Very soon, the rising seniors at The Fletcher Academy in Raleigh, N.C., will begin preparing for college. Andrew Adams (above) already has a leg up on them.

Andrew and six other high school students from North Carolina, South Carolina and Pennsylvania are spending July at Guilford College, taking part in the second annual Guilford Rise program.

Guilford Rise gives rising junior and seniors the chance to experience college life firsthand – even take two college courses worth six credits that they can use to transfer to wherever they land for college.

“I didn’t know what to expect, I was even a little nervous, but I’m glad I’m here,” says Andrew. “It’s great to be exposed to what a college class is like and living on a campus. It’s really been a lot of work, but it’s also been a lot of fun.”

That’s the idea behind Guilford Rise, says Jon Bohland, a CAPE (Career, Academic, and Personal Exploration) counselor and director of this year’s Rise program. “We don’t want the students spending their time in a classroom because college is so much more than that. We want them getting out and exploring.”

Andrew and his classmates have already taken in an orchestral performance on campus at the Eastern Music Festival. They went boutique bowling in Winston-Salem, walked the College’s Underground Railroad Trail and gazed at the stars on the rooftop of the Frank Family Science Center using the Cline Observatory.

They’re also learning. Jon is teaching a Rise class in which the students compare countries by using data, indexes, political and social metrics. Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, the College’s new Senior Executive Director for Innovation and Engagement, is teaching an introductory class on entrepreneurship.

Guilford Rise has opened Andrew’s eyes to the endless possibilities that college offers. He plays basketball and soccer at Fletcher and wants a career in sports, perhaps in sports medicine. “I feel like being here I’m so far ahead of other seniors. Especially from the social aspect. I just feel so comfortable.”