The 12th-grade graduation ceremony is traditionally held in Hibben’s Sanctuary, and it includes end-of-year remarks honoring our faculty, award presentations, speeches from the graduates, slideshows, and the bestowing of diplomas.
What a day it is each year to celebrate a new and amazing cohort of young people! Empowered with academic, social, and leadership skills that were forged through their experiences in and out of the classroom, the graduating class is ready for the next waypoint in the pursuit of their goals and dreams!
A little about University School’s Upper School Division:
Before graduating, each student takes at least one course at the C of C for direct experience in a college classroom. This is not traditional dual enrollment (i.e., classes offered on our campus). Instead, they travel to downtown Charleston, navigate the campus, get to know and work with their fellow college students, and develop relationships with their professors.
Our program is individualized, and this means some students seek a rare experience and complete additional classes at C of C (as many as 16). For the last 100 classes our students have taken, the average is 94.
Authentic experiences like this are invaluable and help prepare our students to successfully transition and flourish at the college/university of their choice.
All of this yields rare and meaningful benefits: mentorships, job and research opportunities, direct recommendations for college applications and beyond, and more. Unlike AP program credits, these credits almost always transfer and give our students latitude to double major, graduate early, do joint BA-BS/MA-MS programs, change majors without pressure, and save tens of thousands of dollars in tuition. Authentic college classes also distinguish our students and make them rare and valuable because they indicate the students will do well in college. For example, 100% of our 4-year high school students have graduated from college in 4 years.
