High schoolers getting a jump on college
By Earl Horlyk Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, August 17, 2008
Alex Zimmerman goes through plans while making corrections on them at KC Engineering in Sioux City. Zimmerman has taken numerous college classes while at Sioux City's West High School. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
SIOUX CITY - Perhaps fitting for a young man who mentions NASA as part of his long-term career goals, Alex Zimmerman likes to plan. So what's on his "to do" list?
Graduate with honors from West High School? Check. He did that in May.
Begin his post-high school career at Iowa State University as an aerospace engineering major? He'll be doing that later this month.
How about starting college a few credits shy of being a sophomore? Check.
Zimmerman has already earned 31 college credits, and he did it in high school.
Zimmerman is one of the 553 Sioux City Community School District students who last year took College Board Advanced Placement, or AP, courses and exams during their junior or senior year. He's also one of the 368 students who simultaneously earned high school and college credits for the college-level coursework.
"I wanted to challenge myself," said the ambitious 18-year-old. "And I wanted to give myself a jump start before I left for college."
LuAnn Richardson, the district's director of secondary education and professional development, said Zimmerman is the kind of student colleges are looking for.
"Many high school kids check out during their junior and senior years by taking an easier course load," she said. "That does nothing to help prepare them for colleges which expect incoming students to be prepared for a much more rigorous academic pursuit."
That's why the school district offers college-bound kids several post-secondary education options, Richardson said.
The first option is through AP courses, which allow students to take an exam that will give them college credit in any school in the country. The second option is a program that allows them to take college-level courses for dual credit that are taught in their own high school. A third option, through the Post Secondary Enrollment Act of 1987, allows juniors and seniors here to take free courses at Western Iowa Tech Community College, Morningside College and Briar Cliff University.
But students aren't alone in benefitting. Parents are finding that earning those early college credits can save also money.
Sioux City's Cami Clausen has a son, Max, who plans to attend Iowa State University this fall as a pre-pharmacy medicine major and a daughter, Meredith, who is an East High School senior planning to attend Morningside College as a secondary math major in 2009.
"Max just graduated from East in May and he already has 23 college credits," Clausen said. "Can you imagine how much money that will save us?"
Clausen, who juggles jobs at the school district's Central Campus and PetSmart, knew sending her two kids to college would be a hardship. She worked closely with her children's counselors and college advisers to ensure Max and Meredith knew their options.
"That's exactly what having so many credits means," Max said. "It gives me more options. Right now, I have many of my electives completed so I can concentrate on the course that will help me go towards my major."
Meredith, like her brother, hopes to take dual credit courses during her senior year in high school.
"By the end of the next semester, I'll have enough (high school) credits to graduate," "Knowing that I'll be able to attend college classes for free is certainly an incentive to keep my grades up."
That also proved to be an incentive for Aleah Cochran, who graduated in May from North High School and spent most of her senior year on the WITCC campus.
"I feel like I'm getting much more out of my (WITCC) classes than I thought I would," she said.
Cochran also knows that getting many of the general education requirements completed will allow her to take time off from school without disrupting her timeline for college.
That's also something that Zimmerman sees as an added benefit.
"What will happen if I get an internship and I have to take a semester off?" he asked. "Nothing, because I'll have so many credits racked up that an internship won't change my plans of graduating in four years."
That, according to Mary Leida, is a very smart strategy.
Leida, the dean of advising and associate dean of students for Morningside College, said it's common to see students start college with 30 or more credits.
"I've seen kids who've had 40 credits by the time they've graduated high school," she said. "They'll begin college already well into their sophomore year."
As Zimmerman heads off to ISU in a few weeks, he is looking forward to new challenges. But he also believes he's at a distinct advantage.
"Yeah," Zimmerman said, smiling. "I'll definitely have a leg up over people who begin without knowing what's expected of them in college."
Graduate with honors from West High School? Check. He did that in May.
Begin his post-high school career at Iowa State University as an aerospace engineering major? He'll be doing that later this month.
How about starting college a few credits shy of being a sophomore? Check.
Zimmerman has already earned 31 college credits, and he did it in high school.
Zimmerman is one of the 553 Sioux City Community School District students who last year took College Board Advanced Placement, or AP, courses and exams during their junior or senior year. He's also one of the 368 students who simultaneously earned high school and college credits for the college-level coursework.
"I wanted to challenge myself," said the ambitious 18-year-old. "And I wanted to give myself a jump start before I left for college."
LuAnn Richardson, the district's director of secondary education and professional development, said Zimmerman is the kind of student colleges are looking for.
"Many high school kids check out during their junior and senior years by taking an easier course load," she said. "That does nothing to help prepare them for colleges which expect incoming students to be prepared for a much more rigorous academic pursuit."
That's why the school district offers college-bound kids several post-secondary education options, Richardson said.
The first option is through AP courses, which allow students to take an exam that will give them college credit in any school in the country. The second option is a program that allows them to take college-level courses for dual credit that are taught in their own high school. A third option, through the Post Secondary Enrollment Act of 1987, allows juniors and seniors here to take free courses at Western Iowa Tech Community College, Morningside College and Briar Cliff University.
But students aren't alone in benefitting. Parents are finding that earning those early college credits can save also money.
Sioux City's Cami Clausen has a son, Max, who plans to attend Iowa State University this fall as a pre-pharmacy medicine major and a daughter, Meredith, who is an East High School senior planning to attend Morningside College as a secondary math major in 2009.
"Max just graduated from East in May and he already has 23 college credits," Clausen said. "Can you imagine how much money that will save us?"
Clausen, who juggles jobs at the school district's Central Campus and PetSmart, knew sending her two kids to college would be a hardship. She worked closely with her children's counselors and college advisers to ensure Max and Meredith knew their options.
"That's exactly what having so many credits means," Max said. "It gives me more options. Right now, I have many of my electives completed so I can concentrate on the course that will help me go towards my major."
Meredith, like her brother, hopes to take dual credit courses during her senior year in high school.
"By the end of the next semester, I'll have enough (high school) credits to graduate," "Knowing that I'll be able to attend college classes for free is certainly an incentive to keep my grades up."
That also proved to be an incentive for Aleah Cochran, who graduated in May from North High School and spent most of her senior year on the WITCC campus.
"I feel like I'm getting much more out of my (WITCC) classes than I thought I would," she said.
Cochran also knows that getting many of the general education requirements completed will allow her to take time off from school without disrupting her timeline for college.
That's also something that Zimmerman sees as an added benefit.
"What will happen if I get an internship and I have to take a semester off?" he asked. "Nothing, because I'll have so many credits racked up that an internship won't change my plans of graduating in four years."
That, according to Mary Leida, is a very smart strategy.
Leida, the dean of advising and associate dean of students for Morningside College, said it's common to see students start college with 30 or more credits.
"I've seen kids who've had 40 credits by the time they've graduated high school," she said. "They'll begin college already well into their sophomore year."
As Zimmerman heads off to ISU in a few weeks, he is looking forward to new challenges. But he also believes he's at a distinct advantage.
"Yeah," Zimmerman said, smiling. "I'll definitely have a leg up over people who begin without knowing what's expected of them in college."
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Mary Jo Kammerer wrote on Aug 17, 2008 2:47 PM:
west mom wrote on Aug 17, 2008 2:31 PM: