The University of Alabama Early College, a premier program for high school students, will host a parent information night for Athens City and Limestone County students to learn more about the academic opportunities.

The event is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the media center at Athens High School. All high school and middle school students and their parents are invited to attend.

Those in attendance will hear from current UA Early College director Dr. Victoria Whitfield as she discusses online classes, the Summer On Campus program, dual credit options and more. Details about automatic partial tuition scholarships, the application process and the variety of courses offered will also be covered during the session.

ACS is excited to bring this prestigious program to our students and surrounding area schools. UA Early College offers a phenomenal opportunity for students to get ahead. Students can earn up to 30 hours of credit from The University of Alabama before their freshman year.

These courses are taught by actual UA professors using modern online solutions. Programs like Blackboard and Tegrity bring state-of-the-art distance learning to our students right here in Athens.

Jessica Hudson is a senior at Athens High School and a UA Early College student. She began the program last summer and is continuing classes through her senior year. Hudson says the UAEC experience is a great way to get a taste of what college is like.

“It’s been tough here and there, because it is a harder class. And it’s online, so I really had to learn to apply myself to be successful,” Hudson said.

Hudson decided to enroll in UAEC because she wanted to start her math classes for college. The program allows her to take more classes in a more efficient way than traditional dual enrollment.

”I decided to do UAEC instead of other dual enrollment programs because it saved me an entire semester of time,” she said. “(The program) benefited me because it’s helped me get ahead in my college work. It’s saved time that I can use towards other classes once I graduate. My parents love the program.”

While she was enthusiastic about taking a UA course, she also understood that it was a serious exercise in responsibility.

“It did scare me, because it was my job to make sure to stay on top of my work,” she said. “I don’t have a professor to remind me of my deadlines. But I was excited to have the experience as an online student.”

To help manage this level of responsibility while maintaining student success, UA Early College prides itself on student support. Every student takes a required prep course to determine if they are ready for college-level work. Hudson described the course as “absolutely amazing.”

“They made sure to always be available to the student, and they are very nice,” she said. “I get calls from UAEC checking up on me and asking how I’m doing. They truly do care about you in their program.”

This prep course will be offered in November to all North Alabama area UA Early College students exclusively at Athens Renaissance School. The entire UA Early College team will travel from Tuscaloosa to Athens to meet with students. Historically, students had to travel to Tuscaloosa for all in-person visits. Now, thanks to this partnership, UA is coming to Athens.

Hudson plans to attend the University of Alabama in Huntsville to study nursing after graduation. All of her UAEC college credits will transfer to UAH and will give her a head start toward postsecondary success.

“It definitely helps prepare you for college. UAEC helped me gain experience in taking an online class, and I feel confident that I can do it again,” she said. “You also no longer have a teacher that you know and you’re not in an environment that you know. It makes you self-motivated, because you learn to push yourself.”

When asked if she would recommend UAEC to other families and students, Hudson gave a resounding “definitely.”

“It is an awesome experience and a glimpse into what college work would be like,” she said.

The deadline to apply to UAEC is October 30. The prep course session at Athens Renaissance School is Nov. 13. For more information about UA Early College, visit www.uaearlycollege.ua.edu. For more information about parent night, contact Athens City Schools at Joanna.May@acs-k12.org or call 256-233-6600.