(Hermitage, PA) Butler County Community College’s 464-member Class of 2023 included a 20-year-old Mercer resident who graduated from BC3 @ LindenPointe with honors and from a program she chose because “I have a really big heart.”
Christina Critchlow, received an associate degree in social work during BC3’s 55th commencement May 17. Her career goal is to assist disadvantaged juveniles.
“I have a really big heart and want the best for everyone in this world,” Critchlow said. “Children might not have a voice of their own. I want to be able to help give them a voice and a chance at a better life. I always knew I wanted to do a job where I was helping people in some way.”
Social work was among 11 transfer programs available this spring at BC3 @ LindenPointe, Butler County Community College’s additional location in Hermitage.
The 2021 alumna of Mercer Area Middle-High School finished the 62-credit curriculum with a grade-point average between 3.5 and 3.74 and achieved magna cum laude recognition.
“In high school I didn’t care too much about my grades,” Critchlow said. “It wasn’t as if I was struggling. At BC3 @ LindenPointe, I figured ‘I’m paying for this, so I am really going to put my all into it and do the best I can, and it all worked out.’”
Critchlow was among the approximately 60 percent of BC3 students this spring who were enrolled in transfer programs, according to Sharla Anke, the college’s assistant dean of institutional research and planning.
Students can apply BC3 @ LindenPointe credits toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Critchlow will begin studies this fall toward a bachelor’s degree in social work at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
BC3 @ LindenPointe’s affordability “was one of my main reasons I chose it. It is pretty affordable compared to four-year institutions. I don’t want to be in debt."
Students who attend a community college for their first two years can save an estimated $20,000 on the cost of higher education, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.
Tuition and fees this spring at regional public four-year universities started at $437.23 per credit for Pennsylvania residents for an in-person course, and started at $374.20 for an online course.
Tuition and fees this spring for Pennsylvania residents attending regional state-related institutions’ branch campuses cost between $582 and $734 per credit for an in-person course, and started at $620 for an online course.
Tuition and fees this spring for Mercer County residents attending BC3 cost $280 per credit for an in-person course and $305 for an online course.
BC3 @ LindenPointe’s affordability, Critchlow said, “was one of my main reasons I chose it. It is pretty affordable compared to four-year institutions. I don’t want to be in debt. I don’t want to be paying for my schooling years from now, like when I am 30, like some people have to do right now.”
Critchlow echoed respondents to a recent survey that indicated 97 percent of BC3 graduates would recommend the college to others.
“BC3 has helped me by teaching me the fundamentals that go into social work,” Critchlow said. “The professors and classes provided me with so much information and helped me to feel even more confident in my career goal.
“I’m really excited to go out and change people’s lives.”
BC3 @ LindenPointe’s fall semester begins Aug. 21. BC3 @ LindenPointe this fall will debut virtual associate degree, certificate and workplace certificate programs whose courses will be instructed by BC3 faculty and accessible at any time.
