By Myeah Taylor, GUA 2020 Alumni, Mississippi University for Women
You are probably sitting around wondering how you can get ahead in life. It may feel as if things are moving at such a slow pace for you. You have probably said, “I can’t wait for high school to be over.” Guess what. There is a way for you to make that happen. Dual enrollment is the answer.
What exactly is dual enrollment?
Dual enrollment means that you are enrolled in two different academic institutions. That would be you attending high school as well as taking college courses. I first heard about dual enrollment courses when I was in the 7th grade from my science teacher. I hadn’t heard of dual enrollment before then and I didn’t think much of it until I started the 10th grade. That is usually when you are able to start taking college level courses. I started the summer after my 10th grade year, and it was an awesome decision!
Here are four reasons why you should start taking dual enrollment:
One. You will be ahead of your peers by getting ahead academically. If you start as soon as possible, you could be done with school a year or so earlier than you were set to graduate. You don’t have to know what your major for college will be, you could just take the basic core classes like English/Literature, Math, and History. I took English early on and gained credit for high school and college, so I didn’t have to take it my 12th grade year nor in college.
Two. You will gain knowledge of what it is like taking college courses. When you take dual enrollment, you are an actual college student. You will be treated like you are in a face-to-face class with your instructor. It will be totally your responsibility to keep up with your course work. You will be exposed to the life of a college student while in high school.
Three. It could be cost effective for you. College can be very expensive. Taking the opportunity to lessen your total cost for college by taking dual enrollment could be helpful. In some case, you could take these classes for a low cost, or you may even be able to apply for scholarships and grants to cover the cost. I am thankful for the GEAR UP Alabama program who enabled me to take dual enrollment classes for FREE! They were a tremendous help and saved me a lot of money. I am forever grateful.
Last but not least, you will be one step closer to your future. The earlier you finish high school and college, the faster you can move on with the rest of your life. By the time I finished high school, I had obtained a total of 22 college credits. In my first year of attending college, I was a freshman my first semester and a sophomore my second semester. Because of dual enrollment, I will graduate from college, earlier than expected, with my bachelor’s degree. If you take the right route while in high school, you could possibly graduate from high school with your diploma as well as receiving your associated degree, (I’ve seen it happen).
All in all, dual enrollment is an excellent choice to make in order to get ahead in life. It could be very beneficial for you. If you want to achieve this, dual enrollment may be the thing for you. I did it, and I am so glad that I did!
