An influx of Dominion students are opting out of traditional AP classes and instead opting for a real college course at Northern Virginia Community College.

During the 2015-2016 school year, numbers of students dual enrolling in Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) have steadily risen. At the start of this year’s fall semester, there were about 25 Dominion students enrolled in NVCC and there are 39 currently enrolled in the spring semester. The community college’s High School Outreach Coordinator Cathy Hall predicts that the number of students dual enrolling for next year will continue to rise as students look to kill two birds with one stone by completing credits that will count for both high school and college.

Hall states that the most popular classes for dual enrollment are ENG 111 & ENG 112: College Composition 1 & 2, but DHS students are only allowed to take Government and English classes at NVCC. Many students choose to take this class due to Dominion’s lack of an English 12 Honors course, and see dual enrollment as a “just right” course between Dominion’s options of AP Literature and English 12 Academic. Other students, such as rising senior Sareena Chadha, were looking at taking this course over the summer so that she could “add an extra class that wasn’t English and have room in my schedule for more science electives.”

For students hoping that dual enrolling will be an easier alternative to classes at Dominion, Hall warns them to expect a true college experience. “Students should expect a college-level workload. The workload in any given course depends on the requirements of the professor teaching that course. Some professors assign homework, others rely on a few tests for the entire course grade. Students should be comfortable self-advocating and communicating with the professor throughout the course.”

Dominion counselor Laura Laiti recommends students who have “shown a strong academic record and who have good self-discipline” to be a candidate for Dual Enrollment.

Because NVCC does not operate on A/B days like at Dominion, finding space in one’s schedule may be difficult for some students. Semester start and end dates also differ from what is typical at DHS because the NVCC fall semester starts in mid-August and ends in early December and the spring semester begins in early January and ends in mid-May. Students dual enrolled at NVCC should also not expect to be coddled at NVCC. Hall says, “NOVA professors do not allow test retakes and most do not accept late work” which could be a huge adjustment to Dominion students who are used to retakes and test corrections.

There is a cost to dual enrolling at NOVA, and students should expect to pay around $171.25 per credit hour. This means that popular classes like ENG 111 and ENG 112 is $513.75. These prices, however, are significantly lower than classes at a four-year college and are a good option to get the basic college classes out of the way.

Despite its differences from Dominion, dual enrollment at NVCC provides a plethora of benefits to students who take advantage of the experience. To Hall, the pros far outweigh the cons associated with dual enrollment. “Dual enrollment offers the opportunity for a student to complete college coursework while still in high school. Some students are able to complete one semester to a full year of credits while still in high school. This allows the student to complete the college degree in less time and for less money. If the course is taken at NOVA the student also has the opportunity to acclimate to the college environment.”

Hall believes that dual enrollment is a great option for students looking to challenge themselves and states that, “the majority of dual enrollment students I interact with enjoy the experience.” She is always available to answer any questions you may have and can be reached by phone at 703-948-7707 or by email at [email protected].