Students and parents interested in the Early College Program should attend an informational meeting on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in the LGI. Application to the program is currently open to sophomore students.

 “This program is designed to help students that not only wouldn’t be going [to college] or students that are maybe unsure,” Early College Specialist, Melissa Bultema said  “There’s a wide variety of students. I have students that maybe wouldn’t have gone without this program and I have students that would have gone anyway.”

Early college allows students to spend a fifth year in high school but graduate with their high school degree, and an associates degree from Muskegon Community College. Classes, books and other resources are provided with no cost to the student.

“I hope to just get more students involved,” Bultema said. “It’s a great program, I know everybody is a little nervous to be the first ones to try it so I think that is why we were small this year. I just see the program growing.”