When you’re a senior, I think it’s safe to say you’d much rather have a schedule that doesn’t include sitting in classrooms for all eight periods of the day. The Dual Enrollment program can help relieve the stress of that.

Being a Dual Enrollment student myself, I can confidently say I made the right decision. Obviously, students might have to have a full schedule based on the required credits they need to graduate, but I’m telling you, if you have the opportunity to be in Dual Enrollment, do it.

Being in the Dual Enrollment program is incredibly beneficial; you’re taking both a college level course taught by a university professor, as well as “gaining additional skills needed to succeed in college,” the Dual Enrollment website says.

A big plus for Dual Enrollment is the sleep gained. As high school students, I feel like most don’t get enough sleep. With Dual Enrollment, you have the ability to fix that issue. Classes start at 9 a.m., but since classes are only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you don’t have to be at school until the time fourth period starts on Tuesday and Thursday. “I wish I did Dual Enrollment. My sleep schedule is so messed up and it’s hard for me to focus during my morning classes,” senior Haley Scheinberg said.

Dual Enrollment is also a great way to look into the future of how classes in college will go. The work and projects given in your Dual Enrollment class are going to be a lot like what you’d hear a college freshmen is doing in one of their general education courses.

Doing one of these classes in high school gives you the opportunity to get 12 or more transferable college credits before even starting your freshman year of college.

Another great element to the Dual Enrollment program is how it looks when going through the college application process. More times than not, colleges and universities like to see students challenging themselves even in their senior year, when some slack off. The Dual Enrollment website includes a quote from Bucknell University, which says, “When reviewing a transcript, I am looking to see that a student took advantage of a challenging curriculum and Dual Enrollment from those institutions definitely indicates a commitment to rigor.”

If you have the space in your schedule for this program, you should take advantage of it. We are incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to take these college level courses before actually attending a university.