High school students have a lot on their plates. At Laguna Blanca, the academic workload is already rigorous, so the thought of adding on another class (one that isn’t even embedded into the school day’s schedule) is extremely intimidating. However, what if adding a class wasn’t a burden, but rather a long-term advantage? That’s where SBCC classes come in.
Santa Barbara Community College is one of the most highly-regarded community colleges in California. In fact, the school ranked number one in the state for its beautiful campus and number three best overall community college in California on Niche in 2024. Its online classes are especially popular, giving students the opportunity to take classes of their interest without ever having to step foot on campus… even if that means missing out on the scenery that earned SBCC its number one spot.
This is the first of the biggest benefits of taking SBCC online courses: accessibility. Online classes allow students to work from anywhere at any time. The asynchronous format SBCC online courses follow allows students to complete their assignments at their own pace, which is a freedom that comes in handy for those balancing busy courseloads already. Whether you’re a person who spaces homework out or simply a procrastinating machine, SBCC allows the student to take control of their learning process.
Variety is the second advantage of SBCC’s online courses. While, at Laguna, students are exposed to a wide variety of electives across many fields of study, there are still classes that may not be offered on campus. SBCC online classes can help fill these gaps for students. Fulfilling its mission to offer extensive educational opportunities for the Santa Barbara community, SBCC offers a vast range of courses of varying levels, catering to diverse interests and skill levels. For example, a Laguna student may take an elective course like Introduction to Philosophy and fall in love with the subject. There isn’t any second philosophy course at Laguna, but SBCC offers them a chance to pursue it further, providing branch courses like Philosophy 101, Ethics 101, Logic, the History of Philosophy, and frankly too many more to name. SBCC gives high school students the opportunity to dive deeper into their budding passions with the potential to even help them determine possible majors.
The third advantage of SBCC classes is the opportunity they present for students to preview college coursework. Because of the online classes’ independent nature, students must learn to navigate the syllabus, organize their time, and effectively communicate with their professors. Doing so helps students develop the discipline needed to be successful in college.
At Laguna Blanca, students adhere to four core values: community, character, scholarship, and balance. By taking college-level courses through SBCC, students can expand their sense of community by connecting with peers in a broader academic environment, build their character by developing discipline, supplement their in-school work with out-of-school classes to strengthen their sense of scholarship, and learn what it means to effectively balance it all. The students at Laguna Blanca may have a lot on their plates as is, but SBCC classes can be the garnish that sprinkles in extra advantages.
