I'm 16 and I am getting ready to do a dual enrollment for college. Is college REALLY that hard?

Question

I live in Ga and with the hope scholarship you can do a dual enrollment for high school and college. While I am going to college, I am also getting credit for my high school courses without even having to be there. With me doing this program I will graduate from college when I am 20! I have heard alot of mixed reviews on college. I really want to know what I need to be prepared for and also how different it is from high school. I really am kind of nervous :(

Answer 1

I started college a bit early myself, right as I turned 17, and while I'll say I got through it, it wasn't easy and it wasn't very enjoyable for the first couple of years. I had to grow up fast.

Yes, college is harder, especially when you get past your freshman/sophomore years and get past the basic core classes and start getting deep into your major. The coursework is more difficult, the readings are more complicated, the work requires much more researching on your own, and you have to think out your answers to things much more in depth than you would in high school.

The thing that makes college hard though is that college is for adults. Not 16 year olds. Hell, even most 18 year olds straight out of high school have a hard time adapting, so it's even worse for someone younger. Long gone are the days of having a teacher holding your hand through a course. They'll consider you an adult, and will treat you as such, and expect you to be mature and responsible enough to do the work on your own. They expect you to be self-motivated. The professors will not spoon-feed the material to you. The responsibility will fall solely on you to do the readings on your own, do any assignments on your own, and most importantly, understand the material... on your own.

Yes, you can visit a professor during office hours. That is a good way to get to know the professor as well. However, there are other students in the course, and the professor will be teaching other courses as well. So he/she will not be able to help you through every question you have. I encourage you to make friends with other college students and do study groups if you need extra help. See if the college has a tutoring center. I needed a lot of help in college mathematics, especially calculus, because I went straight from high school geometry to college Calculus I, completely skipping trigonometry. It was a nightmare, I had to self-teach myself some trig, but I got through it with a B+. It just took a LOT of tutoring, studying, and yes, meeting with the professor who was very nice.

What makes college hard is that it demands some emotional maturity. Obviously, there's some silly, ditzy people in college too, but if you're starting college at 16, it's obvious you're smart and take your studies seriously. If you want to make a good grades, you'll have to "grow up fast." Professors aren't quite bound to the same rules as high school teachers. Some professors could care less whether you pass their class or not. Some professors purposefully make their classes nightmarishly difficult and stressful. Some professors are very bad teachers and show no interest in what they do. Some professors use coarse language in class. Some professors will insult you and/or make you look and feel stupid, and they do it on purpose. And some are amazingly wonderful and nice people. So it requires a lot of maturity to somehow sit through a semester with a hateful or evil professor and finish the course. Be prepared to swallow your pride and bite your tongue at times.

It is possible. Just be prepared for the challenges, and those challenges won't be so much in the courses themselves, but changing your entire work ethic, making sacrifices, and "growing up fast."

I know this mostly sounds negative. If you seriously think you can do it, then by all means go for it. Just be prepared for a lot of changes. Oh and DON'T get sucked into the party scene! If you're 16, you're jailbait, and that's bad, bad, bad.

Answer 2

I did dual enrollment my senior year of high school. Mine was very different however because for the high school classes I took I got college credit as long as I went above and beyond what was expected for high school students. I was 17 when I did this. My first classes of every day were ITV classes that were offered through the community college at the high school. My school had block scheduling which is very much like college. 3 days a week we had certain classes and 2 days a week we had certain classes. This did help me some when I graduated high school and went on to college. By the time I graduated high school I had 24 hours of college credits while doing the required high school classes. You seem to be a very smart individual and if you stay focused on your school work instead of the many other things out there then you will do fine. College can be difficult, just make sure you keep your head where it needs to be and if you are having a difficult time speak to your professors, that is what they are there for. Good luck and I hope this helps you.

Answer 3

Is college really that hard?
The answer to your question depends on a lot of things. First is your aptitude for learning. Was your high school record good? Second is self-discipline: do you adhere to a schedule, or study and research only when you feel like it? Do you have to be prodded to study? Third is the kind of course you want to take. If, for instance, you had difficulty with calculus and algebra, perhaps you'll find a course like engineering or physics too taxing; you'll really have to work hard to catch up with the lectures. If you're a left brainer, you might find a course in the arts too confining, and you'd probably lose interest easily. Fourth, do you have enough pluck and maturity to wade through college? You will encounter all sorts of people in college; you might get stuck with a professor whose method of teaching is very disagreeable to your taste. It takes a lot of self-confidence to
hurdle the little disappointments that will come your way in college. Fifth, are you in good health: physically and mentally?
If you are not either way, college could be difficult.
By the way, I would also advise you to take it easy. You are still a teenager. There are many things you will learn about life during this phase in your life. Being cooped up with a dual enrollment may not be an optimal way of growing up: remember that it's not all about school and education. It's also about social relationships, emotional growth, spiritual growth (if you're a believer), physical development, and a lot more.
Perhaps when you're older, you can look back and say that you outgrew your childhood in your teen years. You won't have the hang-ups of some people who feel they've been robbed of their precious teen years.
At any rate, good luck!

Answer 4

college is a lot different than high school because you're teachers wont bug you to turn something in and you have to rely more heavily on your study skills because cramming isn't like it was in high school. Depending on how you manage your time sort of dictates whether ornot college is going to be hard for you. I think it's really good to be doing a dual enrollment program because it'll definitely help you better understand college life, get you into harder course material, and get you started on a good track for your future. Try not to worry too much, steer away from cramming, and just try to enjoy yourself. :)

Answer 5

i started taking college classes when i was a jr in highschool. i recommend this because you get more things done, you can graduate hs early and college early too. but it depends on what classes and what levels they are as to how hard they are. but dont take too many college classes while your in high school because you may have too much work. i took 2 college classes a semester while taking a full day of highschool classes my jr year in hs, and that seemed not too much but not too little. i still had time to be with my friends and do things after school and stuff.

Answer 6

College isn't that hard, but I wouldn't recommend doing it at 16 and graduating at 20. Why is everyone rushing so these days? I'm not seeing any evidence that it is useful for anyone?

Answer 7

I'm 16 myself, and also doing dual enrollment in Florida...

It's not that tough, and it's REALLY helpful and saves ALOT of time...