Lowering the Age of Enlightenment

Today’s college students look younger than ever for a simple reason--many of them are still in high school.

Community colleges, once bastions of vocational education, are increasingly serving as springboards for those who want to get a jump on college. And those eager beavers are getting younger. Even high school freshmen are registering for college classes these days.

Local colleges still offer certificate programs that turn out fitness specialists and automotive technicians. And specialty classes in the arts and computers draw interest from enthusiasts as young as 10.

But the attraction for most high school students is general education transfer classes that can be used toward an associate of arts or bachelor’s degree, college officials say.

“Students today just want more. We are in such a fast-paced world and they are just moving faster to the next level,” said Helen Hewitt, a private career preparation counselor in Brea who has worked with students for 20 years.

Those hoping to get into competitive universities may take math or science classes in college before they take them in high school to get better grades. Others find themselves in community college taking a history class to make up for a missed civics class so they can graduate from high school. Still others are there because such electives as auto shop or philosophy are simply not offered at their schools.

Whatever the reasons, their numbers are growing. At Irvine Valley College this semester, about 400 students--roughly one of every 25--are high schoolers. The college advertises in local school newspapers what could be the biggest selling point: classes are free for high school students. The normal $11 per unit fee is waived under state law.

“We want them to come to our campus and take a class for academics or for a hobby,” said Joyce Kirk, public information officer. “We’re hoping they’ll see that Irvine Valley can be a first choice, that they should plan on spending their first two years here.”

Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, which has an aggressive high school outreach program, has seen its numbers nearly triple from 90 high school students in the spring of 1997 to 264 students in spring 1998, the latest figures available. The school offers a college readiness course and holds orientation sessions before each semester just for high school students.

At Golden West College in Huntington Beach, the number of high school students jumped more than 50%, from 92 in the fall of 1998 to 141 last fall, according to Wes Bryan, vice president of instruction.

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Thanh Nguyen, 17, of Garden Grove was one of those students. Nguyen, a senior at Bolsa Grande High, took the equivalent of Calculus II at Golden West last fall, a class she is currently taking in high school. Her high school math teacher advised her to take it in college, saying she would get better coaching, she said.

An honors student who was working at the time, Nguyen took a night class with about 11 other students.

“I had a really good time. I had a great relationship with the teacher at Golden West. He even helped me out with my college applications over Christmas vacation,” said Nguyen, who has applied to Amherst, Princeton, Northwestern and three schools in the University of California system.

Nguyen got an A in the class, which is transferable for college credit, and said she plans to take more community college classes this summer “just for fun.”

To register for college classes, high school students need the approval of school guidance counselors and their parents. Students like the fact college records are private and instructors can’t discuss grades with others but that situation is often difficult for parents, said Golden West’s Bryan.

Parents also need to realize they are sending a minor into an institution filled mostly with adults, he said. But on the whole, going to college “pre-college” gives students an edge, he believes.

“A good part of the first year of college is getting used to the fact that you may only have to go to class three times a week but the instructor really means it when he says, ‘Read the book.’

“In high school, you go every day but there are chances to make up the work,” Bryan said.

Other advantages:

* A one-semester history class in college is equal to a yearlong high school class.

* High school students who decide to continue get priority at fall registration.