Students at Summit K2 have recently been enrolling in college courses at Contra Costa Community College, directly through the college’s website, for the 2023 Spring semester to boost their GPA and receive college credit while still in high school.
Concurrent enrollment, also known as dual enrollment, could potentially grant its participants early graduation. It refers to when a student is simultaneously enrolled in both high school and college.
Dean Thompson has encouraged students to partake in this opportunity, having delivered several emails and announcements regarding concurrent enrollment, even offering office hours to support those interested.
Despite this, some students think dual enrollment isn’t for them at this time. A few are claiming “it might be a little bit stressful.” An anonymous ninth grader said, “… I don’t want to do extra work if I’m already struggling with the work I have.”
Contra Costa College does not charge regular enrollment fees to high school students. As written in their Concurrent Enrollment Form, “Concurrent (Special Admit) students are exempt from enrollment fees if enrolled in no more than 11 units.”
Concurrent enrollment is not unique to Contra Costa. All of California’s community colleges, as well as other colleges, have been offering this for years– some since 1955. A few of K2’s dragons have already taken part in this opportunity throughout previous semesters. Tenth grader Lupita A. is part of SEO scholars, a program which offers support in taking college level courses during high school. She takes classes at Chabot College and says dual enrollment is “… a good opportunity that they are giving students our age.” To those interested in taking college courses, she suggests, “Don’t procrastinate, manage your time well, and have a good routine. Don’t make yourself work a lot and don’t stress yourself out. Ask for help if you need it.”
Concurrent college courses were offered at the beginning of the school year through expeditions. Here, students have been taking online classes. “The course is good, but the issues are quite apparent…” said an anonymous eleventh grader. They went on to say, “The work is trite and repetitive…Some of our units have over 100 slides! Most of the day is spent flipping through the slides and taking notes…”
In order to partake in concurrent enrollment at a community college in California, you must first complete the OPENCCC application and create an account through the California Community Colleges system. Then, follow the steps pertaining to the California Community College of your choice. Usually, this consists of a Concurrent Enrollment or Special Admit form that needs to be approved by you, a parent/guardian, and a representative at your high school. Then, it’ll go through the college’s system. After you gain permission, during the registration period, you can start to enroll yourself in classes. For a more descriptive guide on how to enroll, go to this slideshow.
If you are interested in concurrent enrollment, go to your local community college’s website to learn more.
(cover photo credit: Daniela Escalera Gomez)
