When I was in high school, I took a few AP classes in order to earn some college credit. Some of my friends took a few college classes at the local community college. When we graduated high school, we had already earned enough credit to be considered second-semester college freshmen, and we thought we were ahead of the curve. Turns out, when compared to 19 high school students in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, we were way behind.

This year, 19 seniors at Lake Havasu High School will graduate high school will also earning their associate’s degrees. These students all took a test during their sophomore year of high school which allowed them to take dual enrollment classes during their junior and senior years of high school.

“We’ve all had to adapt to teaching ourselves how to study because things have come so easy to us before; so now our teachers expect us to help teach ourselves,” said Savanna Bailey, a senior at the school. “I’ve had a couple of anxiety attacks, but it’s all worth it whenever you really do learn more. You have to bring every single thick textbook home with you and you look, obviously like the nerdiest one in the school carrying all of your books.”

Looking nerdy seems like a small price to pay for two-years worth of free college credit, if you ask me. So how do these students make it through the insane amounts of homework and stress they must encounter while studying for both high school and college classes?

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest post comes from Pauline Diaz, a student at Seattle University. She chronicles her college experience as a student blogger for myUsearch.com, an unbiased college matching web site that helps students find the right college.

With Dual Enrollment programs, high school students can take college classes and earn college credit for free or reduced fees. Unlike AP or International Baccalaureate, classes are taken through an actual college. These programs are a great a way to prepare for the years ahead and save on tuition bills. But how will dual enrollment impact you while you’re in high school? Here are three things to consider: Read the rest of this entry »

Brett Promisloff tries to solve a problem in a college engineering design class. Such classes can lower college costs.

Mayra Avila has a busy next two weeks. First, it’s her high school prom. Then next week, it’s her government and English composition college finals.

What? High school prom and college finals? How can one girl be both a college and high school student?

Avila, a student at West Potomac High, is one of many high school students who are dually enrolled in high school and college. These dually enrolled students save money on lower tuition costs while earning credit for high school and college classes. Instead of paying $286 for her English class, Avila pays only $43. Read the rest of this entry »