Dual enrollment means taking college courses, either at Palm Beach State College or FAU, that can count for high school credits while taking classes at West Boca. Dual enrollment provides a wide range of courses from College Algebra to Creative Writing. But, some courses are worth more in regards to high school credit due to their difficulty or subject matter. The requirements for dual enrollment, at PBSC, are as follows: must have four high school credits (must include at least one math and English course), an unweighted GPA of 3.0, college level readiness scores, and students must attend an information session at PBSC. FAU has similar requirements except you have to have finished your freshman year of high school. “College readiness scores” references your PERT score. The PERT test has three sections: reading, writing, and math. If you meet the minimum scores required for each section, you can begin to take some lower level college courses that are offered at either institution.

To get started at PBSC, go see your guidance counselor, submit an online PBSC application for admission/test scores, and fill out the PBSC Dual Enrollment Program Permission and Registration form for Palm Beach County given to you by your guidance counselor. Finally, you can start enrolling in courses, but with a maximum of 8 credits per term/semester (fall, spring or summer). Information on dual enrollment at PBSC can be found here: https://www.palmbeachstate.edu/dualenroll/default.aspx. FAU dual enrollment information can be found here: http://www.fau.edu/registrar/dual-enrollment/ .

Although these dual enrollment courses are usually directed towards college age students, PBSC and FAU provide a multitude of resources at your disposal to ensure your success in the classes you choose to take, like the Student Learning Center and the PBSC Bookstore. Dual enrollment has a lot of perks including that you do not need to pay for required textbooks for any class because the school district lets dual enrollment students rent textbooks for free with a voucher given to you by your guidance counselor. Most students who do dual enroll start in junior or senior year when it is more likely that they are only taking 5 or 6 classes in school. These classes can be alternatives to many classes in high school, for instance, Aice English is equivalent to ENC 1101/College Composition 1. From a mini survey I made, I asked 15 different students (who have taken a dual enrollment class) how easy or hard dual enrollment was for them. The results showed that most people thought dual enrollment was either moderately easy or very easy. Do not forget that time management and organizations skills are very crucial to success in the courses you would take.

Because dual enrollment offers many different courses in both core subjects and electives, you can choose those that correlate with your interests. Dual enrollment is a great program that provides an array of classes to choose from that all count for some sort of high school credit, and can benefit your high school weighted GPA and jump start your college career.