After living in North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, Kansas, the Netherlands, Alabama again, and then Neshannock Township, Adison Lenz, daughter of an Army officer, has found a home at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing.
“Everyone,” Lenz said, “is so friendly and always so willing to help. I love the family-like atmosphere.”
Lenz said she also loves the small size of classes, the personal attention from faculty – and the affordability of BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, which will enable her to earn an associate degree debt-free next month from Butler County Community College’s additional location in New Castle.
“BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing has been a great experience,” she said. “Financially and academically, too.”
Prospective students can meet BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s staff, learn about its associate degrees in career and transfer programs, and about its affordability during an open house Wednesday, November 1st.
The open house will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 2849 W. State St., New Castle.
“That one-on-one time”
Adison Lenz, of Neshannock Township, at Sweet Pea Patch in Edinburg, a day care center where she works while pursuing an associate degree in early childhood education (Pre K-4) at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing
BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing will waive its $25 application fee for prospective students who apply for admission at the open house. Prospective students can RSVP to attend the open house at BC3.edu/open-house
Lenz, 20, transferred to BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing from Troy University in Alabama after her family moved to Neshannock Township in July 2022 to live closer to relatives.
She enrolled in BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s associate degree program in early childhood education (Pre K-4) and took a 30-hour-a-week job at Sweet Pea Patch, a day care center in Edinburg, where she sings songs such as “Icky, Sticky Bubble Gum” to eight 1-year-olds.
“I’ve had so many teachers moving around so much,” Lenz said, “and they inspired me and motivated me to help children in the same way that they helped me.”
Her own learning has been helped by class sizes that average 10 students at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, said Lenz, who with grade-point averages of at least 3.75 in the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters was named to BC3’s president’s list.
“Because the class sizes are so small, professors are available to help you when you need help,” Lenz said. “It’s not like you are sitting in a class with 100 other people and the professor doesn’t know your name. I can get that one-on-one time with my professors if I need help.”
Debt-free degree “a dream coming true”
The average student-loan debt per borrower in Pennsylvania is $38,521, according to a June 14 report by LendEDU, a website that provides comparisons for loans, credit cards and other financial products.
“You hear some of the horror stories about people who are in their 30s, or even older, who are being weighed down by this debt,” Lenz said. “I knew that was something that I did not want.”
BC3’s affordability, and financial aid and scholarships, allowed 75 percent of its Class of 2023 to graduate debt-free, as will Lenz in December.
“That’s just kind of like a dream coming true,” she said. “I will be able to afford to do so many more things later on in life because I won’t have that debt weighing me down.”
Lawrence County residents attending BC3 this fall are paying $290 per credit in tuition and fees for an in-person course. They would pay at least $437.23 per credit in tuition and fees at a regional public four-year university or $582 at a regional state-related institution’s branch campus this fall.
Lawrence County residents attending BC3 this fall are paying $315 per credit in tuition and fees for an online course. They would pay at least $374.20 per credit in tuition and fees for an online course at a regional public four-year university or $620 at a regional state-related institution’s branch campus this fall.
Named scholarships at record number
The BC3 Education Foundation in 2023-2024 had a record 155 named scholarships available to BC3 students.
Students enrolled in a BC3 associate degree, certificate or workplace certificate program and who meet scholarship criteria are eligible to receive a financial award, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, development coordinator of the BC3 Education Foundation. Students attending any of the college’s six locations, enrolled in online courses or in BC3’s new virtual programs can apply for a 2024-2025 financial award by completing an online application between April 15 and July 1, Cornetti said.
BC3 students approved for federal and state grants will receive an average of $5,046 in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to Juli Louttit, the college’s director of financial aid.
BC3’s credits can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Lenz plans to transfer to Westminster College in New Wilmington.
Prospective students visiting BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s open house can also learn about BC3 having been ranked as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania nine times since 2015, most recently by BestColleges.com; and about BC3’s new virtual associate degree, certificate and workplace certificate programs that are instructed by BC3 faculty.
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