Christian
Do you really need to take high school classes in preparation to college?
Do you need to take relevant high school classes to your major in college, or will college teach you everything you need to know?
#college #student #college-major #high-school #time-management #college-bound #major #engineering #physics #chemistry #biology #calculus #science #technology #math
16 answers
Maxmillan Gallagher
Maxmillan’s Answer
Jonathan Pollak
Jonathan’s Answer
Gordon Hopkins
Gordon’s Answer
Not really, BUT if you have a community college in your area, you will be OK for a four year institution. If you do NOT have a community college in your area, take the college prep classes offered at your high school. An option to consider is finding an internship or some work study credits allowed in your high school for your college interest subjects (auto repair, computer sale or repair, etc in your area).
Sheila Jordan
Sheila’s Answer
In addition to the great comments and advice others have provided, I'd like to add that my son participated in Dual Enrollment where you enroll in college-level courses and earn concurrent credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree. Here in Georgia, Dual Enrollment is part of the ACCEL Program. The Accel Program is for high school juniors and seniors at accredited public or private high schools in the state of Georgia, and is operated in all school terms except summer.
Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit courses are primarily available for any eligible 11th or 12th grade (in some limited cases 9th-10th) high school students. They may enroll full-time or part-time in approved credit-bearing college-level courses by the State Board of Education. Courses may be taken before, during or after regular school hours, on the college campus, on-line or at the high school during the regular school calendar year.
Since you are in the state of Utah, I suggest that you check with your high school counselor to see if Utah have similar type programs.
Best of luck to you!
~ Sheila
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Igal Levy
Igal’s Answer
I would tend to agree with G. Mark's answer. I know someone in California who exited high school early. She took a test that allowed them to leave at the age of 16, but I don't know if Idaho has the same kind of arrangement. She wanted to go to a 4-year university, but couldn't because she did not take the required classes in high school, and she had too few credits. So she's now paying to take classes at a community college to satisfy requirements that could have been met in high school for free. This does not seem ideal to me, but that's a route that works for some people. Also be aware that if you're admitted to a university, you might be required to take some basic courses that you would otherwise could have avoided had you taken the appropriate courses in high school.
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Melanie Rich
Melanie’s Answer
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Kristin Anthony
Kristin’s Answer
College will definitely help to prep you for a career, but you'll learn a lot along the journey, including if your interests have changed or expanded. My two (now adult) children started college with one major and each graduated with another major. I personally had one major, graduated with that major, but found rewarding, productive work in a totally different field. Enjoy the journey and self-discovery!
Ryan Wagner
Ryan’s Answer
Personally I didn't attend High School, I got my G.E.D. at 18 and didn't start college until I was in my late 20's. I don't feel that High School is something that you NeEd to prepare for college, per se, but the math classes do help you be on par with entry level classes in college. I've had a number of friends do running start (or Fast Forward in Idaho), which gave them free college from 16-18 or there Junior and senior years of High School which allowed them to graduate from a community college with an associates degree and they graduated from High School at the same time. I would recommend that to anyone, it will get you 2 years ahead in your college classes and you don't have to go to High School.
Going to a community college was good to me, it allowed for a more relaxed environment when learning many of the base for the fundamentals in math, physics and English. No matter what school you go to you are going to end up taking a LOT of courses that have no bearing what-so-ever on your major, but overall college will teach you most of what you need to know to graduate. As for what you need to know to get a job in the field, not much of that comes from college. At least that was my experience after graduating from college.
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Amanda Allen
Amanda’s Answer
Something I realized early on in college was the importance of learning HOW to learn. The content is important but figuring out your learning style and practices that help you understand and process information while you're in high school will serve you well, regardless of what major or career you choose. These skills can be acquired in your high school courses by determining what methodologies allow you to retain information and understanding of the subject matter. This may be taking copious notes or reading the textbook or listening intently to a lecture. We all have different learning styles and your high school classes are a great place to figure out which serve you best. Additionally, high school classes can expose you to the topics that make you want to dig in and learn more, which will be a good jumping off point in determining what areas to focus on in college.
Stephanie Bormann
Stephanie’s Answer
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G. Mark Stewart
G. Mark’s Answer
Most colleges will not accept you without a high school diploma in the first place. And even if they did, there will be courses in high school that prepare you for college and are not available in college. But here's the good part. Why would you want to postpone until college something you could have studied for free in high school and why would you want to miss that experience? I found that the classes I took in high school that I could have taken in college allowed me to learn more in college before graduation, since my classes in college could be that much more advanced.
Now, if you did find a situation where you could be admitted to college without having taken courses in high school, it seems you'd stand to lose more than you gained. So why bother? Get more prepared in high school!
Donna Curran
Donna’s Answer
I would say it depends on what you plan for a major and where you are for your base knowledge. Several colleges will let you test out of a pre-requisite class if you can show proficiency in that subject and that you are ready to move forward. I would recommend taking as many college classes that you can take in high school. Save the money. Taking on too many student loans when you don't have to is not something you really want to do. More college credit earned during high school = fewer classes you need to pay for in college.
Good Luck!
Lakesha Jackson
Lakesha’s Answer
So Yes whatever you can take for no additional charge in high school please do that. Also it will keep you more advanced in your studies.
Hi Lakesha, great advice! My son did the same as your daughter in participating in Dual Enrollment classes in high school. It was part of the ACCEL Program here in Georgia. Thank you.
Sheila Jordan
Rachel Weinheimer
Rachel’s Answer
Yasemin G.
Yasemin’s Answer
Best of luck!
Dennis Prendergast
Dennis’s Answer
Always a good move getting the High School Diploma - most Colleges require it but even more important “Knowledge is Power” bridging the High School learning to College will show its benefits later when you are in the middle of taking College courses that are around your field leading to a College degree which is an excellent milestone in itself - Preparation goes a long way and by putting in the work the results will come!
Best of Luck!