Higher Education

HIGHER EDUCATION HANDBOOK

A PRIMER ON COLLEGE PREP OPTIONS

BY JAMES A. MALLORY

Hilton Head and Bluffton parents have options when looking for academic programs that prepare their children for college.

For those looking to heighten chances of getting into a highly selective college, there is an International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Hilton Head High.

Students seeking college-level credit while in high school can take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams available through Beaufort County public and private schools. There are also dual-enrollment programs through the University of South Carolina Beaufort and the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)

Hilton Head Island High offers the IB curriculum in elementary, middle and high school. The diploma program is available in 11th and 12th grade for students age 16-19.

IB is a worldwide program designed to offer challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment, according to its website.

“IB will prepare you to do anything and go anywhere,” said Ingrid Boatright, Beaufort County school board member representing District 11. “It is comprehensive, multi-cultural and has international standards.”

More than 175 students are taking IB courses in 2021, said Candace Bruder, Director of Communications for Beaufort County School District, in an email response. Between 25 and 30 of these students will go for the full diploma, she said.

The county is working with Hilton Head High to let students outside its attendance zone apply for the IB Middle Years Program, she said. Students would then feed into the IB Diploma Program. Hilton Head High is also allowing up to five out-ofzone rising ninth graders to apply for IB. The students must commit to entering the diploma program, Bruder said.

IB Program Coordinator Mary Beth White said via email that 93 percent (25 out of 27 students) of the IB Diploma Candidates who completed all components earned their International Baccalaureate Diplomas. The IB published average is 88.96, she said.

“And they did this with most of their IB studies occurring during the pandemic,” she said.

Two of Boatright’s children graduated from the Hilton Head High IB program. One is now a senior at the University of California-Berkeley. The other is a rising junior at Northwestern University. A third child is starting high school and will be in the IB program.

“The most important and overlooked aspect of IB is college persistence,” she said. “IB prepares students for a rigorous course of study by teaching critical thinking, time management and independent learning. It also has an emphasis on writing, particularly with the extended essay requirement for diploma candidates. Helping students get into their first-choice college is great but preparing them to be successful within those colleges and programs is the added advantage of the IB program.”

DUAL ENROLLMENT

College-bound students have been encouraged for years to begin their path toward higher education via Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment, said W. Mack Palmour, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at University of South Carolina Beaufort, in an email response.

With dual enrollment, high school students can take college classes while they are still enrolled in high school. They earn college credits, which could reduce the cost of a college education.

“Having this coursework can make them potentially more competitive for college admission, scholarships, as well as help them to understand the rigor that is required at the college level,” he said.

USCB has over 250 dual enrollment applicants for Fall 2021, a 60 percent increase over last year, Palmour said.

“Students are able to earn college credit and start their collegiate GPA in their junior and senior years of high school to eventually lower the cost of a college degree,” said Kristen VanNoord, assistant director of admissions at USCB, in an email response to questions.

Courses are offered on all three Beaufort County campuses. Classes include English, public speaking, history, math and world languages, she said.

Dual-enrollment students at USCB can take classes at any of its campuses, and can take online classes.

Technical College of the Lowcountry’s dual enrollment for 2019-2020 (last full academic year) was 518 students, including 394 from Beaufort County.

The school said it offers more than 80 individual college courses that transfer to four-year colleges and universities in and out of South Carolina. TCL’s career and technical dual- enrollment offerings have expanded to include courses in construction, HVAC, culinary arts, business and others.

Most students take classes at the TCL campuses or online.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

Advanced Placement gives students the chance to take college-level courses and exams while they’re still in high school. Students can earn college credit and they may stand out in the admissions process.

AP can give students an advantage when applying to college and when they arrive. Nine hundred and twelve Beaufort County students took AP college-level courses and exams in 2020, according to Bruder.

“This is a great way for students to arrive at their postsecondary institution with credits already under their belts,” said Mary Stratos, the school district’s Chief Instructional Services Officer, in an email response.

Advantages of taking AP classes, according to the College Board, include: • Having time to move into upper-level courses in the student’s field of interest, pursue a double major or study abroad. • Showing a willingness to take the most rigorous courses available. • Helping improve writing skills and sharpens problemsolving techniques. • Receiving recognition from more than 3,600 colleges and universities that annually receive AP Exam scores. • Over 90% of four-year colleges in the U.S. provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying exam scores.

The College Board also said AP students had better fouryear graduation rates than those who did not take AP courses. For example, students who take AP English Literature in high school are 62% more likely to graduate from college in four years. The College Board notes 85 percent of selective colleges and universities report that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admissions decisions.

CAMBRIDGE ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (AICE)

This fall the Cambridge AICE diploma, another international curriculum and exam system, will be introduced at May River High School, Robert Smalls International Academy and Battery Creek High School, Bruder said.

Beaufort High School is starting its second year in the program, which offers college-level classes. It is designed to offer a more rigorous curriculum. Students can frame the coursework to their specific interests and ability.