BC3 Lawrence Crossing Location to Showcase Advantages at October 24 Open House

(New Castle, PA) Visitors to BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s Oct. 24 open house can learn how 75 percent of BC3 graduates are debt-free, how BC3 has the highest salary-to-cost ratio among 42 regional colleges and universities, according to U.S. Department of Education, and why BC3 has been ranked the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania in back-to-back surveys by Schools.com.

BC3 will waive its $25 application fee for those who apply for admission during the open house, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, 2849 W. State St., New Castle.

Visitors can also learn about BC3’s flexible course scheduling options that meet students’ needs, and about associate degree programs that enable students to transfer to a four-year college or university or start a career upon graduation.

Eighty percent of BC3 students receive grants and scholarships to help them pay for their education. U.S. Department of Education data also show that BC3’s tuition is more affordable than that of 41 other regional colleges and universities.

Seventy-one percent of Pennsylvania college graduates have student loan debt, according to The Institute for College Access & Success. The average student loan debt in Pennsylvania is $36,193 – the highest in the nation, LendEdu reported Aug. 8. The Pittsburgh metropolitan area also leads the nation with nearly 13 percent of borrowers owing more in student loan debt than they do on their homes, MagnifyMoney reported Oct. 3.

Janelle Fox, of Ellwood City, is shown Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Butler County Community College’s commencement exercises. Fox, who studied early childhood education at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, earned an associate degree in early childhood education (Pre K-4), graduated debt-free from BC3 and is now a student at Westminster College.

Seventy-five percent of BC3 graduates are debt-free.

Among them, Janelle Fox, of Ellwood City.

“I wanted to save money”

 “I decided to go to BC3 because I wanted to save money, and stay out of debt as much as possible,” said Fox, a who attended BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, earned an associate degree in early childhood education (Pre K-4) in May and transferred to Westminster College, where she is a junior.

“When I first started I had no clue what college would be like, because neither of my parents had the opportunity to go,” Fox said. “Now, graduating from BC3, if I was asked to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

“The people at BC3 are so friendly and helpful, and you can tell they really care about each student as an individual. I have made so many great friends, and developed many professional relationships that I know will stick with me into my future outside of BC3. I have loved going to BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, and will forever be proud to be a Pioneer.”

The BC3 Education Foundation awards nearly $200,000 in scholarships each year. BC3’s top-ranked salary-to-cost ratio means graduates will earn the most compared to what they spend to attend BC3.

5 scheduling options each semester

Traditional and nontraditional students can capitalize on BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s 14- and 10-week sessions, and its five-week Fast Tracks, held consecutively throughout the semester and in which students can take three-credit courses that are among BC3’s more than 100 online classes.

High school students attending BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s open house can learn how to earn transferrable college credits through BC3’s College Within the High School and College Pathways programs.

Students in BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s associate degree programs in accounting, business management, emergency services-police services option, human resource management, office administration-executive, office administration-medical and technical trades-cosmetology management option will develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately after graduation.

BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s credits in business administration, criminology, early childhood education (Pre K-4), general studies, history, physical education-sport management option, psychology, secondary education and social work can be transferred toward bachelor’s degrees at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.

Additionally, students who complete a BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing degree in business administration, criminology, early childhood education (Pre K-4), history, psychology and social work can transfer with junior standing to any Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institution, such as Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities of Pennsylvania.

Students can also take pre-nursing courses at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing and finish their degree at BC3’s main campus, or pursue certificates that take one year or less to complete in medical assistant or medical coding and billing specialist.

Bachelor’s degree-completion programs on menu

BC3’s unique partnerships also enable students to complete a bachelor’s degree online in communications-public relations, and in nursing, from Chatham University; in business administration, from Franklin University; in human resource management, from Point Park University; in administration of justice, from the University of Pittsburgh; and in nursing, from Waynesburg University.

Visitors can RSVP to the open house at bc3.edu/open-houses.\

Students are shown outside of BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in this Oct. 6, 2016, file photo. Visitors to BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s Oct. 24 open house can learn how 75 percent of BC3 graduates are debt-free, how BC3 has the highest salary-to-cost ratio among 42 regional colleges and universities, according to U.S. Department of Education, and why BC3 has been ranked the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania in back-to-back surveys by Schools.com