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Should You Take Dual Enrollment in High School? Here's My Experience

Student Life

December 18, 2024

What if you could be a college student and a high school student at the same time? Well, that's what I do as a dual enrollment student. From junior to senior year, I've been spending half my day being a college student.

It's an experience a lot of people have envied, saying they wish they could get off school earlier too. But every good thing comes with compromises and struggles. That's why today I'm gonna give you a complete look at dual enrollment so you can decide for yourself whether you want to do it as well!

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The Experience

From the age of 12, I always knew one thing – computer science was the major I was destined to take. So when I saw a posting about an opportunity to take half a day at a technical high school nearby, I was elated. I read the website as they boasted “state-of-the-art cybersecurity centers” and such.

I applied expecting that I could at least get some college credits if I took the program, and gain valuable hands-on experience in the industry. A few weeks later, 21 out of 50 applicants got picked to attend their junior and senior year classes at the local community college in partnership with the technical high school. For me, it was an awesome learning opportunity and would prepare me for actual college once it began.

From the first day, I knew the program would be way more different than I thought. The first day consisted of me getting to know my classmates, and most people listed their reason for being there as money, because why else would we be putting ourselves through the pain, right?

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It took me a few days to realize the class didn't transfer any of my college credits unless I went to very specific state schools, which was disappointing. The next few weeks consisted of me realizing these classes were different than what I was used to, with the intensity way higher. There were fewer essays, but there was a lot of memorization and no study guides like usual classes.

Getting used to studying on my own was something I had to learn after attending this program. By the end of the year, our class had formed close-knit connections and we had gotten good training on not only how to be good cybersecurity professionals, but also on forming connections in the industry networks and building LinkedIn profiles.

I'm now in my 2nd year of studies in this program and I'm an actual college student now. There are many professors with varying skill levels, and I've finally had to deal with some professors who didn't want to teach. One class is busy work which was disappointing, but my other classes are pretty good.

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Classes in the college are also way more relaxed with the use of phones and whether you did the assignments or not. Instead of forcing us to do the assignments, the professors made it quite clear to everyone that completing assignments or even attending class was not necessary. One professor explained that missing half of all his classes can still result in a decent grade. This type of “do as you wish” system gives more freedom to the students and develops an environment where more students are engaged and interact with the class because they are there on their own accord.

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The Conclusion and My Advice

If you're willing to put in the extra effort and can handle higher-paced classes, then dual enrollment can be a great option for you. It's important to note that AP credits transfer more for actual college credits as the ones you earn at dual enrollment classes may not be universally accepted.

Despite this, the rigor and coursework at dual enrollment classes can provide more readiness for your future college life. Even if you have to retake the course, you're taking it the second time around so it will be much easier for you to complete it. Lastly, due to the rigor of dual enrollment and the fact that you're taking real college classes, dual enrollment may also look better on a college application. So if you want to begin your college journey in high school, consider dual enrollment as an option.

Raeed Karim

Writer since Dec, 2024 · 2 published articles

Raeed Karim is a high school senior who takes an avid interest in technology and promoting the voices of the youth. He seeks to expand our curiosity one article at a time!

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