thompson, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.

Feb. 22--Like most high school seniors at this time of year, Camren Coley is counting the days until graduation in May.

He just hopes some of his classmates at Mary Persons High School remember to tell him when it is time to order caps and gowns, because unlike most high school seniors, he seldom visits his school to receive such announcements in person.

"I already missed out on senior pictures, because no one told me when they were being taken," he said.

No, he isn't cutting class, and he hasn't been sick.

Coley is taking advantage of Georgia's Accel Program to get a head start on college by taking classes at Macon State College that count toward his requirements for both high school and college.

And it will be quite a head start he has when he becomes a full-fledged college student in the fall. By the time he finishes this semester, Coley will have earned 39 hours of college credit, enough to exempt his freshman year and put him well into his sophomore year.

The 39 hours will be the most ever earned by an Accel student at Macon State, said Dee Minter, the college's associate vice president for enrollment services.

"We've only had one other student since the program began in 1998 to earn more than 30 hours, which is what is required during the freshman year (of college)," Minter said. "Camren is an exceptional young man and student. He's done so well, and we're very proud of him."

His academic success has attracted the attention of universities throughout the nation, a number of which have made scholarship offers.

Coley said he has just about decided to accept a full scholarship to attend Harvard, but he's keeping his options open.

"I'm supposed to be interviewed soon by a representative from Yale, so I'm going to listen to what they have to say, but the Harvard offer looks pretty good," he said. "I've always wanted to go off to a great university, have a chance to live and learn in another part of the country. I knew I would never be able to afford anywhere like that, so I made up my mind long ago to work hard and earn a scholarship. But I never dreamed of Harvard."

Coley said he was motivated by his brother, who is nearly 10 years older.

"He wanted to go to college when he graduated, but he couldn't afford it and wasn't able to get a big enough scholarship, so he had to go to work. I was only in the second or third grade, but I made up my mind then to get a scholarship."

EIGHT EXCEPTIONAL

STUDENTS

Jan Bazemore, Coley's high school counselor at Mary Persons, said he is an exceptional student.

"He has just done so well. We're very, very pleased with the success he's had," she said. "We wish we had a lot more students like him."

Bazemore said Coley is one of eight Mary Persons students participating in the Accel program this year. Four attend classes at Mary Persons and Macon State, and the other four attend full time at Macon State the way Camren does, she said.

Not only do the students need to be academically strong, they must have the discipline needed to succeed with less support and supervision than most other high school students.

"It takes someone who is very responsible and more mature than normal," Bazemore said. "We screen the students well before allowing them to participate to be sure they are ready."

The program is open to high school juniors and seniors in the college prep curriculum track. They should have at least a B average in their college prep courses and score 970 or better on the math and verbal portions of the SAT to qualify, and they must be approved by their high school counselors before being allowed to enroll in the program.

HOPE Scholarship funds through the Georgia Student Finance Commission pay their tuition and student fees and provide a book allowance, but students must pay their own transportation costs.

Minter said Macon State serves 22 counties, but most of the 120 to 130 students in the program this year come from seven counties: Bibb and the six surrounding it.

She said if enough students from a high school are interested in a particular course, Macon State will send a professor to the school to teach it. Otherwise, students in the program go to Macon State to take the classes they need.

Many split their days between their high school and the college, which is what Coley did as a junior. But others attend Macon State only.

"They still have to check in regularly with their high school counselors to be sure they are on track for graduation," Minter said.

Students are limited to taking college courses that will also meet their high school core curriculum requirements in English, mathematics, social studies, science or foreign language.

Coley said he has mostly taken English, social studies and science courses at Macon State.

"I would like to be a research biologist, so I've taken a couple of biology courses and I'm taking an honors biology course this semester," he said. "But I also want to make money, so I may decide to be a pre-med major and maybe go on to medical school."

He said he has enjoyed the freedom of being a college student this year.

"You only go to school when you have a class; you don't have to be there all day like in high school," he said.

But Coley, who also works part-time at a Macon shoe store, admits he's missed some high school activities this year.

"I don't get to visit with my friends as much as before. I try to go up once every week or so at lunch time to see everybody, but you miss out on what's going on. But I've made new friends at Macon State, so it kind of evens out. You have to move on sometime; I'm just doing it a little early."

To contact Chuck Thompson, call 744-4489 or e-mail cthompson@macontel.com [mailto:cthompson@macontel.com].

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.

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Source: The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Ga.)

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