Visit the Bioscience College-NOW program on the campus of North Central State College, located at 2441 Kenwood Circle, Mansfield, Ohio 44906 in the Health Sciences building.

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FAQs

FAQ's re: College-NOW Bioscience 

  1. Q. What will my daily schedule look like? 
    A. College-NOW students schedule vary from semester to semester, but generally the day runs from 8:30 am - 2:45 pm. Courses are structured like that of a typical college, that is, you may only have two or three classes on any given day, and those classes may only meet two or three times a week.

  2. Q. I can have some great teachers at my home school. What advantage is there over my high school classes? 
    A. The overall purpose of high school classes is to prepare you for a college-level experience. College-NOW gives you the opportunity to earn fully transferable college credit for your efforts.

  3. Q. Can I still be involved in activities back at my home school? 
    A. While the final decision rests with the home school and within the scope of scheduling, College-NOW students should be able to participate in any and all home school activities.

  4. Q. Can I still be valedictorian? Are class credits weighted? 
    A. While class credits are a home school decision, we would certainly advocate the advanced nature of college coursework to be the equivalent of corresponding AP or advanced high school courses.

  5. Q. What score do I need on the ACT or the PLAN to qualify for College-NOW? 
    A. If you have already taken the ACT you must have at least an 18 or better on the Reading portion to be considered for College-NOW. However, it is not necessary that you take to ACT or the PLAN for admittance into College-NOW. We will arrange for you to take the COMPASS college placement test and determine placement based on those scores.

  6. Q. My home school and North Central State College have different calendars. Whose calendar will we follow? 
    A. The calendar will be established by the College-NOW administration. It is a hybrid of the calendars from Ashland County West Holmes Career Center and North Central Sate College.

  7. Q. What about busing? 
    A. As a college student, you will be responsible for transportation to and from classes at the Career Center. There are five home schools that regularly send buses to the Career Center and you are welcome to ride these.

  8. Q. Are lunches available? 
    A. There is a designated lunch time with cafeteria-style school lunches and vending items available for purchase. Students also may pack their lunch.

  9. Q. What happens if I don't like it? 
    A. Depending on the time of year, you may transition to another ACWHCC program. Returning to your home school can be very difficult because of how our schedule is set. If you are considering returning to your home school, that decision ultimately rests with your school.

  10. Q. Are there differences between the College-NOW and ACWHCC programs?
    A. Besides the college credit earned, there are two main differences between the high school and college programs. The first is that College-NOW will have a more advanced level of expectations for its students. Secondly, College-NOW students will be conducting more independent research under the guidance of the instructors with less direct instruction (lecture).

  11. Q. Will College-NOW meet my home school's graduation requirements in a College Prep curriculum? 
    A. While decisions on high school course credits must be left to the home school, College-NOW personnel will be available to assist with any information related to those decisions. The design of the curriculum should allow a student the opportunity to graduate with his/her peers. Further, College-NOW is just that, college courses offered to highly qualified high school juniors and seniors. The courses ARE college courses, and students will be expected to maintain a high quality of work.

  12. Q. How much money can I save? 
    A. It is possible for College-NOW students to accumulate enough credits to shorten their traditional college career by up to two years. Miami University estimates the average total student cost to be just over $18,000 per year. Of course, your savings may vary depending on your choice of a university and program.

  13. Q. What college credits will I get? 
    A. Students successfully completing the College-NOW program will earn an Associates of Science Degree in Bioscience Technology. 

  14. Q. How much will this cost my family? 
    A. Our current fees are approxiamately $140 per year. There is also a one time $25 application processing fee.

  15. Q. Who is teaching the courses? 
    A. The courses will be taught by North Central State College faculty.

  16. Q. Will there be summer classes? 
    A. At this point, the curriculum only requires fall and spring semesters. If you choose to take classes outside of the College-NOW curriculum, you may do so during summer semester at your own cost.

  17. Q. Where can I go for my Bachelor's Degree? 
    A. Your North Central State College transcript will transfer to any public university in Ohio. We have also had some of our graduates successfully transfer to private and out of state universities.

  18. Q. Will I be a high school student? 
    A. All College-NOW students will be responsible to follow the ACWHCC Parent-Student Handbook and the ACWHCC Code of Conduct.

  19. Q. Will I be a college student? 
    A. All College-NOW students will be responsible to follow North Central State student conduct policies. Please note that when policies conflict, the student will be held accountable to the more restrictive policy.

  20. Q. What about ID cards? 
    A. College-NOW students will obtain a college ID through North Central State College.

  21. Q. Can I use North Central State College's resources? 
    A. As an NCSC student, you will be able to access all appropriate student services and resources.

  22. Q. Who will I call if I need to be absent? 
    A. You will call the attendance officer at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center. Upon your return to school, you must bring a note from your parent explaining the reason for your absence. College instructors usually require that you email or call them prior to an absence if at all possible.

  23. Q. Can I do additional PSEO courses? 
    A. As a College-NOW student, you will already be registered for up to 19 semester hours per term, so additional course work would be very difficult.

  24. Q. Will I be able to take the SAT or ACT? 
    A. We anticipate that your College-NOW experience will actually enhance your abilities and scores on these standardized tests.

  25. Q. From where will I graduate? 
    A. Your high school diploma and transcript will come from your home high school. Your career passport will come from Ashland County West Holmes Career Center, and your Associate's Degree will come from North Central State College.

  26. Q. When will I get my Associate's Degree? 
    A. As an Associate Degree graduate, your degree will be conferred upon the successful completion of your program and during the regular North Central State College commencement exercises in May.