As a junior in high school, I never anticipated I would actually go to college. My mother always believed that a college degree was not a necessity in life to make a career and I agree with her even to this day. The only reason I currently am in college is because of one program: the ACE Program that Bloomsburg University offers.
I am a total advocate for the ACE Program, which gives seniors in high school a chance to experience college a year sooner than normal. With this program you are able to take up to four classes each semester that fit within any general education requirements for any major and the credits that you do complete are able to be transferred to almost all other colleges than just Bloomsburg University themselves. I remember taking the full four classes my senior year of high school while playing indoor and outdoor varsity soccer in the fall and playing varsity lacrosse in the spring on top of commuting to Bloomsburg.
Even though I believe this is a great program that every college should be offering to any high school student that is interested, there is one downfall: the advertising. I knew nothing, and I mean NOTHING about this program up until one of the girls I played soccer with went through this program and was telling me all about it. My high school had no posters offered by Bloomsburg University that hung in the hallways, I received no emails, and the school advisors barely knew any information about the program other than the fact that only a handful of students researched and found that the high school offers it.
As of today, with being a senior at Bloomsburg University, I am still finding myself talking to these high schoolers and being a free advertising advocate for this program because the schools offer no advertising.
On top of the high schools not offering any advertising, I have seen no posters on Bloomsburg University campus explaining or even showing that it is a program they offer. Now don’t get me wrong, almost all of the professors on campus know about it and if anyone is interested information can be found on the Bloomsburg University website if you look hard enough for it, but in order to ask any questions about it, you need to know about it first.
Advertising is definitely one of the most expensive parts of a capitalistic society but what excuse does the University have for not investing in this small program? The ACE Program is honestly the only reason I chose to go to college since I received 75% off tuition and the chance to be a part of a college community that I chose to continue my education at and where I will graduate with pride in the Spring of 2019.
In my opinion, there should be no reason the university should be down-playing or not advertising this program to any and all of the local high schools.
Kori is a senior majoring in Enlgish Creative Writing and Digital Rhetoric.