Dual Enrollment

[Gamom3]

I have a question about dual enrollment. My son has the opportunity to do dual enrollment next year. My questions are what are the classes like? Will he be able to handle college level English--not his strong subject, but he does ok. Are their schedules rigorous? I have no idea what will be expected of him. I know my son will be ok, but I don't want to set him up for a slight chance of failure.

[regentrude]

I have a question about dual enrollment. My son has the opportunity to do dual enrollment next year. My questions are what are the classes like? Will he be able to handle college level English--not his strong subject, but he does ok. Are their schedules rigorous? I have no idea what will be expected of him. I know my son will be ok, but I don't want to set him up for a slight chance of failure.

 

I am not sure I understand your question.

Dual enrollment is enrollment in a college class. So, depending on the kind of class, the schedule can be quite rigorous, and with any class, there is always a "slight chance of failure": while there are classes, where almost everybody passes, there are also classes where on average 20% of students fail every semester.

Depending on the subject, the student should expect to work up to two hours outside of class for every hour spent in class.

What classes are like depends on the school, the subject, and the instructor. It is impossible to give you an answer for this question; you need to talk to the college and preferably to students who have taken the course before. In a pinch, ratemyprofessor is a good starting point (albeit not always a correct representation of the instructor since disgruntled students are more likely to give negative feedback than happy students are to give positive one.)

 

If he is not strong in English at the high school level, why does he want to take College English? Typically, students use dual enrollment because they are capable of college level work and need the challenge.

[SkateLeft]

If he is not strong in English at the high school level, why does he want to take College English? Typically, students use dual enrollment because they are capable of college level work and need the challenge.

 

:iagree:

 

If your son is weak in high school English, then I wouldn't recommend a college English class.

 

Also, different colleges offer hugely varying experiences. I can tell you what my daughter's experience was like, but that probably wouldn't be helpful. You'd get better information asking parents whose kids have done dual enrollment at the same school.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Here is a similar thread that may help you:

Dual Credit - Which Classes??

We are advised to start with 1 class. We are advised to start with a subject that dc is strong in. We are advised to take something called The College Experience (study skills, reading skills, organization skills, research skills, etc) first. Ds started with 2 classes: math (strength) and The College Experience.

 

Technically, if your ds can pass the CC placement test, he is ready for CC classes. If he can pass the English/Reading section, he is ready for CC English classes.

 

the student should expect to work up to two hours outside of class for every hour spent in class

I think our CC is well respected. That said, ds did not spend anything like what the above quote suggests. I consider him a bright, but unmotivated student.

 

YMMV due to the CC environment. It would be good to interview current students/parents.

 

HTH!

[regentrude]

nm

Edited June 11, 2012 by regentrude

[AngieW in Texas]

As the others have said, it depends on the community college, the classes, and the teachers.

 

Both of my girls did Introduction to Psychology as their first class.

 

My oldest chose that class because it was the only class offered in 2nd summer session that she thought sounded interesting. She wanted to do Drawing I, but it was only offered as a full summer class and we had a 2-week vacation planned during the 1st summer session. My oldest really enjoyed her psychology class and teacher, but ended up with a C because she didn't put enough effort into it.

 

My middle dd chose Psychology as her first class because that is her passion. She hated the teacher, but ended up with an A because she was at least as solid in the material as the teacher was.

 

My oldest chose Japanese I and II and Drawing I and II for fall and spring semesters of 11th grade. These were passions of hers. She loved her teachers for Japanese and for Drawing I. She didn't like her Drawing II teacher as much as Drawing I, but she still thought he was good.

 

My middle dd chose English I and II and Spanish I and II for her fall and spring semesters of 11th grade. She liked her English I teacher, but she LOVED her English II and Spanish teachers. She discovered that she really enjoys literary analysis.

 

For summer between 11th and 12th grades, my oldest chose Digital Imaging I. This went right along with what she was wanting to major in, animation. She loved the class and the teacher.

 

For summer between 11th and 12th grades, my middle chose Chemistry I for science majors. This has been disappointing so far. The pace of the class has been very slow. She likes the teacher well enough, but she is bored. They are doing their first labs this week, but she doesn't expect much since the labs are density and chromatography. Hopefully the pace will pick up. This is supposed to be the top teacher for the district.

 

For 12th grade, my oldest chose Japanese III, English I and II, General Physics I, Introductory Chemistry I, Elementary Statistics, and Trigonometry. Normally you can take just 2 classes/semester, but after you have completed 12 credit hours, you can request an overload if your GPA and test scores are high enough. She also signed up for Physics II, but that teacher was awful, so she dropped the class.

 

For 12th grade, my middle chose Chemistry II for science majors, Biology I and II for science majors, Government I and II, and Programming Fundamentals. She was going to take math at the cc also, but they won't let her start any higher than Trigonometry and the schedule for the math classes conflicts with her other classes. She's going to do Calculus at home and take the AP exam and she'll also do English at home.

[Heather in AL]

I have a question about dual enrollment. My son has the opportunity to do dual enrollment next year. My questions are what are the classes like? Will he be able to handle college level English--not his strong subject, but he does ok. Are their schedules rigorous? I have no idea what will be expected of him. I know my son will be ok, but I don't want to set him up for a slight chance of failure.

 

These questions aren't ones we can answer. As others have said, ccs are different. Also, teachers are different within a cc.

 

I think the thing you should most consider is your son and his abilities/strengths/weaknesses.

 

He should take the placement tests and/or the ACT or SAT. This will give you, him, and the college an idea of where he stands wrt college readiness.

 

Other things to consider (in no particular order) are:

* is he mature?

* how will he handle a difficult course?

* how will he handle a course where no grades are returned until the week before finals (ds had one of those!!)

* how will he handle a prof who doesn't show up for classes or who doesn't test on material taught (a friend had both of these happen).

* will he ask questions and seek the prof's help if needed?

* will he participate in class and not feel strange being 'the young one' there?

* how will he handle grade disputes or syllabus questions?

* he will have to be the one to communicate with the cc ~~ is he comfortable doing this? (you might pay the bill, but the cc most likely won't speak to you unless you are trying to give them money)

* is he organized enough to follow a syllabus/do assignments/study for tests where a class meets once or twice a week?

* is he prepared to take a class knowing that his grade will follow him throughout his college years? The grades are permanent and official.

 

I'm sure there are other things that I should mention, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

 

Dual enrollment, to me, is the next step to take when a student is ready for more challenging, advanced, and fast-paced learning. My ds was ready, but was still surprised about several of the items I listed.

 

If you and your ds think he is ready, then, as others have said, choose *one* class to start, and make sure it is a class he is strong/interested in. If he is shaky in English, I would not place him in English... that, IMO, is asking for trouble.

 

You said that you know your son will be OK.... does *he* know that? He has to be ready.

 

It is definitely a scary thing to consider. I wish your ds success if he decides to dual enroll.

[bugs]

I do not have any BTDT experience but I have friends who have done this. In our state, you can get an AA at the local cc in high school, if so motivated. Several homeschool kids I know have done this. This means they had to take a full course load right off the bat. These kids were typical bright (probably not "genius"), first-borns - motivated.

 

My daughter will start this year with a full course load. She will take math at home because it is not a subject she could cram into 12 weeks. But we did start her out with Eng 101, Computer literacy (MS Word, Excel, and PP), and Spanish 121. So, we did try to start her off with a schedule that she could be successful with (she's taken 2 years of Spanish at home). I think she'll do well, because she knows how to work hard and is motivated (she is sooo done with me :glare:).

[8filltheheart]

I have a question about dual enrollment. My son has the opportunity to do dual enrollment next year. My questions are what are the classes like? Will he be able to handle college level English--not his strong subject, but he does ok. Are their schedules rigorous? I have no idea what will be expected of him. I know my son will be ok, but I don't want to set him up for a slight chance of failure.

 

There is not an answer that anyone can give you that will be even a close approximation to the reality of how it will pan out for your child. Every student's experience is going to be directly related to what they are prepared to handle and the quality of the specific CC being attended.

 

I read the responses so far, and honestly, not a single one is even close to representing my kids' experiences at 3 different CCs in 2 different states. For the most part, my kids have found CC classes to be easier than what I require from them at home and were thrilled w/the lower workload. My weakest writer, mentally classified by me as an average B student, consistently earned near perfect scores in English comp. :confused: Who knew??? Obviously not me. :tongue_smilie:

 

So, we avoid the CC if we want increased challenge b/c that is not what we have experienced via that route. ;)