Getting college credits while you’re still in high school might sound like an awesome option. You get to challenge yourself and get ahead while doing it. However, there are pitfalls that you need to be aware of! Watch this week’s video to weigh out the pros and cons of getting college credit in high school.
Transcription:
So, this question is about getting college credit in high school. There are sort of two-sides to this coin, so let’s talk about both.
You can take college-level classes in your high school and get college credit for them. The reason that people do this is because the classes are free. You’re taking them at school, but you’re actually getting a college-level transcript for that, so when you get to college you’ve already taken several classes. All the states in the United States have different names for this program, so I’m not going to say just one. You can do this and you can take as many as two years of high school either at a community college or in your very high school and get college credit for it. So, yes, it’s a great way to save money; it’s a great way to get ahead and take more advanced coursework.
The flip-side of taking college classes during high school is that college classes are more difficult than high school classes, so you can get in over your head. You might not realize what you can handle with a college load, so be careful about that.
You could take an unfortunate combination of classes thinking that, “Oh, it’s just going to be the same as high school,” but they’re tougher. Or, you could take too many of them at the same time. So watch out for that, just be careful. I have seen some kids have some difficulties with college-level scheduling during high school.
College-level classes in the high school are a great way for you to challenge yourself and really broaden your horizons and explore options that aren’t available to you regularly. Talk about it with your guidance counselor, talk about it with your parents, think about it carefully, plan carefully, it can be a great option.
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