Asbury Park High School students get college head start with new program

In a joint venture with Brookdale Community College, Asbury Park High School students will be able to get a college degree while in still high school.

Asbury Park High School Students Get College Head Start

The Dream Early College Program will help students dream of college come true.

Asbury Park School district officials advocated the Dream Academy as a way to give students an advantage as they seek higher education. The program will help them save money on college tuition and provide early exposure to university-style courses.

Brookdale President Maureen Murphy said during their initial years students will take one course per semester, with adjunct professors going to Asbury Park High School. But as they reach their senior year, they will transition to attending the campus full-time. They’ll have access to extracurricular clubs and athletic activities. “This is where you can get the full college experience. Anything that we have they’ll be able to be a part of,” Murphy told the Asbury Park Press. She said tuition at the school is typically around $4,500 per year, plus fees and books.

The program doesn’t cost anything for students, but they do have to apply to be included in it.

Asbury Park High School students will take classes in general studies and when finished, will recieve a social science degrees in which credits will be transferable.

Asbury Park Board of Education President Angela Ahbez-Anderson said the academy will be a step forward for the school district which has faced challenges in the past.

“They say nothing good comes out of Asbury Park, but I see diamonds, emeralds pearls and sapphires. In the past Asbury was called the ‘Jewel of the Shore’ not because of the waterfront, it’s because of you,” she told students.

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