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Dual Enrollment Decoded: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Dual enrollment. I actually have a lot to say about it. At this point, my oldest son finished his associates degree, and my next two teens are about to start their second year. So I wanted to give an update on our experience with dual enrollment.
Between the three of them, they’ve attended six different colleges. So where do I start with sharing our experience with dual enrollment.
This post is going to be a review of dual enrollment—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Show notes and links: https://lifeunboxed.blog/dual-enrollment/
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Dual enrollment. I actually have a lot to say about it. At this point, my oldest son finished his associates degree, and my next two teens are about to start their second year. So I wanted to give an update on our experience with dual enrollment.
Between the three of them, they’ve attended six different colleges. So where do I start with sharing our experience with dual enrollment.
This post is going to be a review of dual enrollment—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
What is Dual Enrollment?
Before we dive into to the review, let’s talk about what dual enrollment is. It is when high school students are taking college classes. At this point, my two are finishing out their high school with just college classes.
Dual enrollment is a great way to skip high school and go straight to college. If your kids are college bound, then give them a head start in high school.
Learn more about dual enrollment and how to add it to a high school transcript.
The Good of Dual Enrollment
There is one major benefit of working on college in high school—tuition is so much cheaper. Like $500 per credit hour for regular tuition is $100 per credit hour for high school dual enrollment. So it is a dramatic savings.
The second benefit is they can skip high school and go straight to college. Now, they haven’t completely skipped high school, but once they start with dual enrollment that is basically all they will do. They may do a few high school classes here and there, but for the most part it is just college.
They are able to get an associates degree very cheaply, get it earlier than most students, and have a good foundation to continue their education…if they want to.
The Bad of Dual Enrollment
Those are the only benefits of doing early college. I am so unimpressed with our higher education system, I am at the point of being disgusted with it. The only reason they will continue is the cheap tuition and businesses still give points for a college degree. But the college system is a joke. Or a scam as Charlie Kirk wrote about in The College Scam. Yes, I did buy the book because I am totally fed up with the college system.
I have dealt with six different colleges, Christian and non-Christian, and I am still surprised at the incompetence of the administration, the arrogance of the professors, and the lack of actual learning that is happening. It is mind-boggling that colleges and universities are still in business.
After my kids finished their first semester at one particular university, I was very tempted to email the student advisor and tell her she oversold the program. In my opinion, she oversold it to the point that I felt she lied to us about it. I am still thinking about emailing her.
Are all colleges bad? Honestly, I don’t know. I really hope there are institutions of higher learning that take it seriously, but I haven’t found one yet.
I know what you’re thinking, why are we doing it then. I confess, I’ve asked myself the same question. It comes down to really cheap tuition. They couldn’t go to college at any other time in their lives so cheaply. It still looks good on their resume to have a college degree right out of high school instead of just a high school diploma. Those are the two reasons.
The Ugly of Dual Enrollment
Now, let’s get into the ugly of dual enrollment. As I mentioned above, I am completely unimpressed with all aspects of these institutions of higher learning.
Administration
It is very easy to get into college for dual enrollment. Some colleges require testing, but there are so many that don't. If you are doing dual enrollment, then don't waste your time on a college that requires a lot of hoops to jump through. It is just unnecessary.
There is one college that my kids have taken classes from that require a letter from the school district (not happening) or a transcript from previous college. I was told this is to ensure that high school students can handle college-level work. I may have told them that their homeschool work was more rigorous than any class they offered. And this is from personal experience because I have also taken classes from this college.
Another college couldn't get my son's registration correct. Literally, and I mean literally, every semester she messed up his registration. And then I would have to text her boss to get it fixed because she ignored my son's emails about needed it fixed.
Rigor
In my opinion, colleges and universities think more highly of themselves than they should. Maybe this is an indication of how uneducated students are when they graduate from high school. I know there are recent stats regarding illiteracy in high school students.
We found that most classes aren't rigorous. Or if the college is just trying to present themselves as rigorous, then they pile on the work, like 3-5 times more work than their other 100-level college classes, and they have a professor who shouldn't be teaching teach the class. Basically, they students stop trying to learn and are just trying to complete the assignments. There needs to be a balance between learning and assignments. Sadly, it seems some schools interpret rigor as more assignments, but fail to actually teach and ensure that students are learning. We have definitely encountered classes like this. When we pointed it out to the dean of the school, we just received a brush off email in response.
I don't think my kids would say they are learning much. My daughter probably is because she is putting in the effort on her own. If she just relied on the classes and professors, she would probably say she isn't learning much.
Ideas of DEI
This needs to be addressed because it is pervasive in all the colleges we've encountered. Including Christian colleges. If you are planning on dual enrollment, then you need to prepare your kids for these ideas.
It is important to fully understand them. Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice by Scott Allen is an excellent resource. Anything from Thomas Sowell. My favorites are Ethnic America and Black Rednecks and White Liberals. But any of his books are fantastic.
As a mixed-race family, we have addressed these ideas because of the events in recent history. While the ideas of DEI want to define everybody by the color of their skin, we have encouraged our kids to let no one define them by an immutable characteristic—the color of their skin.
These ideas are antithetical to a Christian worldview. And seeing Christian colleges support and teach these ideas boggles the mind. My oldest son has encountered this the most, and he will speak out against it. And we discovered he gets 100% anytime he mentions, "As a black man I find these ideas offensive." The ideas being that he is defined by the color of his skin and not by his merit or character. That it is assumed that he must be low educated. And so much more.
I would also highly recommend avoiding sociology classes. This may not be easy because they are usually required, but if you can avoid it. My son took one from a secular college. He was told by the instructor that he must answer the questions according to the course material, even though the questions were all looking for an opinion. I guess he wasn't allowed to have an opinion that deviated from the course material.
He also had to write a paper on socioeconomic classes and whether people can ascend from their economic level. I suggested that he interview his dad because he was raised in New York City by a single black mom, and he moved up from his socioeconomic class. The instructor essentially told him that his opinion was wrong. I thought lived experience is what they are all about. I guess it only moves in one direction.
I know this is anecdotal evidence, but all the ideas of DEI are backed by anecdotal evidence. If they were to actually look at the facts of their claims, their ideas would fall apart. But if they can basis claims on anecdotal evidence, then he can too.
He also had Bible classes with a heavy emphasis on race. To me this was absurd. The idea that we judge anyone or make assumptions about anyone based on the color of their skin is antithetical to a Christian worldview.
There are also many other ideas presented throughout the various classes that fall into the DEI category. One of the most important things we can do as parents is to discuss these with our kids and to help them thoroughly understand the ideas.
Is Dual Enrollment Right for You?
This is really something to consider and really think through. Yes, my big 3 will finish their degrees, but we are reconsidering this path for our next 3. I have four years to decide, so things can definitely change.
There are two reasons we are doing dual enrollment—cheap tuition and it is replacing most of high school. Some college or a college degree looks better on a job application as opposed to just high school. You don't need a college degree to do a job, but sometimes you need it to get the job.
If you do decide to do dual enrollment, then you need to be your kids' advocate and they need to advocate for themselves as well. Every college will tell you that students need to talk to the professor directly. Which they do. However, they've had some professors who weren't professional, so I refused to let them do any one-on-one meetings with him. I see myself as the equivalent of their guidance counselor, so I will also be their advocate. They just need to sign the FERPA form giving your permission to talk with the college. This is a legal requirement, so make sure to ask for it.
Conclusion: Dual Enrollment Decoded
If you child has aspirations to go to college, then dual enrollment is probably a good option for you because it is cheaper tuition. But is isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.
It is important to carefully weigh the benefits and challenges or dual enrollment.
I wanted to share our unfiltered experience with the different dual enrollment options out there, so you can make an informed decision. I'm not saying your kids shouldn't go to college, mine are still working their way through, but I wanted to give you all the information and tools to make dual enrollment successful for you.