Is dual-enrollment a scam?

[Anonymous]

I very much doubt DE is being pushed at the wealthy UMC schools like Whitman and Churchill.
Highly selective colleges and universities tend to prefer AP credits to community college credits but MCPS will never tell you that

[Anonymous]

Between their AP and dual enrollment courses, my child was able to graduate from an OOS flagship in 3 years, rather than 4. The extra couple of hundred for the dual enrollment saved us over $50k. Seems like a great deal to me, not a scam!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I very much doubt DE is being pushed at the wealthy UMC schools like Whitman and Churchill.
Highly selective colleges and universities tend to prefer AP credits to community college credits but MCPS will never tell you that

Oh, it is. Very much so. Directives from above, clearly, that are mostly largely ignored by the families that attend. But I understand they want to blanket the airwaves, so to speak, and it could benefit a couple of students who are low-income but living in those areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Between their AP and dual enrollment courses, my child was able to graduate from an OOS flagship in 3 years, rather than 4. The extra couple of hundred for the dual enrollment saved us over $50k. Seems like a great deal to me, not a scam!

Most good colleges do not accept DE, so you need to be very strategic early on, which is something most families don't know how to do, at least for their oldest child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids college will not give credit for a course that counted towards HS grad but it can be helpful for kids going to UMD. I learned it is considered an easier route then AP because there is no big exam.

+1 DE can be much easier than AP. Top-tier schools do not like seeing DE. This makes sense for lower income students going to local colleges who really need to save money by graduating in less than four years.

The bolded is what I think is the true purpose of DE. Yes, I'm sure some students take because they are bored with their high school classes, blah blah blah but I can only think of one higher income student who is taking it. Most kids I am aware of seem to take it so they can save money on their college educations. Not a bad deal for those students. I can't blame them for taking that path.

At issue is the fact that DE is sold indiscriminately to all as a benefit, when it only benefits of subset of the population; and that funds that could bolster public K-12 after the pandemic are going to support declining community colleges, which fact is also not advertised...

OP here. THANK YOU. You got the point.

[Anonymous]

My coworker was skeptical about the actual level of the class when his son was taking "college level" classes taught by HS staff in the HS. His son had lows scores on AP exams so took dual enrollment instead. This was in Loudon County. The credits did easily transfer to GMU.

[Anonymous]

The increased emphasis on dual enrollment is at least partly related to the state's "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" legislation. This information was presented to the board a couple months back.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CKEHMG492898/$file/College%20Career%20Readiness%20Grad%20Prep%20221025.pdf

The chart on page 3 includes enrollment data.

[Anonymous]

It's very good for lower income families who cannot afford 4 years of college easily. It also allows you to go in as a transfer student vs. freshman. There are advantages and we consider it but heard too many negative things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's very good for lower income families who cannot afford 4 years of college easily. It also allows you to go in as a transfer student vs. freshman. There are advantages and we consider it but heard too many negative things.

This is actually not always true - dual enrollment students are often still considered freshman. Umd, for example, only considers dual enrollment students transfers if they complete additional college credits post high school graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I very much doubt DE is being pushed at the wealthy UMC schools like Whitman and Churchill.
Highly selective colleges and universities tend to prefer AP credits to community college credits but MCPS will never tell you that

Oh, it is. Very much so. Directives from above, clearly, that are mostly largely ignored by the families that attend. But I understand they want to blanket the airwaves, so to speak, and it could benefit a couple of students who are low-income but living in those areas.

Agree. DE is pushed at all schools and counselors get in trouble if they don’t speak positively about its benefits, even if those courses disadvantage a student relative to AP courses, at a given type of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least the students will no longer have to pay tuition:

https://mocoshow.com/blog/mcps-students-dually-enrolled-at-montgomery-college-will-no-longer-be-charged-tuition/

OP here, yes, I'm aware. So MC is double-dipping and now benefiting from funds that were meant to go to K-12, to instead fund its higher ed operations. Hence, my "scam" comment.

I don't know where you are getting your conspiracy theories but no one I know in the DCC feels pushed into that program. Maybe it's one teacher or one counselor who believes in it? I know 2 children who are dual enrolled and one is bored in HS and wanted more challenge and another did it to save money. This child will go to MC after graduation. I think it's great they are offering it. Sorry it's not appealing to you but I see no basis for you claiming it's a "scam."

No one you know in the DCC feels pushed into the program but people I do felt pushed into it. So now what? Who's right and who's wrong?

I think OP sounds crazy is what's going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's very good for lower income families who cannot afford 4 years of college easily. It also allows you to go in as a transfer student vs. freshman. There are advantages and we consider it but heard too many negative things.

This is actually not always true - dual enrollment students are often still considered freshman. Umd, for example, only considers dual enrollment students transfers if they complete additional college credits post high school graduation.

DE students aren't transfer students. If you take a CC course after graduation, you wouldn't be dually enrolled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I very much doubt DE is being pushed at the wealthy UMC schools like Whitman and Churchill.
Highly selective colleges and universities tend to prefer AP credits to community college credits but MCPS will never tell you that

Oh, it is. Very much so. Directives from above, clearly, that are mostly largely ignored by the families that attend. But I understand they want to blanket the airwaves, so to speak, and it could benefit a couple of students who are low-income but living in those areas.

Agree. DE is pushed at all schools and counselors get in trouble if they don’t speak positively about its benefits, even if those courses disadvantage a student relative to AP courses, at a given type of school.

Damn! The way the kids I spoke with talked about the push from the counselors, I'm not surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids college will not give credit for a course that counted towards HS grad but it can be helpful for kids going to UMD. I learned it is considered an easier route then AP because there is no big exam.

+1 DE can be much easier than AP. Top-tier schools do not like seeing DE. This makes sense for lower income students going to local colleges who really need to save money by graduating in less than four years.

At the start of my son's high school years, we thought about it and came to all the same conclusions. The way dual enrollment was advertised always seemed fishy to me, and now posters have explained about declining community college enrollment and funds diversion, it all makes better sense.

Same here. We went the IB route instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least the students will no longer have to pay tuition:

https://mocoshow.com/blog/mcps-students-dually-enrolled-at-montgomery-college-will-no-longer-be-charged-tuition/

OP here, yes, I'm aware. So MC is double-dipping and now benefiting from funds that were meant to go to K-12, to instead fund its higher ed operations. Hence, my "scam" comment.

I don't know where you are getting your conspiracy theories but no one I know in the DCC feels pushed into that program. Maybe it's one teacher or one counselor who believes in it? I know 2 children who are dual enrolled and one is bored in HS and wanted more challenge and another did it to save money. This child will go to MC after graduation. I think it's great they are offering it. Sorry it's not appealing to you but I see no basis for you claiming it's a "scam."

No one you know in the DCC feels pushed into the program but people I do felt pushed into it. So now what? Who's right and who's wrong?

I think OP sounds crazy is what's going on.

Read the explanations on this thread.