Madison High School

Within high school there’s always posing stress to not only keep up but stay ahead of each person’s academics. One of the major stressors kids find themselves worrying about is dual credits. These courses basically give a jump start on college for just a fraction of the price. While it is nice to get a head start on these, it is never too late to get started. There is a dual credit program with most colleges and each has a variety of different courses involved. Although, if there is a college that one plans on attending, they should involve themselves in their dual credit program. This is because one can gain a scholarship by taking dual credit classes through their school. Now the question is, what classes are most beneficial to take? It is always important to remember that one’s preferences in career and majors might change so taking courses that are “prerequisites” is a much safer route. If you have already taken career-driven courses, do not worry. These classes can transfer as a certain prerequisite that will add to finished credits. If you want to find how courses will transfer from certain institutions into your institution you can click on this link - https://www.sdstate.edu/academics/transfer-agreements-state. This will send you to the credit transfer website on South Dakota State University. Even if you do not plan on attending college at South Dakota State University, you will still get accurate information from this site. If you do not see the school you will be attending you can email the SDSU help desk linked on that page to see how your credits would transfer. A good dual credit schedule that I have found to be very beneficial is as follows: Start off by choosing one course to start off your dual credit experience, whether that’s within your junior year or senior year is not important. This will allow you to get a feel for what you will be pushed to while in a college course. Depending on your workload in high school you may need to adjust for the next semester, but keep in mind, you should not take more than two courses at a time. Two six-week courses at opposing times is a good route for a junior year summer. This will give you a good amount of free time with a bit of work throughout your whole summer. Keep in mind, if you take a six-week course you will have a bit more work as it condenses a full semester into those six weeks. If you feel overwhelmed by this, try not to take two during a semester of high school, because the double workload is not a simple task. Try to remember to not burn yourself out because you can only do so much. A few good classes that will most likely transfer anywhere and will be valid prerequisites are Music Appreciation, College Algebra, College Speech, Sociology or Psychology, or any more prerequisite courses recommended by the counselors. These courses will most likely be held online but you have the option of going in-house at DSU if you choose to go that route. Dual credits can be very much formed to fit how you learn best. However one chooses to approach their future, whether that’s going to college or going straight to the work field, one needs to frequently consider the next step. This is why dual credits giving you that push into that next step is such a bonus that can be so crucial to one’s future.