Dual enrollment seems misguided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a ton of misinformation about DE in this thread.

And misunderstanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've not seen schools around here (DMV) encouraging this but maybe I'm just unaware of it. As I've seen it play out, a HS student finishes the minimum course requirements to graduate from HS and instead of taking 4 years of English, Social Studies, History, Math, or a foreign language or whatever, the student goes to a local community college and takes a class there, which counts for credit at the HS. There's no guarantee that the class will be accepted by the 4-yr school where the student hopes to enroll. As a result of not being on campus full time, the student misses out on most of the leadership opportunities that would normally be available senior year, like being editor of the school paper, or captain of the baseball team, or running for class president. They probably can't be in band or football or the activities that require lots of hours on campus each day. That's been the case for the students I know who have done this. They basically check out from the high school campus scene and spend lots of time driving back and forth to the community college, and needing to get a part time job to pay for the car and gas that they now "need."

Of course, if a student attends a HS that really doesn't offer more classes after junior year that would challenge them, then sure, they should take a class at the CC. In that situation, you could easily explain to the competitive colleges the reasons for that choice. Same for home school students.

Is there something I'm missing that casts dual enrollment in a better light? I see parents touting their HS children's community college credits like this is a wonderful thing and I just don't get it. How does this make a student more attractive to UVA, CUNY Hunter, and UMD, or any of the private schools?

How many times, do tell, have you seen this play out? How do you know the kid is missing out or only got a car to get to and from school. Your sampling of students about whom you are making these judgments has to be incredibly small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've not seen schools around here (DMV) encouraging this but maybe I'm just unaware of it. As I've seen it play out, a HS student finishes the minimum course requirements to graduate from HS and instead of taking 4 years of English, Social Studies, History, Math, or a foreign language or whatever, the student goes to a local community college and takes a class there, which counts for credit at the HS. There's no guarantee that the class will be accepted by the 4-yr school where the student hopes to enroll. As a result of not being on campus full time, the student misses out on most of the leadership opportunities that would normally be available senior year, like being editor of the school paper, or captain of the baseball team, or running for class president. They probably can't be in band or football or the activities that require lots of hours on campus each day. That's been the case for the students I know who have done this. They basically check out from the high school campus scene and spend lots of time driving back and forth to the community college, and needing to get a part time job to pay for the car and gas that they now "need."

Of course, if a student attends a HS that really doesn't offer more classes after junior year that would challenge them, then sure, they should take a class at the CC. In that situation, you could easily explain to the competitive colleges the reasons for that choice. Same for home school students.

Is there something I'm missing that casts dual enrollment in a better light? I see parents touting their HS children's community college credits like this is a wonderful thing and I just don't get it. How does this make a student more attractive to UVA, CUNY Hunter, and UMD, or any of the private schools?

I know someone doing this, but it is because the family moved from a very strong school district to a very weak one. When their child entered the new district the classes were all far too easy so they went to the CC instead. I also knew kids that did this in my HS because they were so advanced they had maxed out on classes, but they were taking their courses at UMD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've not seen schools around here (DMV) encouraging this but maybe I'm just unaware of it. As I've seen it play out, a HS student finishes the minimum course requirements to graduate from HS and instead of taking 4 years of English, Social Studies, History, Math, or a foreign language or whatever, the student goes to a local community college and takes a class there, which counts for credit at the HS. There's no guarantee that the class will be accepted by the 4-yr school where the student hopes to enroll. As a result of not being on campus full time, the student misses out on most of the leadership opportunities that would normally be available senior year, like being editor of the school paper, or captain of the baseball team, or running for class president. They probably can't be in band or football or the activities that require lots of hours on campus each day. That's been the case for the students I know who have done this. They basically check out from the high school campus scene and spend lots of time driving back and forth to the community college, and needing to get a part time job to pay for the car and gas that they now "need."

Of course, if a student attends a HS that really doesn't offer more classes after junior year that would challenge them, then sure, they should take a class at the CC. In that situation, you could easily explain to the competitive colleges the reasons for that choice. Same for home school students.

Is there something I'm missing that casts dual enrollment in a better light? I see parents touting their HS children's community college credits like this is a wonderful thing and I just don't get it. How does this make a student more attractive to UVA, CUNY Hunter, and UMD, or any of the private schools?

PS - by the above, I mean the County schools are weak. Not just being in a weak school in a strong county.

I know someone doing this, but it is because the family moved from a very strong school district to a very weak one. When their child entered the new district the classes were all far too easy so they went to the CC instead. I also knew kids that did this in my HS because they were so advanced they had maxed out on classes, but they were taking their courses at UMD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've not seen schools around here (DMV) encouraging this but maybe I'm just unaware of it. As I've seen it play out, a HS student finishes the minimum course requirements to graduate from HS and instead of taking 4 years of English, Social Studies, History, Math, or a foreign language or whatever, the student goes to a local community college and takes a class there, which counts for credit at the HS. There's no guarantee that the class will be accepted by the 4-yr school where the student hopes to enroll. As a result of not being on campus full time, the student misses out on most of the leadership opportunities that would normally be available senior year, like being editor of the school paper, or captain of the baseball team, or running for class president. They probably can't be in band or football or the activities that require lots of hours on campus each day. That's been the case for the students I know who have done this. They basically check out from the high school campus scene and spend lots of time driving back and forth to the community college, and needing to get a part time job to pay for the car and gas that they now "need."

Of course, if a student attends a HS that really doesn't offer more classes after junior year that would challenge them, then sure, they should take a class at the CC. In that situation, you could easily explain to the competitive colleges the reasons for that choice. Same for home school students.

Is there something I'm missing that casts dual enrollment in a better light? I see parents touting their HS children's community college credits like this is a wonderful thing and I just don't get it. How does this make a student more attractive to UVA, CUNY Hunter, and UMD, or any of the private schools?

I know someone doing this, but it is because the family moved from a very strong school district to a very weak one. When their child entered the new district the classes were all far too easy so they went to the CC instead. I also knew kids that did this in my HS because they were so advanced they had maxed out on classes, but they were taking their courses at UMD.

PS - by the above, I mean the County schools are weak. Not just being in a weak school in a strong county.

[Anonymous]

I took DE English 20 years ago. It was great because I clearly wasn't ever going to become an English major and I wanted done with the coursework ASAP. In my case, a teacher from the local community college came to our school to teach the course so I never "checked out" and I got full credit for it in 4 year college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a ton of misinformation about DE in this thread.

And misunderstanding.

We have used with great success (3 kids now) and I’m kind of LMAO at the crazy replies here. I don’t even feel like listing the great benefits from it, would rather enjoy my secrets.

[Anonymous]

"To be blunt OP, it doesn’t make sense to you because you are living in a different universe than they are. I don’t mean that in an insulting way."

OP here. Thank you. I get what you're saying. The parents I know who are supportive of their kids doing these programs are mainly those who didn't graduate from 4-yr schools or who came here as adults from other countries. They're all in upper middle class school districts where most kids are college bound and feel they're giving their kids the best shot at life. I feel like they're being misled into thinking this is going to put their kid on the fast track to college, as in they think it will help their child get admitted to the flagship state school. These are kids who might have been accepted to that flagship had they stayed on campus and taken the fourth year of French, math, or history, etc... that the more competitive schools want to see on the transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"To be blunt OP, it doesn’t make sense to you because you are living in a different universe than they are. I don’t mean that in an insulting way."

OP here. Thank you. I get what you're saying. The parents I know who are supportive of their kids doing these programs are mainly those who didn't graduate from 4-yr schools or who came here as adults from other countries. They're all in upper middle class school districts where most kids are college bound and feel they're giving their kids the best shot at life. I feel like they're being misled into thinking this is going to put their kid on the fast track to college, as in they think it will help their child get admitted to the flagship state school. These are kids who might have been accepted to that flagship had they stayed on campus and taken the fourth year of French, math, or history, etc... that the more competitive schools want to see on the transcript.

To graduate, all kids need four years of math and history (science and English), so I still don’t get your point. Some dual enrolled kids will take a fourth year of a language and some won’t. Some non dual enrolled kids will take a fourth year of a language and some won’t. Neither is right or wrong and neither is doing a disservice to their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll take a gander - because you are succeeding in a college course. Most of College is really an executive function test and I would think if you show maturity in high school this would reflect well upon your college career. Also there is a financial incentive. If you go to MoCo community college, for instance, UMD HAS to accept your c.c. Credits - so you are ‘ahead’ of the game and can graduate a little earlier. UMD College Park is Harvard for most middle class kids...

What I don’t get is why most kids just don’t sit the GED in 10th grade (if they want to graduate early) and just enter Community College in the junior year of high school. That makes more sense than getting one credit free a semester while in high school.

I don't know how it works in different MD counties, but where we live, dual enrollment isn't free and each class is 3 credits, so I don't know what you mean by getting one free credit a semester.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"To be blunt OP, it doesn’t make sense to you because you are living in a different universe than they are. I don’t mean that in an insulting way."

OP here. Thank you. I get what you're saying. The parents I know who are supportive of their kids doing these programs are mainly those who didn't graduate from 4-yr schools or who came here as adults from other countries. They're all in upper middle class school districts where most kids are college bound and feel they're giving their kids the best shot at life. I feel like they're being misled into thinking this is going to put their kid on the fast track to college, as in they think it will help their child get admitted to the flagship state school. These are kids who might have been accepted to that flagship had they stayed on campus and taken the fourth year of French, math, or history, etc... that the more competitive schools want to see on the transcript.

Why do you care if someone chooses something different from you?

[Anonymous]

I've never understood it myself. My kid takes a lot of APs. Why does he need a subpar community college course? He's aiming for a selective college. If he doesn't get in anyway, he'd rather spend his time in high school rather than shuttling back and forth to a community college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"To be blunt OP, it doesn’t make sense to you because you are living in a different universe than they are. I don’t mean that in an insulting way."

OP here. Thank you. I get what you're saying. The parents I know who are supportive of their kids doing these programs are mainly those who didn't graduate from 4-yr schools or who came here as adults from other countries. They're all in upper middle class school districts where most kids are college bound and feel they're giving their kids the best shot at life. I feel like they're being misled into thinking this is going to put their kid on the fast track to college, as in they think it will help their child get admitted to the flagship state school. These are kids who might have been accepted to that flagship had they stayed on campus and taken the fourth year of French, math, or history, etc... that the more competitive schools want to see on the transcript.

The universe of people you know who have kids in dual enrollment must be tiny and your assumptions about dual enrollment are off-base. I have an MHA and my husband has a 4-year degree. Our youngest son is in an Academy of Finance program (https://ash.naf.org/public/learning) and has earned Accounting 1 credit so far and is taking Finance and English 101 now in his senior year. He wants to get an Accounting degree and several of the programs he's looking at have 150 credit bachelor degrees so students can sit for the CPA exam. Even if he goes to college with 9 credits, that's 9 closer to the 150 he needs. And, he's also taking 4 years of math (including APs), history, English, and science. He already had 4 years of Spanish because he started Spanish in middle school. He's not looking to go to UMD because it's too big, but has been accepted to several small schools already, with significant merit aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"To be blunt OP, it doesn’t make sense to you because you are living in a different universe than they are. I don’t mean that in an insulting way."

OP here. Thank you. I get what you're saying. The parents I know who are supportive of their kids doing these programs are mainly those who didn't graduate from 4-yr schools or who came here as adults from other countries. They're all in upper middle class school districts where most kids are college bound and feel they're giving their kids the best shot at life. I feel like they're being misled into thinking this is going to put their kid on the fast track to college, as in they think it will help their child get admitted to the flagship state school. These are kids who might have been accepted to that flagship had they stayed on campus and taken the fourth year of French, math, or history, etc... that the more competitive schools want to see on the transcript.

Why do you care if someone chooses something different from you?

OP seems to be quite condescending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I've never understood it myself. My kid takes a lot of APs. Why does he need a subpar community college course? He's aiming for a selective college. If he doesn't get in anyway, he'd rather spend his time in high school rather than shuttling back and forth to a community college.

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