I wanted to offer some experience from a parent's perspective on dual enrollment. I can only speak for Florida as it may be different in other states. My S graduated last year and is part of the class of 2018. He is a very good student and went to a High School that takes pride on its IB program.
During his freshman year in HS he was recruited for the IB program. We all discussed the idea and his mother and I were all for it but he didn't want any part of the IB schedule. He said he knew upperclassman that complained about the time needed to do the work which limited some from entering sports, after school EC's and part time jobs. He pleaded with us to look into dual enrollment as an alternative.
I did my due diligence and researched the DE program and was quite surprised to find out that students can take college courses at the local community college at no charge. We discussed it and decided to take the DE route. He took a test to enter the DE program and started at the beginning of his junior year. His HS required that he go to HS for one class first period and then he went to the local CC to take his courses. My S continued to play HS sports and he graduated HS with 38 college credits.
Keep in mind if your child chooses DE this will be the start of their college education including their GPA. I only recommend this for a responsible self driven student. Also, since the student is in college they will obviously have much more independent time during the day. The college experience they gain dealing with professors and understanding the college dynamic is invaluable for their future college challenges.
DE does take your student away from HS all day which means their interaction with their friends is limited. We were forced to get our S a vehicle prior to his junior year of HS so that he could drive to CC and his sporting activities. In many ways your student is finished with HS before their junior year, this may not appeal to many students or parents. Also, besides the one class he took in the morning at HS he was finished with school a month earlier than his HS counterparts which helps with summer jobs and/or volunteer work that helps with the college resume and needed for Bright Futures.
DE students create their own course schedule and are dependent on the HS Guidance Counselor knowing the students requirements to graduate HS. Also, as I mentioned earlier this starts their college career and your student has to know or have a good idea of what their college major might be so that the courses they take are not wasted credits that wouldn't apply to their future major. This takes perceptive juggling to fulfill the students HS graduation requirements and their eventual college major.
My S did have friends in the IB program and we heard constant complaining about how time consuming the program is. After talking to his IB friends once they graduated I didn't see any preferences in college acceptances and offers for honors at the major state universities.
All of the student programs are viable options and it depends which is best for your student.
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