Students who attend Beaufort County Community College will have an opportunity to meet representatives from 15 private and public colleges from around the state on Dec. 6 from 9-11 a.m. in Building 9 in the student lounge.

The Transfer Fair will provide students the opportunity to show their current transcripts to college representatives and talk with them about prerequisite courses and possible majors. The BCCC Student Government Association will give attending students a chance to win a $25 gift card to put toward application fees.

Institutions such as Barton College, Catawba College, Chowan University, East Carolina University, N.C. A&T State University, N.C. Wesleyan, UNC-Wilmington and Western Carolina University will be on hand. Faculty is working with students ahead of time to help them ask appropriate questions during the transfer fair.

Many students are still making up their minds about what kind of program they would like to pursue. BCCC offers an associate of arts or an associate of science degree that provides students a less expensive choice to complete pre-major courses and to stay close to home. Students who have not considered a four-year degree may find a program that is both affordable and appropriate at the Transfer Fair.

According to the Pew Research Center, millennials with college degrees under 32 years of age are, on average, earning $17,500 more than their peers with only a high school degree. The average wages of workers with only a high school degree have fallen in recent years, and the earnings of college graduates have risen.

As the cost of four-year institutions continues to rise, BCCC offers students an affordable alternative to begin a four-year degree. Many BCCC students comment on the small class sizes and personal attention they receive from faculty. This helps students who would otherwise have a hard time transitioning from high school to college to develop independent study skills and work habits. Students who have attended a smaller high school can find it intimidating to start at a university with 20,000 students.

BCCC is a great way to prepare for a larger institution.

In the last few years, the average age of a BCCC student has trended downward as more students use community college as an affordable way to start to a four-year degree. The Transfer Fair will assist students with their progress to transfer to a four-year university. The Division of Arts and Science is planning a series of events that will help students with the process of determining the right fit.