Advantages of obtaining college credits, what you should know! Earning college credit in high school was once reserved for the most ambitious and highest achieving students—the cream of the crop if you will. However, in recent years, this notion has grown in popularity. Students of all academic levels now have access to top colleges with high school programs. Perhaps this is because parents, instructors, and high school students are becoming more aware of the numerous advantages of getting college credit before graduating from high school. The following are some top advantages of college credits:
What are College Credits: Advantages of obtaining college credits
Advantages of obtaining college credits! As an undergraduate student, you must adjust to new situations like professors, office hours, and committing more time to study and completing course work. Aside from those, one important transition to understand is advantages of obtaining college credits and how they function. College credits are rarely discussed in high school unless students take advanced placement for multiple enrollment classes, which will be included on their transcript when they submit an online college application. Students who enroll in these courses master college-level content at a faster and more rigorous pace. They have the possibility to earn college credits in exchange for taking a course like this.
Save Money on Tuition
Credits in high school… Nobody is surprised that college is an expensive intellectual undertaking. To say the least, the possibility of saving money on tuition is intriguing. That is why one of the most significant advantages of obtaining college credits in high school is the money you will save. Even if you attend the same college and take the same courses, dual enrollment options are much less expensive than traditional undergraduate tuition. Concurrent enrollment classes are sometimes provided at no cost to secondary school students.
Furthermore, evidence shows that even the most expensive early college programs pay for themselves in the long term. There is just no excuse not to begin your college studies as soon as possible.
Working Smarter, Not Harder
At first, sight, beginning your college education while still in high school may appear to be extra effort, but it does not have to be. Concurrent enrollment programs, often known as dual enrollment programs, allow any high school student to enroll in classes that qualify for both high school and advantages of obtaining college credits. When you use these programs, you gain twice the benefit from the time you invest into your studies. Concurrent enrollment programs, in this sense, represent the most effective and surefire manner of completing your college degree requirements before even graduating from high school.
Gain Valuable Exposure
College, in case you haven’t heard, is a major deal. Any freshman enrolling in university classes around the country will tell you that college classes are like high school classes on steroids. As a result, according to the Center for American Progress, millions of kids enter college unprepared each year. However, thanks to collegiate programs for high school students such as dual enrollment and early college experiences, you don’t have to be one of them.
By participating in one of these programs, you will not only receive credit toward your degree, but you will also get your feet wet and learn about college life. Instead of jumping in with both feet freshman year, this approach provides a much gentler transition into college-level academics for many kids.
Receive your Degree Sooner
Are you already fantasizing about what it will be like to begin your career? College credit in high school can help you finish your degree faster and get a head start in life. In some situations, you can complete up to two years of required courses toward your academic certification before enrolling in college. Consider completing all of the general education classes required for your degree before graduating from high school! This can put you on the fast track to starting a career or enrolling in graduate school.
Get Ahead on Your Future Career
Four-year universities are not the only postsecondary institutions of higher learning that provide college credits in high school students. Two-year community institutions have also joined the early college bandwagon. These institutions frequently provide additional credit-earning possibilities for students who prefer to pursue an associate’s degree in a vocational or technical subject rather than a four-year degree. In some situations, career-oriented students can obtain enough credits during their secondary school years to effortlessly transfer into the workforce after graduation.
Early college high school programs can launch your career, according to research. According to a recent American Institutes for Research (AIR) research, these programs allow students to “join the workforce more rapidly and…increase their lifetime earnings potential.”
Boost Your Chances of Admission
Looking to attend a prestigious institution or university after high school? Earning credits during your last years of credits in high school can provide you with a competitive advantage. College admissions counselors nowadays analyze more than just GPAs and college entrance exam results; they also consider how you spent your high school years. In other words, these school officials want to know if you simply got by or did more than was expected of you!
A course load that includes Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and/or dual enrollment units is usually regarded highly. This type of high school transcript demonstrates that you are a serious student with big objectives who has been considering college for a while—exactly the type of postsecondary candidate that the most competitive institutions and universities are looking for.
Learn Independence
Time management is a skill that will serve you well throughout college and into your career. Taking college coursework while still in high school can help you develop this vital ability before the stakes become too high or your college course load becomes too onerous. You may have additional support services from your parents or high school professors and counselors during your high school years that you may not have access to until you’re officially enrolled in college.
You may refine your time management skills and learn how to be more independent before your freshman year by taking advantage of opportunities to earn college credit in high school. As a result, you’ll feel more secure and less intimidated by the rigors of your undergraduate studies during your first year of “real” college.
You’ll Get Appreciation For Academic Rigor
You may believe that some of your high school classes are difficult, but once you’ve dipped your toes into the waters of college academics, you’ll have a whole new perspective on the term “academic rigor.” No matter how challenging your high school professors were, you’ll find that college classes are entirely different. While your professors will not hover over you as much as your high school teachers did, the topic will be considerably more complicated, and you may be required to perform more research and writing than you did in high school.
The good news is that early college programs allow you to experience this type of intensity in small doses so that you are not entirely overwhelmed when you have a full schedule of these difficult college classes.
Find Direction on What to Study
Many students attend college as freshmen with no idea of what they’re attempting to accomplish. They know they want a degree in something, but they are frequently at a loss as to what academic area they want to major in. The National Center for Education Research Statistics’ says Institute of Education Sciences, approximately 30% of college students will change majors! Often, these students find up taking classes that aren’t required for the degree they eventually acquire, wasting valuable time and money, not to mention a lot of effort.
Early college programs allow students to begin exploring their academic interests before they even graduate from secondary school, allowing them to make an informed decision about the type of degree they ultimately want to pursue.
More Opportunities
You will not only have a clearer sense of what major you want to pursue after obtaining college credits in high school, but your schedule may be free enough to add a second major or minor to your degree plan. Finally, doing so can assist you in honing your talents in a specific subfield of your chosen academic discipline, allowing you to become more educated and employable in your industry. Double majors to the rescue!
Even on the surface, some of the benefits of getting college credit before graduating from high school are clear. Tuition savings and getting ahead on your degree plan are well-known advantages of enrolling in an early college program or concurrent enrollment courses. However, if you go deeper, you’ll discover even more benefits to researching college academics during your high school years. What’s the bottom line? If you wait until you get a diploma before beginning college classes, you may be losing out on some important benefits of early college programs.
Takeaway: College Credits in High School
Going into college with a lot of credits means taking fewer classes and possibly graduating sooner. Not only will you save money by not taking as many classes, but you will also save money on items like room & board and textbooks if you graduate early!
