The College High School Experience
Dual enrollment is becoming more and more common among students in high schools all over the U.S. Taking college classes while you are in your younger years offers you an advanced look at college academics and college life. Lots of students start taking dual enrollment because they want to build up college credit before even officially starting college. The idea may be a bit daunting, but once you learn more about everything it's not as bad as you may think.
Legacy offers a lot more than most schools when it comes to dual enrollment. If you decide to participate in taking college classes through Collin College while enrolled at Legacy, our school has agreed to pay for all of the tuition. This makes college credits even easier to get a hold of regardless of your financial situation. Legacy even gives students that are involved in this program an extra period during the school day to work on the college classes, that way you don’t have as much to do at home on your own. Currently there are seven upper grade students at Legacy who are involved with dual enrollment and the amount of students continues to grow every year. As more students hear about the benefits, and how easy it is to get involved and get a head start on their college credits, more scholars are deciding to partake in this opportunity.
In some ways, the classes give you an inside scoop on college that other students may not be able to experience yet. Dual enrollment is not something that all students have the chance to experience before actually heading off to college their freshman year after high school. I asked Evelyn John, a student enrolled in dual credit as a Junior, why she decided to take courses and she stated, “Colleges like when students challenge themselves by taking difficult classes like dual credit classes.”
I was also able to interview Jonathan Dodge about his experience with dual enrollment. He has been taking college courses for almost 2 years now so I asked him if he had any tips for students that are looking into enrolling. He says “Make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself when you start taking dual credit classes. Take one, maybe two at the beginning to see if you can handle taking the classes. Also, make sure you pay attention to your deadlines. You don’t want to receive a bad grade on an assignment because you turned it in late.”
Netanya Schlamowitz, a scholar who has been taking dual enrollment since her sophomore year says, “People overreact about how hard dual enrollment is. If you have the self determination and motivation to push yourself, taking these classes can be a breeze. The courses are basic and your professors guide you through everything you need to know as you begin your classes.”
Having the chance to interview almost all of the scholars at Legacy that are registered in dual credit classes gave me the chance to share what it’s really like taking college level courses. It’s never too late to get involved!
