<p>*Not sure if this is the right forum. My apologies if not.</p>
<p>Recently I have heard of many people earning their associate's degree at the same time they graduate from high school. This has really interested me as I was not aware this was even possible. I've looked into it but I'm not exactly sure how to do this. I live in Cincinnati and from what I have learned, there is two options. I can either go into a dual enrollment program at Cincinnati State (community college) or I can do a PSEOP (Post Secondary Enrollment Program) with the University of Cincinnati. I don't believe my school actually offers dual enrollment though, so PSEOP may be my only option.</p>
<p>I've made it into a pros and cons list;
Pros:
- UC is much more prestigious than Cincinnati State.
- Credit transfer will be easier.
Cons:
- UC will not provide an associate's for PSEOP students.</p>
<p>I really feel confident in this decision. Right now I have a 3.8-4.0 GPA and still participate in after school club meetings and other activities. But would it be worth doing without receiving the degree? What would be different? I know that other people have earned this degree while graduating, but I still feel like it would be a great accomplishment for me.</p>
<p>Assuming you plan to continue in pursuit of a 4 year degree after HS, earning the associates degree along side graduating HS isn’t necessary. Just take the general ed requirements for your prospective school/ major and then attend a school to which your credits would transfer. This would put your completion date for a bachelor’s degree 2 years after your HS graduation, making you quite a bit ahead of the game.</p>
<p>So even though I will not earn my associate’s from the university, I will still have the potential to start as a junior when I enter the B.S program? If that is the case, I guess the degree isn’t really all the necessary. </p>
<p>I also live in Ohio, and I’ve taken nine university classes through PSEOP at a state university.
These would both fall under PSEOP (which is a kind of dual enrollment), as far as I know. [url=<a href=“http://www.cincinnatistate.edu/admission-financial-aid/admissions/admission-forms/post-secondary-enrollment-options]Here[/url”>http://www.cincinnatistate.edu/admission-financial-aid/admissions/admission-forms/post-secondary-enrollment-options]Here[/url</a>] is Cincinnati State’s page about it, and [url=<a href=“http://admissions.uc.edu/highschool/adv_placement/pseop.html]here[/url”>http://admissions.uc.edu/highschool/adv_placement/pseop.html]here[/url</a>] is the University of Cincinnati’s page about it. In either case you would be going to the college or university and taking classes there. I don’t think there’s a difference between taking classes at a community college compared to a university, aside from the nature of the experience.
Sometimes high schools offer “dual enrollment” classes that are sponsored by a local college even though they take place in the high school building, but a lot of colleges won’t transfer those. </p>
<p>I don’t think there’s any benefit to receiving an associate’s degree if you plan to go on to a four-year college. I also wouldn’t try to graduate from college in fewer than four years unless there’s a really compelling financial reason to do so (and in that case I’d probably recommend finding a different college that isn’t so expensive). The earlier you graduate, the less experience you end up with. A 22-year-old with advanced classes, internships, and research experience is much more impressive than a 20-year-old who rushed through the degree program. </p>
<p>It doesn’t really matter whether you take classes at a community college or a university, but I’d recommend going to the University of Cincinnati since it’s a better school, the classes would still be free (under Option B during the school year), and you’d have more course options. </p>
<p>I do not necessarily want to rush through the program, but be able to gain the experience ahead of time. I think it would be very interesting to attend a few of my classes at a university rather than high school.</p>
<p>I hope to earn my bachelor’s degree and go on to graduate school. I have everything planned out and now I’m just trying to prepare for it as much as I can.</p>
<p>What is your experience like in a PSEOP? Are you enjoying it? Will taking it for two years complete all of my general education classes?</p>
<p>Thank you for the response. I really appreciate the advice before I go and make this decision. </p>
<p>Many colleges will only take you as a transfer student if you formally get an assocaites</p>
<p>I don’t plan on applying as a transfer student. The university actually states on their website that they do not consider you a student and that you must apply as a new student. </p>
<p>
This is a good idea, but I still think you should spend four years in college after you graduate from high school. The best way to prepare for grad school is to take graduate-level classes, do research (or whatever the equivalent is in your field), and develop good professional relationships with professors so they’ll write really good recommendation letters. The more time you have to do this, the better. I took college classes full time in my senior year, so I essentially get five “paid-for” years of undergrad (my scholarship lasts four years) while most people only get four. My hope is that this additional experience will make me more competitive for grad school.
The short answer is that I think it’s a great program and I highly recommend it. I responded to this question in more detail on someone else’s thread back in March. [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1627595-pseo-advice.html]Here[/url”>PSEO Advice? - High School Life - College Confidential Forums]Here[/url</a>] it is.
This depends entirely on where you plan to go to college (some colleges, especially private schools, make it difficult to transfer college classes taken in high school) and what classes you take. Different colleges have different general education requirements. The number of requirements depends a lot on the philosophical bent of the university, whether they favor an open curriculum or a more classical/structured one.
Most of my PSEOP classes were lower-division (and a couple of upper-level) classes in my major rather than classes intended to meet general education requirements. I did PSEOP partially because I wanted to find out if I ought to major in math. However, I’ll be able to fulfill most of my general education requirements (at a private university) using five 4s and 5s on AP tests.</p>