<p>I remember my first day of my Junior year (I am now a Senior), and I came home so angry about being stuck back in high school again that I came home and begged my dad to let me get my GED and enroll at the local community college early. </p>
<p>Obviously, he turned me down. I don’t blame him for doing so, but I also know that I’ve been ready to move on from high school for quite sometime. </p>
<p>I do feel that being ready depends on the person. My teachers have agreed with me as well. My school offers collegiate high school (high school + community college combined to graduate high school with your AA/2 year degree), dual enrollment, Early Admissions (full time dual enrollment Senior year, no high school classes), and the AICE program. </p>
<p>I feel having all of these programs really helps the students, and I wish I had utilized all of them sooner than I did. I had the opportunity to do Early Admissions this year, and the only reason I didn’t was because I wanted to continue my position as Editor on the Yearbook Staff. </p>
<p>Granted, I feel that dual enrollment has really helped me grow up during my high school years. I work at the bookstore at the community college I take classes at, and because of this and my courses at the college itself, I’ve met a lot of people and heard a lot of stories, and I learned early on to take any chances at free college money that I can get. I also taught myself that I’m responsible for the choices I make: whether it’s to skip class, not turn something in on time, or not study for my tests. My parents are thankful for that revelation. </p>
<p>Now, while I think taking college classes early helped me, I don’t think everyone in high school is ready for it. That’s why the school sets GPA requirements and makes students take an entrance test before they can participate. But even those requirements don’t make someone “truly ready”. No one is going to know if their ready until they actually try it. </p>
<p>Part of the dual enrollment program is that your parents have NO ACCESS to any of your grades or assignments, so if something went wrong… I was on my own. My parents couldn’t bail me out anymore. I know people in my class that will go to their parents for EVERYTHING, and then they just expect for it to be fixed in their favor. I wish they knew it’s not going to be like that for much longer.</p>
<p>There’s plenty of things in college that are different from high school. In college, when the teacher’s done teaching, the students leave. There’s no sitting around waiting for the bell to ring. Didn’t do your homework? Fine don’t turn it in, it’s less crap for the teacher to grade. Don’t want to go to class? Fine! Your professor more than likely won’t mention it, but they also won’t mention what you need to make-up either unless you let them know beforehand that you can’t make it. You have to be more accountable for yourself in college, and I think THAT is what gets most high school students. I think they can handle the academic load, but not the self discipline that you need to be successful in it. </p>
<p>I have plenty of friends at my high school who have no clue how stuff in college works. I get texts and phone calls all the time lately asking about how to do this or how to do that, because they know I’ve done a lot of it already. </p>
<p>I don’t feel like I was “rushed” out of high school or into college, I feel that I simply had a longer transition period without the boring pottery or gym classes that many high school students have to suffer through. I utilized my free periods wisely.</p>
<p>Those who can finish high school in three years, and do it well, I think they deserve to go early! They had the maturity and the drive to do it then, so as long as they hold on it during college, they will succeed.</p>