Stockton- Dual enrollment is something new that many students still don’t know about and it can be highly beneficial when it comes to college or getting your degree in a manageable time frame. They are online college level courses and have continued to grow in popularity. These college courses have a lot of benefits included with them when it comes to your high school career, potential cost and savings, and prepares you for college life. Though the word college may scare you and make you think you cannot accomplish this challenge, it truly isn’t as scary as it seems. As long as you make time for these courses and stay on top of the coursework you will be fine and your GPA will go up. But where do you even start to register for dual enrollment classes?
First you must create an actual account with delta san joaquin college and from there they will email you, your student email and allow you to create a password. These two things are essential to remember because this is how you will access all of your classes, coursework, and information related to your account. Once your account is created you will move on to registering for any of the classes offered for that semester. This step tends to be complicated for most students however there is a lot of help to get you registered around campus. Such as the college and career center has a day where you can go and register for classes right there. There are also more detailed steps and a lot more information on how to get started on dual enrollment located on the College and Career Center website. Once you register for your classes all the steps are complete and watch out for the days your class officially starts, that way you know when to log back on. If you have any more questions or concerns about dual enrollment feel free to contact Mrs Dickson at [email protected] or go visit her in the library at the college and career center.
If having a higher GPA or transcripts aren’t what interests you about dual enrollment it not only does that but if you are planning to go to college and obtain a higher education after high school. It truly saves you time and money because you are earning the college credits during high school that you will need before you start on your degree path. If you start early then you will be able to graduate early and be done with your first two years of college as you graduate high school. This saves you two years of tuition or two years of your life that you can spend in the workforce rather than behind a desk. These courses are free and are the same courses you will have to take after high school anyways however they cost money once you are out of high school. So why not take advantage of free college courses that set you one step closer to your future career?
Though dual enrollment isn’t as scary as it seems it can still be very challenging to many. When you have dual enrollment classes you have to manage an increased workload and navigate the different expectations between high school teachers and college professors. An example is in high school the syllabus doesn’t really matter, sure it’s there if you need it but no one truly uses it. But in college it is the opposite; mostly everything is located on the syllabus and the teachers tell you to refer to them before emailing them questions. Some don’t even include contact information and expect you to rely on the syllabus. Also not all dual enrollment credits may transfer to certain colleges or universities. Some don’t count it as a course let alone a college credit. Therefore before making this decision it is crucial to verify the credit transfer policies with the places you wish to apply.
Afterall dual enrollment is a highly efficient program that provides students with opportunities to thrive academically, get ahead in college and save costs, and gain experience in an online college environment. There are many benefits to this program however it is a challenge and does take some dedication so when deciding to join weigh these pros and cons carefully. Only you will know what’s best for you and how you want your education to go so choose wisely but realize there are many options to get ahead academically at Lincoln High School.
