NMC registration begins; 14 pct. spike in enrollment seen

Registration began yesterday at the Northern Marianas College with an expected increase in enrollment of about 14 percent from last fall, according to Dr. Sharon Hart, president of the college.

“We are looking forward to welcoming many new students to the Northern Marianas College this semester,” Hart said.

According to her, the 14-percent expected increase is for full-time students.

This week will also allow new and interested students to enroll in the college’s new bachelor’s degree in business management.

Kuino Camacho, a recent graduate of Mount Carmel School, said he was relieved to find out that the college had a business program as it will help him chart out his career plans.

He said intends to get his associate degree in business at NMC and then head stateside to a culinary school.

By taking business classes now, he hopes to learn how to run his own restaurant business someday.

“It makes it way easier [to attend college here] instead of going off island and traveling more places just to get my classes and my degree,” Camacho said.

He expects this to save him a lot of money.

While NMC is a fallback option for a lot of college-bound people, Camacho there are as many who have set their mind on attending the college before heading elsewhere.

On the expected increase in students, he said it is good that people are supporting the island’s college and that he is excited for classes to start.

“I’m getting my papers together to register. It is a little bit challenging but it’s an experience of college life. You get a taste of what college is,” he said.

Michitaka Yoshida, a student volunteer assisting with registration, said he expects registration to pick up and get hectic sometime in the middle of the week.

Yoshida, who is studying for an associate degree in business, expects to pursue business further and probably major in the business management degree being offered now at the college.

[Students] don’t have to go to Guam [which] is still kind of pricey too, and NMC is reasonable, so I think it’s pretty good for the students here or the people that live here,” he said of the new business degree.

He said the expected increase in student population is good as they can make more friends.

Manny Castro, director of admissions, said registration differs from previous years as the process has been streamlined. As long as students submit all their required documents, they can just meet with their adviser and register.

He called the expected increase in students good news, and added that the college has seen a record amount of attendees at its student orientations last week.

Registration will run through this week from 9am to 6pm, with late registration occurring next week from Aug. 18 to 22.