It's Never Too Late To Plan For The Future At WMCC
Recently I was talking to a woman, a casual acquaintance of mine, who told me that because of some family emergencies this fall she hadn't paid close enough attention to the college application process for her son. She felt guilty about this, afraid that what she viewed as her negligence would cost her son his chance at a college education, thus putting his future success at risk. When she was a teenager, her elders had not encouraged to go to college, so she hadn't gone, and was now unaware of the steps her son should have taken all through high school.
I told her to stop feeling guilty, that it wasn't too late for her son, and that, as the president of the White Mountains Community College, I had had the joy of witnessing hundreds of young men and women take those first few tentative steps toward a college degree, towards a better life. I told her that though many of the application deadlines for other two and four year institutions had gone by, we here in New Hampshire's community college system operate on rolling admissions. With us, I told her, it is never too late for the future.
Fortunately, we were in a situation where there was a computer nearby. I was able to show her our website and scroll through the academic programs we offer here at our campus in Berlin and at our academic centers in Conway, Littleton, and Woodsville. She mentioned a specific field that her son might be interested in - it wasn't one in which we award degrees, but I was able to help her out anyway.
White Mountains Community College is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire. We have colleges in Laconia, Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth, and Claremont. I showed her how to access the system's website at www.ccsnh.edu, and our website at www.wmcc.edu. I told her that her son could even apply online, but that it would be great if he came up to the Berlin campus for a visit. She thanked me, her mother-guilt easing just a little.
Most high schools do a great job of keeping students and their parents up-to-date on all the deadlines involved in applying to college and applying for financial aid, but some parents are still intimidated by the process, remembering their own high school years, when they were mistakenly told, "You're not college material." Hey, I clearly remember as I was told the same thing by a guidance counselor and look where I am!
For parents who did not go to college themselves, even the thought of attending school-sponsored informational meetings can bring on a case of the nerves. Two generations ago, before the GI Bill opened up higher education for veterans of World War II, access to college was largely defined by social class. The upper classes sent their children to college, the middle and working classes didn't, (though there were always exceptions). It was also a matter of economics. Most jobs did not require a college diploma, many not even a high school diploma.
Times have changed, though, and the social barriers to a college education have fallen. At White Mountains Community College, we've removed yet one more barrier, that of the early winter application deadline for the next fall's admission. If you are a veteran, family of a veteran, or family of a currently serving member of our armed services, there are programs and benefits available to you to go to college as well.
I'm hoping to see my acquaintance's son on our campus next fall. Maybe he could bring along his mother for a class or two. Answering questions about coming to College the first time or coming back is our specialty! It's not too late for his mom or you to start on your future either!
Back to News List© White Mountains Community College. 2020 Riverside Drive, Berlin, NH 03570. Tel: (800)445-4525 or (603)752-1113.