Joan Isaac Mohr
Vice President and Dean of Admissions
Quinnipiac University
Dual enrollment is done in many ways: by taking courses given at the high school that are sponsored by a college or university and offer college credit or by enrolling (with permission from the high school) in a few courses at a local community college while still enrolled in high school. Your decision to do either (or not) should be based on what challenges you want to take on academically. If you can handle the college-level work successfully and your counselor agrees that it’s in your best interest to combine high school and college course work, then go ahead. When you apply to colleges, you’ll provide them with evidence of your academic work. Colleges want to see you be successful in your academic program taking challenging course work—whether that’s honors, AP, IB, or college-level work. And since a college receives every imaginable version of "challenging," they’ll evaluate you based on the path that you’ve chosen and how you’ve handled it! In other words, don’t do it to "look good to colleges." Do it because it’s the right path for you to take.
Still have questions about dual enrollment in high school? Check out Dual Enrollment: The Secret to Getting Ahead in High School!