Inside Los Amigos' Early College Academy Program

For many 8th graders, college seems like something they only need to worry about far in the future. However, with the early college admission program, college can be something they pursue now.

Los Amigos is offering certain college classes for the high schoolers to gain college experience and credits, freshmen can also take these classes.  This is a productive way to get college credits starting at a young age. According to the Los Amigos High School website (LAHS), students can earn up to 60 college credits during their four years at Los Amigos by joining the Early College Academy (ECA). An ECA student can graduate with an Associate of Arts degree (AA), which will put them two years ahead in college. Another benefit to this program is that all textbooks and any course work is free to students. Everything in this program is free and they offer things like a bag of groceries for free, bus passes, access to the library, and even health services. Students will be enrolled in two college classes every year on top of their regular classes, so this may be a lot to handle for a freshman. This is something to consider if you are planning on joining ECA, as it can be a lot of work.       

Students who have joined ECA have said it's very beneficial.  When asked if ECA is something they would recommend,  they said, “Yes, I would because it's not that big of a change to your schedule and you get a headstart out of high school.” Students in ECA think it's helpful and a smart thing to do. Current students have even gone as far to say that the classes are easy and enjoyable. A freshman said, “A common misconception about ECA is that it's hard, it's actually easy.” To be able to succeed in ECA you have to know how to handle your workload.  The only thing that current ECA students say can be scary is getting used to having college classes on top of regular classes. This can be challenging for new students who have just gotten out of middle school. “Adjusting is hard but the professors are really kind and willing to give you more time for certain assignments if you need it,” said a current ECA freshman at Los Amigos.

 Certain students were chosen to apply for ECA but even other students who were not chosen can still apply for ECA. All students who were interested and wanted to apply went to the Los Amigos website and filled out an application from there. The application asked questions to get basic information about the student. This application helps ECA get to know the candidates for the Early College program. Another part of the admission process is the interview, which happens sometime in March and April. In this interview, the counselors ask questions such as, “Why did you show interest in ECA?” and “If you had a bad grade, what would you do to fix it?” These questions are just to get to know what kind of student you are. The interviews last about 5-10 minutes each.  

In conclusion, ECA is very beneficial to students. It may be scary to think about taking college classes as a freshman, but in the long run, it will be helpful.