The pathway to college for Pickerington high school students is within a few miles of home.
The City of Pickerington is fortunate to have a premier college – Ohio University Pickerington Center, located at 12933 Stonecreek Dr. – just off Hill Road.
High school students who have demonstrated they are academically ready for college are eligible for College Credit Plus (CC+) classes at the Center. They are encouraged to speak with their guidance counselors before pursing college.
CC+ students gain college and high school credit for the courses they take. While in high school, their college tuition and books are paid for by the school district.
“Getting a jump-start on college classes can help students and their parents financially, as well as lighten the load the first semesters at college or reduce the degree to completion time for students if they take full-time classes,” said Leigh Atkinson, director. “It allows students to see where they fit with college classes and, in many cases, is a confidence builder that they can do it.”
Currently, there are 14 high school students enrolled in the CC+ courses at the Pickerington
Center.
Students can sign up for any of the 70 classes offered during the day, at night or online at the Center or the Lancaster campus as long as they are a part of the CC+ program and meet the prerequisites. Blended courses give students time in the college classroom and online.
“The College Credit Plus program that high school students participate in has multiple delivery methods. In some cases, an instructor who is approved by the university delivers the class in the high school under the mentorship of a university faculty,” said Atkinson. “In many cases, the student comes to one of the campuses to attend class, and some choose to take a class online.”
While high school students have many course options available, Atkinson said that students
have a limit to the total number of classes they can take in college. The limit varies by individual and takes into account what classes they are taking at their high school.
Many school districts weight the grades high school students earn from their CC+ courses. The marks in college become a part of a student’s college transcript.
Once students graduate from high school, they can transfer their credits to public or private colleges or universities in or out of the state of Ohio. These institutions may transfer work differently than TAG courses at states schools require. Of course, Ohio University invites those students to continue their path as a Bobcat at any of the OU campuses.