Getting A Head Start

Riley Gautieri, Middle School Page Editor

As students prepare for their college education, many take an opportunity to begin it before even graduating high school. Dual credit classes are a great way to get a head start on your freshman college credits. Fair Grove junior and senior students have an opportunity to begin on their credits while still in high school. There are a variety of dual credit classes offered at Fair grove throughout the school year, and in a varying range of subjects. Students who take this opportunity seriously are able to earn early credit hours to go towards their college education at a cheaper rate than the average credit hour.  

The dual credit classes offered are College English and Composition, English IIII, Advanced American History, Vet Science, Ag Construction I and II, Computer Applications, Personal Finance, Government, College Algebra, Advanced World History, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish III and IIII. The classes are run through Drury and Missouri State University in Springfield. Students who take the classes enroll with help from their in class teacher at Fair Grove. The setup of the curriculum varies from class to class, but for each of the classes has the same general idea. The dual credit class that the student is enrolled in through the given college, is also a class that they are enrolled in at Fair Grove. The student attends their regular classes, but is given additional work, related to the given class, that they must complete in order to earn their dual credit hours. Some classes assign this work through a school website while others have assignments like writing a paper or other projects and assignments to do in class.

Students can largely benefit from taking dual credit classes. Taking the classes gives students a head start on their college career. Students who decide to take dual credit classes in high school are able to pay for their classes at a cheaper rate than they would normally. Classes taken in high school are $70.00 a credit hour for about three hours of college credit, varying from class to class, Students who take dual credit courses will also be able to experience the class in a familiar environment, “students benefit by getting to take college credit courses with their classmates and teachers that they know and that know them, all while getting some of the general education requirement for college out of the way while still in high school,” stated Tonya Peck, Fair Grove High School Counselor.

Upcoming Junior and Senior Students interested in scheduling dual credit classes for the upcoming year may talk to their teachers or the school counselor to for more information on how to begin preparing for their college careers.