High school students who want to get a head start on their college education early are invited to attend a sneak peek of the Dual Enrollment Program at Montgomery County Community College.  

MCCC will host its inaugural Early College Boot Camp for current and prospective Dual Enrollment students, and their families, as well as any school district faculty and staff, who want to learn more about early college opportunities.

The first Early College Boot Camp will take place in the Health Sciences Center atrium at Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, Tuesday, Aug. 9 from 9-noon. The second will be held in the North Hall second floor gallery at Pottstown Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown, Thursday, Aug. 18 from 9-noon.

Each event will include both a student and family tracks, featuring breakout sessions highlighting becoming a Dual Enrollment student, transitioning from a high school student to first-year college student, resources available to MCCC students, a campus tour and on-site registration assistance. There will also be a consultant session for families to learn more about the value of a community college education. Each event is free, but registration is required. Visit the landing page to register.

“We’ll begin with an opening session, which gives an overview of the day. There will be tables open house style for academics, student support and wellness, and Ready, Set Montco, which will field questions for applying individuals,” said Christine Morris, Administrative Director of Educational Partnerships. “We are really excited to share this opportunity with students, families and school districts about what the dual enrollment program is, what the expectations are and what pathways are available should they come to Montco. This is an opportunity to educate them. And we’ll have some fun doing it.”

The Dual Enrollment program offers students 15 and older the ability to:

• Take college classes on campus, in their high school or online and earn undergraduate credits from MCCC.
• These credits can be transferred to a four-year college or university; though, students should contact their intended college's admissions office to ensure that their credits transfer completely.
• Classes are offered in the evenings, on weekends and during the summer. For daytime classes, students should check with their high school to see if they can adjust their schedule and fit in a college course.

High school seniors Jared Drabick and Leo Sereni are just two of the latest examples of Dual Enrollment Program success. The program allowed each of them to earn an associate degree before graduating high school. They each said they enjoyed the experience because it allowed them to see that college would be a good fit for them.

“I had this weird idea in my head that I’m not going to like it,” said Drabick, 18, from Boyertown Area Senior High. He earned an associate degree in business administration and is set to attend Syracuse University in the fall. “When I took classes in the subjects I enjoy, I was like, ‘oh wow, this is actually really cool, and I actually really enjoyed learning about it.’”

“It was a departure from high school in that it was more egalitarian and equal,” said Sereni, 18, of the program. Sereni lives in Phoenixville, is senior class president of Phoenixville Area High School and has been taking courses as a student at MCCC in the dual enrollment program since the summer before his freshman year. He earned an associate’s degree in Liberal Studies and is set to attend the College of William and Mary as a James Monroe Scholar this fall.

“In community college, you’re seeing people who are not just 18-22 years old. There are veterans, moms, older people, younger people and that continued over four years," he said. "There were business owners looking for help with their work and immigrants. It’s a huge variety of people that you meet and learn from. I think it’s a huge asset.” 

For questions or more information about the Early College Boot Camp, email the Office of Dual Enrollment or call 215-641-6551.