There is no time like the present to complete your GED, and HACC offers the classes to help you prepare. Central Pennsylvania's Community College will offer the eight-week preparatory course beginning the week of May 21 at three locations in the mid-state. The course is also offered in Spanish.

Before attending the preparation classes, students are required to attend an orientation session offered by the college. During the orientation session, students are given a pre-test to determine their current knowledge level. The test is approximately two hours long, including time for paperwork. Attendance at the pre-test also guarantees students a seat in one of the GED preparation classes, which will be offered at HACC's Harrisburg Campus, Penn Center and the Community Center for Technology and Arts.

With 95 percent of American colleges, universities and employers considering the GED equivalent to a high school diploma, HACC understands the importance of serving area residents as an Official GED Testing Center, according to Lori Fair, Ed.D, dean, Adult Basic Education.

"The GED provides the pathway for lifelong learning," said Fair. "There are many reasons people take the GED tests, such as to enter post secondary schools, vocational or training programs, for employment purposes or personal satisfaction. Often, the students who have prepared for their GED through HACC continue their education in one of our associate degree programs or transfer to a college or university to complete a four-year degree."

The stigma that once was attached to the GED credential is no more.

Some of the most well-known GED graduates include comedian Bill Cosby, actors Michael J. Fox and Christian Slater, former ABC news anchor Peter Jennings, Olympic medal-winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton, entertainer Jessica Simpson, Wendy's restaurant founder Dave Thomas, NASA astronaut F. Story Musgrave and former president of Florida A&M University Dr. Walter Smith.

They are among the more than 15 million who have received the GED since its inception during World War II as a way of helping veterans become eligible for postsecondary education without having to return to high school to earn a diploma. To reserve a space for the GED orientation session, call the college at 717-780-2650 or 717-780-1117. For more information on HACC's GED Preparation Program, visit www.hacc.edu.