So there are many definitions for “arc,” but these three in particular illustrate how ARC assumes a student-centered approach which is focused on finding the best fit.
In literature, a story arc encompasses all the dramatic elements of plot development, from beginning to end: all the conflicts, changes,
twists, and eventually the resolution. Thinking about college and planning your future can feel a bit like that. You may start out slow, maybe you have some initial ideas about what you want to be when you grow up or what you’d love to study if you didn’t have to worry about getting a job. Then somewhere along the line, you encounter those pesky conflicts…maybe that’s unexpected test scores, maybe that’s a change of heart about what to study, or maybe that’s a newfound desire to attend college in another part of the country. At ARC, we help students manage those twists and turns, realizing that this is your story to write.
Perhaps you’ve see
n this demonstrated in science class before: bright electric currents flowing between two points? That’s another definition (simply stated) of an arc. Getting from middle school (Point A) through college (Point B) can look much like this for students. While many begin in middle school and end with some degree or form of post-secondary education, no two paths are exactly alike. Students may elect to take a gap year before college, some students seek certification for a career through community college, while some students transfer to another college after a year or two, and the list goes on. How students get there is as varied as where they’ll end up. ARC recognizes and values the excitement (energy) a student should experience while discovering their way.
Finally, in math we learn that an arc is just a portion of the circumference of a circle. This process of education planning is important, and probably feels like the biggest decision most students have made in their lives. While ARC values purposeful planning, it’s important to balance that with the realization that this is just a segment of what will become your life’s full circle. What you do after high school is just as important as what you do in high school, and equally important as what you’ll be doing thirty years from now. Your college choice doesn’t define you as a person. The college you attend doesn’t erase where you’ve been in life and it doesn’t dictate where you’re headed. You control that. College is just one part of your life that completes who you will become. ARC’s philosophy is to encourage students to consider many post-secondary options in light of who they are now, and who they want to become.
Write your story. Travel your unique path. Keep in mind this isn’t your entire life, just part of your life. That’s the ARC Philosophy.