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Do you really need to take high school classes in preparation to college?

Do you need to take relevant high school classes to your major in college, or will college teach you everything you need to know?
#college #student #college-major #high-school #time-management #college-bound #major #engineering #physics #chemistry #biology #calculus #science #technology #math

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Maxmillan’s Answer

If you are still in high school, I would try to take advantage of the opportunity to speak with your teachers (respective subject matter experts for all of your classes). If you are interested in certain subjects, try to learn as much as you can about those. That way when you begin college, you already have an idea of what it is that you are going to be learning and why it is even important to learn about that subject in the first place. Depending on which school you go to and how the classes are conducted, some introductory courses may expect you to have a basic understanding of the topics. In the case that you do not know certain topics, you can always email your professors or if your class has one, the teacher's assistant, and they will more than likely be able to answer your questions. I think the best thing to take away from your time in high school is a good work habit because that is something that will save you a lot of time and needless pressure for the rest of your life!
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Jonathan’s Answer

It also depends on the fields you want to go into, and how fast you can catch up. For example, high school calculus and college calculus are different, but the former will make the latter much, much easier.
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Ryan’s Answer

Personally I didn't attend High School, I got my G.E.D. at 18 and didn't start college until I was in my late 20's. I don't feel that High School is something that you NeEd to prepare for college, per se, but the math classes do help you be on par with entry level classes in college. I've had a number of friends do running start (or Fast Forward in Idaho), which gave them free college from 16-18 or there Junior and senior years of High School which allowed them to graduate from a community college with an associates degree and they graduated from High School at the same time. I would recommend that to anyone, it will get you 2 years ahead in your college classes and you don't have to go to High School.

Going to a community college was good to me, it allowed for a more relaxed environment when learning many of the base for the fundamentals in math, physics and English. No matter what school you go to you are going to end up taking a LOT of courses that have no bearing what-so-ever on your major, but overall college will teach you most of what you need to know to graduate. As for what you need to know to get a job in the field, not much of that comes from college. At least that was my experience after graduating from college.

Ryan recommends the following next steps:

Look into Idaho's Fast Forward program https://nextsteps.idaho.gov/resources/fast-forward-program/
Look into classes required for your major.
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Amanda’s Answer

Hi Christian!

Something I realized early on in college was the importance of learning HOW to learn. The content is important but figuring out your learning style and practices that help you understand and process information while you're in high school will serve you well, regardless of what major or career you choose. These skills can be acquired in your high school courses by determining what methodologies allow you to retain information and understanding of the subject matter. This may be taking copious notes or reading the textbook or listening intently to a lecture. We all have different learning styles and your high school classes are a great place to figure out which serve you best. Additionally, high school classes can expose you to the topics that make you want to dig in and learn more, which will be a good jumping off point in determining what areas to focus on in college.
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Stephanie’s Answer

I think it really depends on what you want to major in. For any major, being a good writer is very helpful as is doing a lot of personal reading. This can introduce you to topics that you want to major in or take classes in during college. There are many people who go to college thinking they want to major in one thing and change to majoring in another. Also, many people I know major in one field and then go on to work in another. So don't feel bad if you don't know what you want to do or decide to do something different when you get to school.

Stephanie recommends the following next steps:

Take a free hour long course in a business or IT field at HP LIFE: life-global.org
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Lakesha’s Answer

My suggestion would be any classes that you can take in High School for College Credits do so. My daughter actually was enrolled in Dual Enrollment classes in high school. When she graduated in 2019 she received an Associate of Science degree with her High School Diploma. Her credits transferred to her 4 year university and she only need a year and 6 months to complete her Bachelors Degree.

So Yes whatever you can take for no additional charge in high school please do that. Also it will keep you more advanced in your studies.

Thank you comment icon Hi Lakesha, great advice! My son did the same as your daughter in participating in Dual Enrollment classes in high school. It was part of the ACCEL Program here in Georgia. Thank you. Sheila Jordan
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Christian! I think you can wait until college to get more integrated in the fields that interests you. In high school you can definitely still take classes like business or AP classes like biology, chemistry, physics or higher math levels as well, it depends on your interests. It can still help you in preparing for college and making you more confident but there are many things you will learn in college and you'll get to have more experiences with your classes as time goes. For now do what you love in high school, take some classes if they interest you but in terms of your major, college will give you more experience!

Best of luck!
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Gordon’s Answer

Not really, BUT if you have a community college in your area, you will be OK for a four year institution. If you do NOT have a community college in your area, take the college prep classes offered at your high school. An option to consider is finding an internship or some work study credits allowed in your high school for your college interest subjects (auto repair, computer sale or repair, etc in your area).

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Sheila’s Answer

Hello Christian:

In addition to the great comments and advice others have provided, I'd like to add that my son participated in Dual Enrollment where you enroll in college-level courses and earn concurrent credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree. Here in Georgia, Dual Enrollment is part of the ACCEL Program. The Accel Program is for high school juniors and seniors at accredited public or private high schools in the state of Georgia, and is operated in all school terms except summer.

Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit courses are primarily available for any eligible 11th or 12th grade (in some limited cases 9th-10th) high school students. They may enroll full-time or part-time in approved credit-bearing college-level courses by the State Board of Education. Courses may be taken before, during or after regular school hours, on the college campus, on-line or at the high school during the regular school calendar year.

Since you are in the state of Utah, I suggest that you check with your high school counselor to see if Utah have similar type programs.

Best of luck to you!

~ Sheila

Sheila recommends the following next steps:

Dual Enrollment • • https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/CTAE/Documents/CollegeCreditNow-DE-BW.pdf
Accel Program • • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarships/accel-program-grant
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Igal’s Answer

I would tend to agree with G. Mark's answer. I know someone in California who exited high school early. She took a test that allowed them to leave at the age of 16, but I don't know if Idaho has the same kind of arrangement. She wanted to go to a 4-year university, but couldn't because she did not take the required classes in high school, and she had too few credits. So she's now paying to take classes at a community college to satisfy requirements that could have been met in high school for free. This does not seem ideal to me, but that's a route that works for some people. Also be aware that if you're admitted to a university, you might be required to take some basic courses that you would otherwise could have avoided had you taken the appropriate courses in high school.

Igal recommends the following next steps:

Find out what the universities you're interested in attending require from you in terms of classes taken and credits earned before they admit you.
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Melanie’s Answer

I agree with many of the responses above. In high school, I did not take many classes related to business but have a degree in marketing. I took all my classes in college that related to my major but really ended up using both skills I learned in college and skills I learned in high school to gain a career in sales, then fundraising, and now events and marketing. The skills in high school that I found most valuable may not have been tied to a class per say but tied to personality attributes you learn in high school - teamwork, drive, balancing work and extra-curricular activities, finding passions through volunteering, building a network, applying talents to new interests. If you can take classes in high school that support your career goals that is great but if you cannot or are unsure of what you want to do, use High School to get involved, gain leadership skills, work with others cross functionally on teams, lead projects etc. Those are all very valuable attributes that will carry through to any profession you choose.

Melanie recommends the following next steps:

Find Leadership opportunities
Work on Public Speaking - anyone can do it with practice! I used to be afraid in high school and college but now love it and never knew I could until I really tried
Try new things and explore new passions/interests
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G. Mark’s Answer

Most colleges will not accept you without a high school diploma in the first place. And even if they did, there will be courses in high school that prepare you for college and are not available in college. But here's the good part. Why would you want to postpone until college something you could have studied for free in high school and why would you want to miss that experience? I found that the classes I took in high school that I could have taken in college allowed me to learn more in college before graduation, since my classes in college could be that much more advanced.

Now, if you did find a situation where you could be admitted to college without having taken courses in high school, it seems you'd stand to lose more than you gained. So why bother? Get more prepared in high school!
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Donna’s Answer

Christian,

I would say it depends on what you plan for a major and where you are for your base knowledge. Several colleges will let you test out of a pre-requisite class if you can show proficiency in that subject and that you are ready to move forward. I would recommend taking as many college classes that you can take in high school. Save the money. Taking on too many student loans when you don't have to is not something you really want to do. More college credit earned during high school = fewer classes you need to pay for in college.

Good Luck!
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Rachel’s Answer

It is not essential to take preparatory classes in high school. College courses should teach you what you need to know. However, if you have not been exposed to this information in high school, you will be at a significant disadvantage compared to your peers, and your chance of getting an A will be much lower.
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Kristin’s Answer

Everyone's path is different. It's helpful if you are in college-prep (e.g. AP) courses as there may be opportunities for credits to transfer. If you have developed interests or areas where you excel, I would say that your dedication to pursuing more challenging, interesting classes will weigh heavier than the lower level classes taken, even if they are not relevant to your college major.

College will definitely help to prep you for a career, but you'll learn a lot along the journey, including if your interests have changed or expanded. My two (now adult) children started college with one major and each graduated with another major. I personally had one major, graduated with that major, but found rewarding, productive work in a totally different field. Enjoy the journey and self-discovery!
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Dennis’s Answer

Christian -

Always a good move getting the High School Diploma - most Colleges require it but even more important “Knowledge is Power” bridging the High School learning to College will show its benefits later when you are in the middle of taking College courses that are around your field leading to a College degree which is an excellent milestone in itself - Preparation goes a long way and by putting in the work the results will come!

Best of Luck!
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