FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
High school helps students identify career goals and the paths a person can take to reach those goals. Most careers that lead to a wage that can support a family require education after high school.
Your high school counseling staff is key to your success. Check with them whenever you have questions. You can also contact college admissions offices directly – review web pages, look for campus visit information, and find contact information. This transfer platform can help you see which community college courses can lead to the 4-year degrees that interest you.
Keep in mind there is more than one way to reach a goal. Some may be faster or more direct than others, some are more usual than others. Keep the faith as you set your own path. Learn from others and, as needed, learn from your mistakes.
Useful Information
For basic information on financial assistance for college, visit Tips for Unlocking Student Aid. You can search for scholarships online, reach out to local community-based organizations that assist students, and check out the Maryland Higher Education Commission resources.
More Maryland students than ever have an opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. But how do the options compare? How do you know which is right for you? The first step is to understand all the options available at your school. Some options that may be available include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) options – These courses usually extend over a full year and culminate in the opportunity to take an exam. The score on the exam determines if you can earn college credit and also how colleges will translate that credit into particular courses. You can receive credit, but the score does not count for your college grade point average (GPA).
TIP: In Maryland, every public college has to post on its website a credit for prior learning policy and how scores on AP, IB, and Cambridge International scores translate into course credits.
- Dual enrollment – High schools across Maryland have different options for students that allow them to take courses that can count for both a high school diploma and a college degree.
- TIP: Grades earned in dual enrollment courses count towards a student’s permanent college GPA.
- Your high school counselor and your local community college or 4-year college can help you assess if you are ready for dual enrollment.
- TIP: Students with college credits still apply as first-time students even though their credits DO transfer and apply to a degree. For more information, visit Planning Your Pathway from High School to College with ARTSYS.
- Early/middle college – One kind of dual enrollment allows you to earn an associate degree while in high school. One specific type of this program is Pathways in Technology Early College High School or P-TECH. These are usually carefully structured programs with advising built in. If you are interested in earning a 4-year degree, you should look at not only how your courses fit into an associate degree but also how they fit into the type of bachelor’s degree you want.
- TIP: For more information about community college courses and how they fit into a bachelor’s degree, visit Planning Your Path from High School to College with ARTSYS.
The ADVICE FOR FAMILIES section is aimed at students who plan to transfer from a community college to a 4-year school, but the advice can be helpful for families engaging with dual enrollment.
