Dual enrollment ‘too good a deal to pass up’ for Georgia Southern freshman
Alexandria Shearer is a freshman at the Georgia Southern University Statesboro Campus, but thanks to the Dual Enrollment program, she is a step ahead of her college classmates.
Dual Enrollment allows motivated high school students to challenge themselves through college coursework. Shearer dual enrolled on the Armstrong Campus her junior and senior years of high school. Through the program, she was able to take multiple classes and become accustomed to the college life while still living at home.
“My mom worked at my high school, and she knew a lot about the dual enrollment program,” said Shearer. “We just knew it was too good of a deal not to pursue it. It’s free education and free books.”
Now, as a first-year student in Statesboro, Shearer said her transition to becoming a full-time student was easier after participating in Dual Enrollment. She even feels more prepared for her studies.
“Now I’m living on campus, and it’s really cool to be able to know what kind of work I need to put into my classes and not be surprised about it,” she said. “It makes the adjustment to living on my own better too.”
Some students graduate high school earning as much as two years’ worth of college credit, often for free. More than 500 students from more than 25 high schools participate each semester across the three campuses of Georgia Southern.
Shearer was able to take courses including sign language, biology, human anatomy, theater appreciation, English history and world religion, all with little to no costs. This paved the way for her to pick up a second major after enrolling as a full-time student.
“Because I got a lot of required courses out of the way while I was dual enrolled in high school, I have the ability to double major in exercise science and Spanish, while still being able to use my Zell Miller scholarship,” she said. “It’s definitely going to have a really good impact on where I go with life because I wasn’t even thinking about double majoring in Spanish before.”
Most students need to be self-motivated and adapt good time management skills in order to perform well with dual enrollment courses.
“I had to really make time to study and complete assignments,” she said. “It’s a different level of rigor, but it was still very manageable.”
Shearer is appreciative of her Dual Enrollment experience for preparing her for college early, but she’s also grateful for the opportunity to meet like-minded peers.
“What I really liked about it was the level of education that I got, and the people I met who also wanted to learn and do well in school,” said Shearer.
For more information about the Dual Enrollment program at Georgia Southern, visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/dualenrollment.
Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.
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