Middle Georgia Technical College

Move On When Ready Helps High School Students Get a Head Start on College

For two Houston County students, the Move on When Ready (MOWR) program is already paying dividends. Abby Burnette and Katlyn Britt just graduated from high school in June, but they have already completed one year of their college careers. Britt and Burnette are the first two students to take advantage of the Move on When Ready program at Middle Georgia Technical College in Warne Robins.

Kim Gunn, High School Initiatives coordinator at MGTC, is responsible for coordinating the MOWR for the College.

"Katlyn and Abby have both been very successful in the Move on When Ready program," said Gunn. "These two students have taken full advantage of this opportunity and are great examples of what you can achieve. The program has worked very well for both of them."

MOWR is a program developed by the Georgia Department of Education in response to recent legislation that requires public high schools to offer students the opportunity to move on to college as soon as they are ready for the transition. To participate in the Move on When Ready program, a student must be a junior or senior in a public high school and have attended a public high school full-time the prior year.

"Move on When Ready is similar to dual enrollment," said Gunn. "However, students do not attend high school at all. Participants are still considered enrolled at their high school, however, they are full-time college students. They can still participate in high school activities, such as sports and prom, but they do not take any high school courses."

Students must be enrolled in college classes full time, at least 12 credit hours each semester. College courses taken as a part of MOWR satisfy the remaining credits needed for high school graduation. In addition, Classes taken with MOWR also do not count against the HOPE Scholarship or HOPE Grant hours cap. The MOWR program also allows students to save on college costs, since most expenses are paid as a part of local school system funding.

"While there are limitations with the dual enrollment program, Move on When Ready does not limit the student's choices and allows them to pursue a program of their choice," said Gunn. "This program provides a great opportunity for many students."

Katlyn Britt, a Perry High School graduate, took advantage of the MOWR program because it fit perfectly with her goals.

"I always wanted to do dual enrollment to get a head start on college, but when I hear of Move on When Ready, it fit in my plan better," said Britt. "I talked to my school counselor to get more information and decided this is what I wanted to do."

Britt, who maintained a 4.0 in high school, spoke with her parents about this new option that was available to her, and after some discussion, they agreed to support her decision.

"This program gave me so much more free time and flexibility," Britt said. "I was able to work full time and go to school full time. Many of my college courses were available online, so it worked really well with my schedule."

Britt says that the MOWR program is helping her to reach her goals much sooner than expected.

"I have always been interested in Radiology," said Britt. "As a softball player, I had some injuries that required x-rays. I became very interested in the profession and MGTC offers this program. I was able to take my degree-level courses in what would have been my senior year of high school. I was accepted into the Radiologic Technology program for Summer Quarter, so now I am working on my program courses."

While taking courses as a part of MOWR, Britt has maintained a 3.64 GPA and earned 38 degree-level credit hours toward her associate's degree in Radiologic Technology. She is on track to complete the two-year program in May 2013.

Abby Burnette has found the same success with the MOWR program. Although different circumstances prompted her to pursue the program, she said she has been very satisfied with the experience.

"I got pregnant in high school so I knew this would be the best option for me," said Burnette. "I took a bunch of AP courses in high school and I only had two ‘real' classes to take my senior year. This worked out great in both ways—I was able to stay home and spend time with my son and I was able to take college courses and not waste my time on high school class I didn't really need."

The Warner Robins High School graduate also touted the fact that MOWR gave her a lot of flexibility and free time.

"Having a baby and trying to go to school is not easy," said Burnette. "However, with the availability of online core classes, I was able to do both and spend a lot of quality time with my newborn son. I was also able to save money by not having to pay for daycare!"

Now, Burnette has completed a year's worth of courses in the Business Administrative Technology (BAT) program at MGTC. Similar to Britt, she has maintained a 3.6 GPA during her college courses and has earned 33 degree-level credit hours toward her degree in BAT with a medical office specialization.

Both students participated in their high school graduation ceremonies. And, although they weren't on the high school campus, they do not feel they missed out on anything.

"It was hard to explain at first because friends didn't understand," said Burnette. "A lot of my friends thought I had dropped out of high school."

Britt and Burnette both said they would advise students to take advantage of this opportunity.

"You are able to get your life started and there is no wasted time," Burnette said.

"I would say go for it! It only gets better and I think most students would like it better," said Britt.

Both Britt and Burnette say they have made new friends, including each other, and have enjoyed their experience at MGTC and both will complete their associate's degrees at MGTC. Burnette plans to further her education in the Business field at a four-year school, while Britt will work in her field, and possibly further her education after starting her career.

Britt is the daughter of Warren and Wendy Offenberg of Perry and is married to Grant Britt. Burnette is the daughter of Lisa and Paul Casilli of Warner Robins.

For more information on the Move on When Ready program, contact your high school counselor or call Kim Gunn at 478.988.6800, ext. 5035 or email her at kgunn@middlegatech.edu. Fall semester classes begin August 23. Students can apply now for the upcoming term. Log on to www.middlegatech.edu, or join the conversation on Facebook and Twi

Photo: Katlyn Britt (left) and Abby Burnette