Dual enrollment students tackle high school and college credit
By Hannah Bennett
Observer Contributor
The Dual Enrollment program allows students who are 16 years old or older to enter the college environment and earn college credits before they graduate high school. However, there are requirements for every applicant to fulfill before and after acceptance into MWCC.
Sixteen-year-old first-year transfer student Maddie Faneuf has only attended classes at the Mount for a few months, but she has joined the SGA (Student Government Association) and explored several services provided by the college in that short time.
Maddie Faneuf
Faneuf originally found out about the dual enrollment program through her cousins, who completed it themselves. Faneuf said her two years in high school pushed her towards the dual enrollment program as a way to escape the “drama” at school and the neglect of student needs by the administration.
“I wanted a fresh start,” said Faneuf.
While the allure of the Mount caught Faneuf’s attention, the negative environment of her high school gave her just as much of a desire to switch schools as her excitement for the Mount. Her high school’s setting triggered a great deal of mental stress and took its toll on her academics and mental health. The relaxed environment of the Mount helped her destress and focus on her classwork.
“The best decision I’ve ever made academically was to transfer here,” said Faneuf. “I would 100% recommend coming here to anyone wondering [about dual enrollment].”
According to a 2015 study by the Community College Research Center (CCRC), “at community colleges [the number of students in dual enrollment] grew from 163,000 to 745,000. This indicated that community colleges’ market share of students aged 17 or younger taking college courses increased from 56 percent in 1995 to 69 percent in 2015.”
This study indicates that there was an overall increase in the number of dual enrollment students at community colleges in the United States. As more students joined dual enrollment programs, more studies involving these students were conducted.
CCRC also stated, “nearly two thirds of community college dual enrollment students nationally were from low- or middle-income families – about the same proportion as students who start in a community college after high school.”
While dual enrollment provides a different form and setting for education for many students, there is a growing disconnect between those who participate in dual enrollment and students who stay at the high school level, according to one local guidance counselor.
Guidance Counselor Narragansett Regional High School (NRHS) Katie Donnelly works with students who wish to start the dual enrollment program.
“Often times a student will come and talk with me about Dual Enrollment and unfortunately once they find out they have to pay their own way, do not have the means to do that and that’s kind of where the conversation stops,” wrote Donnelly in an email interview.
“However, for the few whose parents are able to afford DE, my role is helping them fill out their application which includes things like filling in what courses they need to take in order for us to accept it as a dual credit.”
Dual enrollment gives a new “home” to students who are in the program. But how do students in dual enrollment interact with students in the “high school” environment?
“I honestly feel like [dual enrollment] really segregates the student because they are no longer a part of our day to day events at the high school like pep rallies, drills, assemblies, etc.,” wrote Donnelly. “However, as DE students they are welcome to attend all of these if they don’t have class.”
Students involved in dual enrollment through their high schools gain college experience while still being enrolled at their high school and earning their diploma. However, there is more than one type of dual enrollment.
Liz Daly, Director of Admissions at MWCC, is one of the college staff on campus that has assisted students in starting the dual enrollment process.
“I recommend dual enrollment to any student who doesn’t feel academically challenged in high school or needs a more mature environment.”
– Liz Daly, director of admissions
Of the different types of dual enrollment offered at MWCC, Daly works with students starting what is called “Traditional Dual Enrollment.”
According to the “Early College & Dual Enrollment Programs” document issued to those working with MWCC, “High School students who intend to complete a portion of their junior or senior year at the college through MWCC’s Traditional Dual Enrollment program must: Submit a completed Dual Enrollment Admissions Application, be 16 years of age or a current junior or senior and hold a minimum 2.8 GPA,” and qualify in other areas of application.
“Part of my job is to screen students who fill out the application,” said Daly. “Students have an interview with me or the Dean [of Students] before being accepted.”
Daly’s job also involves speaking to students who apply for dual enrollment and helping them prepare for the change of pace from high school to college.
“The difficult of [dual enrollment] depends on the student,” said Daly. “I try to make sure students are prepared for the workload. I tell them they have to be prepared to work outside of the classroom, for perceived free time, and to be prepared for class and just ask questions.”
For more information on Dual Enrollment at MWCC, please visit the Dual Enrollment page on the MWCC website.
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