To Dual Enroll or Not to Dual Enroll :: A Guide for Parents
Dual enrollment is a topic that stirs strong opinions on both sides. On the one hand, it can reduce the time required to complete a college degree, offer a challenging curriculum to high school students, and help those questioning their college readiness gain confidence. On the other hand, dual enrollment can add undue stress to high school students, negatively impact their collegiate GPA, and rush them through the college experience. So, how do you determine whether dual enrollment is suitable for your child? Should you push them into it, allow them to take AP classes instead, or focus on reducing stress by not overloading them? These are tough choices for any parent.
Understanding the Pros and Cons
Pros:
Earn College Credit: Dual enrollment allows students to earn college credits while still in high school. However, this doesn’t have to shorten their time in college. It could lead to a double or triple major or allow them to take a lighter course load of 12 hours per semester while still graduating in four years. This is particularly useful for degrees requiring a heavier course load.
Flexibility: With dual enrollment, students can study abroad without fearing falling behind, graduate early (especially if they plan to attend grad school), or reduce the overall cost of college. Some students might even complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in eight semesters, fully covered by scholarships. Alternatively, it could free up time in their schedule to take open electives, courses they choose for their own personal enrichment.
Improve Collegiate GPA: Dual enrollment can help students maintain a strong GPA once they are in college by focusing on fewer classes each semester.
Cost-Effective: Dual enrollment classes are typically cheaper than taking the same courses once enrolled in college, making it a cost-effective option.
Cons:
Potential GPA Damage: If your child isn’t ready for the rigor of dual enrollment and doesn’t take the classes seriously, it can damage their college GPA before they even start.
Readiness: Dual enrollment isn’t for students who see grades as something done for their parents, not for themselves. If your child takes a test poorly out of rebellion, it could harm their future prospects.
Increased Stress: If your child is already overwhelmed by their current workload, adding dual enrollment might not be the best choice, even if you think it will give them a leg up for college.
Making the Decision
Ultimately, understanding the reasons behind dual enrollment is crucial for making the right decision. Ask your child these three questions:
- Why do you want to take dual enrollment classes?
- Do you understand how this impacts your future GPA, scholarship potential, and post-grad plans, especially if you plan to continue your education?
- Do you feel ready for the challenges of dual enrollment?
As a homeschooler, I strongly support dual enrollment. It helps our kids achieve many positive outcomes, especially by allowing them to take a manageable course load of 12 hours per semester. This is important because, to stay on track, students typically need to take at least 15 hours per semester, which can quickly become 17 hours with lab classes. Reducing this load allows students to focus on their courses while maintaining a balanced workload, which is particularly beneficial for college students with part-time jobs, as research shows they tend to perform better than those without jobs.
Once you’ve decided, let go of guilt, angst, or worry about others’ opinions. As parents, we strive to make the best choices for our children with the information and resources available. The more we explain this to our children, the less likely they are to hold something against us, even if it is not the best choice for them. If you later realize that dual enrollment wasn’t the right choice, acknowledge it, apologize, and move on.
Having these conversations with our children, involving them in the decision-making process, and respecting the boundaries of everyone involved—whether it’s the family’s logistical and financial limits or the child’s feelings of being overwhelmed—are essential skills we should be teaching. These lessons will prepare them to make such decisions independently in the future.
