Dual enrollment courses offer incoming freshmen the opportunity to begin their college education with a few credits out of the way.
This is an easy way for freshmen to complete general education requirements early on so they can begin taking courses for their chosen major when they get to college.
Dual enrollment courses offer incoming freshmen the opportunity to begin their college education with a few courses out of the way. This is an easy way for freshmen to complete general education requirements early on so they can begin taking courses for their chosen major when they get to college.
The drawback of dual enrollment courses is many wonder whether they truly prepare freshmen for college or hinder their adjustment to college-level education.
Dual enrollment courses are typically less strenuous. These classes may lack some of the quality of true college classes and affect the freshmen’s view of what is expected in a college course.
For some, it is an easy way to get basic classes that they don’t need for their major out of the way. Beth Booker, a freshman biology major from Ripley, came to UTM with her basic composition and math classes done through dual enrollment.
Booker said this benefitted her education because, “I have more time to fit in all my other prerequisites and not stress as much.” For some, dual enrollment courses offer this release of stress and allow students some room to better adjust their classes. These courses can also help students explore their interests early on and help them decide on their major before starting school.
Jaymee King, a junior Psychology major also from Ripley, said, “I took general psychology my senior year of high school and that helped me decide that I wanted to go into the psychology field. I also took Comp. I and II, which was easier than it would have been in college, and when I got to college I already had English out of the way so I could take classes I wanted to take.”
For other students, dual enrollment courses they took hindered their adjustment to college courses. Hailey Slaughter, a junior English Major from Union City, said she “took dual enrollment English courses, and they were easy, but coming into college, I wasn’t prepared for the first courses I took in English. Sometimes wish I’d waited and taken them here because it might have helped me more.”
It’s clear some students have a harder time adjusting to the work load because of unrealistic expectations represented by dual enrollment courses.
While some students find the benefits of dual enrollment courses outweigh the negatives, there are still many things to consider, such as adjusting dual enrollment courses to more accurately prepare high school seniors for college.
Despite the shortcomings of these courses, they offer students a way to get ahead and begin their college education while in high school. For many students, this benefit greatly outweighs the difficulty of readjusting expectations due to dual enrollment courses.
The drawback of dual enrollment courses is that many wonder whether they truly prepare freshmen for college or hinder their adjustment to college-level education.
Dual enrollment courses are typically less strenuous. These classes may lack some of the quality of true college classes and affect the freshmen’s view of what is expected in a college course.
For some, it is an easy way to get basic classes that they don’t need for their major out of the way. Beth Booker, a freshman biology major, came to UTM with her basic composition and math classes done through dual enrollment.
Booker believes that dual enrollment has benefitted her college experience. “I have more time to fit in all my other prerequisites and not stress as much.”
For some, dual enrollment courses offer a release of stress and allow students some room to better adjust their classes. These courses can also help students explore their interests early on and help them decide on their major before starting school.
Jaymee King, a junior Psychology major, said, “I took general psychology my senior year of high school and that helped me decide that I wanted to go into the psychology field. I also took Comp. I and II, which was easier than it would have been in college, and when I got to college I already had English out of the way so I could take classes I wanted to take.”
For other students, dual enrollment courses they took hindered their adjustment to college courses. Hailey Slaughter, a junior English Major (hometown?), said she “took dual enrollment English courses, and they were easy, but coming into college, I wasn’t prepared for the first courses I took in English. Sometimes wish I’d waited and taken them here because it might have helped me more.”
It’s clear some students have a harder time adjusting to the work load because of unrealistic expectations represented by dual enrollment courses.
While some students find the benefits of dual enrollment courses outweigh the negatives, there are still many things to consider, such as adjusting dual enrollment courses to more accurately prepare high school seniors for college.
Despite the shortcomings of these courses, they offer students a way to get ahead and begin their college education while in high school. For many students, this benefit greatly outweighs the difficulty of readjusting expectations due to dual enrollment courses.
Photo Credit / University Relations
