(This post was written by our HS4CC 12th grade Intern, Liam. Liam is Homeschooled for College Credit in Georgia.) With all the nuances of earning college credit, it’s no surprise that misconceptions occur. Whether your student believes that English 101 will be the hardest thing they’ve ever done or you believe that college classes are the only way to earn college credit, there is so much room for small mishaps in navigating the college credit process.
I’m Liam, one of the summer interns at Homeschooling for College Credit (HS4CC). I’ve been earning college credit since I was thirteen, and my journey has been subject to more than its fair share of mistakes and misconceptions. These five are the biggest ones that I wish I’d known before I entered the world of Homeschooling for College Credit.
A note: Feel free to show your teen this article! The Homeschooling for College Credit blog is generally geared toward parents, but most of these tips can be applied to both parents and teens – these are things that I as a highschooler wish I’d known, so help your teen out by passing the information along!
1: College Credit ≠ College Classes (Necessarily)
When your teen thinks of earning college credit, they might see themself in a college classroom, surrounded by adults, their cramping fingers furiously working to keep up with a professor talking at a rapid-fire pace. At least, that’s about what I pictured. In fact, the first big surprise I received when I started earning college credit was that earning credits didn’t mean being on a college campus, or even taking a college class. There are a multitude of ways to earn college credit, and while taking a course at a college is definitely at the top of the list, this can be an online class, where you work at your own pace, an AP class where you don’t even attend or enroll in a college, or even a CLEP exam taken from your bedroom after studying. There are so many opportunities for earning college credit, so even if the idea of stepping foot on a college campus is intimidating, the idea of seeing college credits on your transcript doesn’t have to be.
2: College Classes Don’t Have to be Difficult
If your student does choose to take a class at a college, they might expect it to be much harder than their high school classes. When I clicked the enroll button, images of late nights, failed quizzes, and six-hour cram sessions flashed through my head. This could not be further from reality. Don’t get me wrong – college classes certainly can be harder than high school classes. However, extreme difficulty is not an inherent quality of a dual enrollment course. I’ve found that often, a lower-level college class will take less time and brainpower than a difficult high school class. The more important difference is pacing. Core college classes usually cover similar content to 11th and 12th-grade courses, but most colleges operate on a semester-based schedule, whereas a typical high school class will take a year. It took time for me to adjust to this pacing difference, but once I was used to it, I realized that the content and requirements of a college and high school class are usually comparable.
3: Professors are There to Help!
Asking for help is hard, and using the phone number in my professor’s bio was the last thing I wanted to do when I got a C on a Dual Enrollment Precalculus test. I worried that the professor would not take me seriously, that my kind of question wasn’t one that a college student would ask, and that there was no point in reaching out. But I powered through the doubts and messaged her, and when she helped me set up a study plan for the rest of the semester, I realized that my assumptions had been incorrect. If a college professor offers an email address, office hours, or a phone number and your student is struggling, encourage them to reach out! The professor wants all students to succeed, and not only will this give your teen an opportunity to learn how to interact with a college professor, but they will likely come away from a discussion with answers to their questions and a renewed sense of vigor for the class.
4. Experiment!
There are so many methods for earning college credit. If your teen takes a CLEP exam and dislikes the studying process, or comes out of a dual enrollment class with a disappointing grade, that in no way means that earning college credit “just isn’t for them.” There are so many ways to earn college credit, so if one method doesn’t work, try another! The first college class I took was an 8-week accelerated psychology course through Arizona State University. The accelerated format confirmed all the worst fears I had about college classes – if I couldn’t even get through the readings for week one of class, how would I ever be able to earn a meaningful amount of college credit? But it turned out that those same problems didn’t apply to a 16-week course. Once I powered through that first college class and convinced myself to take another, my trepidations vanished. If you can find the method of earning college credit that works best for your student, it will make taking advantage of these opportunities a much more positive experience.
5: Make a Plan
I jumped into the deep end of the earning college credit pool, with no conception of what I wanted to do with the opportunities I had and no idea of the many nuances of navigating this process. Because I haven’t had a plan from the beginning, I’ve spent hours detailing each of my semesters as they come, with the constant concern that I’d mess myself up in the long run or have to change things later. This could have been avoided had I created a plan before I started earning college credit. While this idea can be scary for students who are unsure about what they want to do or what college they want to attend, the plan can be flexible. As your student takes classes and learns what works for them, you can work with them to adjust and create the perfect outline. This can be as simple as a list of possible classes and exams or as complex as a detailed transcript – just having something to refer back to as deadlines approach can save time and stress.
Bonus Tip: Keep Things In Perspective
As you dive into the infinite pool that is earning college credit, it can be easy to lose perspective. You’ll hear stories of students completing associate degrees in high school, or graduating with zero debt because they took so many CLEP exams. For a time, I felt like I was on the lower end of the spectrum when compared to these exceptional students. But when I considered the wider web of teens in the country, I realized that earning even one or two college credits is above average and gave me an advantage. So take things one step at a time, do what works for your family, and maintain your perspective. You and your student will find that earning college credit in high school isn’t nearly as difficult as you might have thought. Good luck!
