Lander University’s dual enrollment students receive dual benefits. They get to knock out college “gen-ed” courses, while also familiarizing themselves with Lander’s campus and what life looks like as a college student.
Lander has close to 300 high school dual enrollment students per semester taking college courses alongside finishing high school. As the name suggests, dual enrollment students get dual credits, satisfying high school graduation requirements, as well as getting a head start on college credits. Lander offers them to local students for free.
“I chose Lander specifically because I know a lot of people who went and had good experiences,” said Blanton Akers, a student at Ninety Six High School.
Akers has taken English, Spanish, psychology and music appreciation courses.
Ashley Castaneda is a student at Emerald High School who is committed to attending Lander and majoring in psychology. Having finished her high school credits, taking dual enrollment courses is a way to continue her education and get a jump start on becoming a Lander Bearcat in the fall.
“I decided to take dual enrollment courses at Lander because I was planning to attend college there,” Castaneda said.
“I wanted a head start in my college career and wanted to gain an understanding of the place before actually entering as a student. My parents and guidance counselor encouraged me to go because I had already finished my high school credits, so they wanted me to go and further my education. Additionally, I thought it would be beneficial to experience the college environment early, get to know some of the professors and become familiar with the campus and its resources. This way, the transition from high school to college would be much smoother for me.”
For Greenwood High School senior James Logan, dual enrollment courses have prepared him for college life by forcing him to learn new study habits, workload responsibility, the importance of college life and the overall vibe of college classes, he said.
Castaneda echoed that dual enrollment courses have helped her understand what is expected of a college student, such as time management and study skills.
For all three of the students, Lander’s faculty have been helpful. Akers said his professors were understanding when he had to miss class for things like field trips and helped him catch up. His favorite course was English 102 with Dr. Mark Rollins. Discussions in that class, he said, were always fun.
For Castaneda, a future psychology major, developmental psychology taught by Stacey Olson was her favorite.
“What made this class stand out was the way Professor Olson connected the material to real-life situations, which made the concepts easier to grasp,” Castaneda said.
“It was fun understanding the lessons and applying them to people I see daily, and the interactive discussions in class helped me build my confidence and communication skills.”
Logan, who plans to study human biology, health and society in college, cited a chemistry course taught by Dr. David Gardner as his favorite class.
“He was an amazing professor and made the classroom environment hands on, which benefited my performance in the classroom,” Logan said. “He even wrote me a letter of recommendation for my college applications.”
All three students would recommend dual enrollment courses for other high school students.
“My dual enrollment classes have helped me by giving me the experience of being in a real college lecture, specifically with the difficulty of the work as well as the environment,” Akers said.