Being a student at Grove City College is one of the things in my life that I take a lot of pride in. There are so many amazing things about the College that make it unique, from our founding principles and community to the professors that so faithfully work to promote truly educational experiences within the classroom. One of the great offerings that Grove City College provides is the opportunity for dual enrollment. High school students can take classes with the College, which helps students get ahead on college credits. I was fortunate enough to take advantage of this opportunity during my senior year of high school. Throughout the duration of my senior year, I was able to take four, three-credit courses as well as a one-credit lab. These classes ranged in topics from environmental science to a course specifically focused on the book of Romans. Before my first year of college, I was able to get some experience taking college-level courses and do a little bit of experimenting into what type of classes or majors I might be interested in. I was able to learn a lot about my study habits, and, after becoming familiar with new ones, it became clear to me what type of habits would and would not work when it came to studying for exams and quizzes as well as working on projects.
One of the bigger reasons that I decided to do dual enrollment classes with Grove City College was to get ahead on credits so that I could potentially lighten my course load in the future if I needed it. I struggle with dyslexia as well as a few other accompanying learning disabilities which has made academics somewhat difficult. I work hard to achieve successful grades and learn the best that I can in all of my classes; however, I still struggle with those learning disabilities, and it affects my ability to work at the same pace as other students. With the credits I earned from being a dual enrollment student, I had built up a small cushion to fall back on for my first semester in case I felt like I could not maintain a typical course load.
Fast forward to my first couple weeks of class my freshman year where I utilized the cushion I had built up the year prior. As a student learning with dyslexia who was still trying to figure out what study habits worked best and what the rhythm of college life looked like, it was a huge help to be able to have a smaller course load my first semester. I was able to get settled into college life and figure out the best practices for learning without feeling like I would be behind.
I am now in my sophomore year at Grove City College, and I am currently double-majoring in Entrepreneurship and Biblical and Religious Studies and have a course load of six classes compared to my first semester freshman year I only had four. The only regret I have is that I didn’t start sooner. Dual enrollment is an amazing opportunity to get ahead on college credits as well as help create some familiarity with college-level courses. My favorite course that I took as a dual enrollment student was a course on the book of Romans taught by Dr. Bibza, and, because of that course, I made sure I took more classes taught specifically by him. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to be a dual enrollment student. I highly encourage any high school student to take advantage of this amazing program.
