15yo dd wants to take college courses

[Casha'sMommy]

What's the best way for a high school student to add a couple of college level courses before graduating?
Should she take grade level summer school classes to leave her a few free hours her final semester or should she try to find a CC to take college level summer courses at?

Anyone have any experience with this?

[MariesMama]

Does her HS offer dual enrollment with a local college or university? She may be able to take courses for free and then take the credits with her after she graduates.

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This has been a freaking NIGHTMARE for us. LOL.

We are doing the dual enrollment through her high school and Rio Salado college. I wish I'd been paying closer attention her sophomore year because we did it wrong the first time, and her credits didn't transfer. But, Rio Salado didn't help.

This year (her senior year) she had to take a regular high school language class because we messed that up this year. She can take an online college class over the summer, but she missed the cutoff date for this year. So, now she's taking a class that's far below her level.

Other than that, she loves the dual enrollment classes she IS taking. SHe takes them on her high school campus, and the books are free.

You can call your school, or look up dual enrollment in your area to make sure your high school is offering the program. Remember that you might get a little help, but nobody seems to be able to walk you through it. Take your time and make sure you are doing it right. Talk to the high school counselors and ask if they have a dual enrollment counselor in the school to help you.

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Originally Posted by MariesMama

Does her HS offer dual enrollment with a local college or university? She may be able to take courses for free and then take the credits with her after she graduates.

Our isn't free!! I wish it was. It's $300 per class.

[Casha'sMommy]

I'll check into this a little more tomorrow.
Thanks ladies.
nextcommercial-what a nightmare! I can't believe it's so difficult.

[kennedy444]

My friend works in dual enrollment at the local community college and says there are lots of HS kids taking classes during the school year and summer from the local schools. Good luck.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by Casha'sMommy

What's the best way for a high school student to add a couple of college level courses before graduating?

This is the second year my dd has taken community college courses--each CC here has different rules though. Hers accepts kids as young as 14, while a neighboring county won't accept them until they're 16, so it's good to do your research.

She needed to fill out an application and take a placement exam before registering.

We pay the regular cost (about $600 not counting books.) It's a regular college class, she's required to do all the same work and she gets the same credit as a traditional student.

Some CCs have agreements with universities where all credits earned are automatically accepted when transferring, so that might be something else to look into. She's had a great experience so far.

[Jenne]

I was a dual enrollment student and loved it. My senior year I took 2 or 3 high school classes and 2 or 3 college classes each semester. I took my classes at the local college. It was a great experience because I wanted to go away from home for college but I got to learn how to do drop/add, balance work, school, and social life, and essentially "try out" college classes all in the safety of living at home. I loved the freedom of being able to leave high school early as well. It is important to find out what the procedures are for ensuring that the college credit transfers back to the high school so that graduation happens on time and you avoid that hassle that nextcommercial's family has gone through. Oh, and tuition was covered through my state's dual enrollment program but we had to pay for books/materials out of pocket. I wound up with enough credit (plus one summer school session at the same place) to graduate a year early and saved myself/my parents probably $10,000 in college tuition.

And on a completely different but maybe more meaningful note: dual enrollment gave my Mom and I a chance to spend time together that we wouldn't have had. That was one of the best parts.

Jenne