High school. You might think most students at IPFW have completed high school. Um, no, some of us are still working our way through high school. Those of us still in high school are part of the Collegiate Connection program. It’s great – here’s why.
Collegiate Connection is a program for high school juniors and seniors. Classes we take count as dual-credit courses – our classes at IPFW count towards both high school credit AND college credit. It is also great because some of us just want to do half-days at high school and half days at college. For me it is a long drive, but it is worth it. I am gaining valuable experiences in this program that are available no other way. While most high school students spend all day dwelling on petty drama, I’m balancing my high school homework, basketball, and my class work here at IPFW. And I’m still pulling a decent GPA.
Most kids in my high school think it’s stupid to be in this program. I don’t think they realize these benefits: First, I’m already in college. I am soaking up all this college-survival stuff first-hand. Kids I know, and maybe kids you know, are expecting college to be fun-fun, no rules, who cares if we go to class? In my short time at IPFW, I’ve learned people with this attitude are most likely the ones who won’t be sitting next to you at graduation. Kids who are experiencing college in controlled increments, like those of us in Collegiate Connection, are learning the skills to be successful in college. We, that is to say, Collegiate Collection students, are the high school students experiencing the “real world”. I find this whole “real world” concept fascinating, but that is another 500 Words.
Second benefit, I get to take more challenging classes that cover a wider range of subjects than I could experience in high school. Collegiate Connection is a good fit for those who excel and are looking for more of a challenge. It’s a pretty sweet deal. For example, chemistry class is a required class for high school graduation. I can take chemistry once, here on campus, and get credit twice. In my book, that makes sense. Why take a class twice if you can take it once, and get twice as much credit?
Next, Collegiate Connection provides students with opportunities they might not have at their high school. My school doesn’t have a paper and writing is something I enjoy, so I volunteered to write for “The Communicator.” This is an opportunity through my participation in Collegiate Connection.
That is just the beginning of the great things I have the opportunity to do. We can participate in all sports except Division 1. We can be part of student organizations. We can experience the full range of college life, while still being high school students. All the tutoring, counseling, and library benefits are available to us. Games are free; you can use Gates Sports Center and get discounts at area businesses.
This program can help set the groundwork for when we get out of high school and into college full-time. I am convinced we will have a smoother transition than others. The goals of the program are to better-equip us as students and thus make our college career more successful. We can explore different career fields. Our credits are transferable, so if we decide to go to Purdue or Indiana, we can easily transfer our credits. We can learn earlier what we’re really interested in and when we’re out of high school hit the ground running.
So, if you know people who aren’t quite sure about college after high school, encourage them to look at Collegiate Connection, or other dual-credit programs. It’s a great opportunity, plus they can use that experience to judge whether or not they want to continue with college after high school.
Thus, my advice is jump on it, tell people about it, spread the word, dual school is cool, and Collegiate Connection is just one stepping stone in the road that is higher education.
For more information, contact the awesome Ann Brown, head of the Collegiate Connection program, at 260-481-5478
