An Associates degree and Certificate Of Completion (COC) at the end of high school takes time and dedication to be able to achieve. There are many steps in getting the degrees and certificates. This year, Fremont has 13 seniors leaving with their associates and 5 with COCs.
Maylen Russell, a senior graduating with an associates degree, talks about how she was able to get her associates and her experience,“I took a lot of CE courses the last two years as well as AP classes. The ones that helped me the most were taking classes I already wanted to take and choosing to take it through Weber State. AP Calculus also helped me a lot, I got a 4 on the test which gave me 6 credit hours for math.”
The more AP and CE classes you take in early years, the easier it is to earn college credits. If you work hard and stay focused, it’ll really pay off – not just now, but for the tougher classes to face later on. They might be challenging, but in the end, it’s totally worth it.
She continues, “For me it wasn’t super hard, but it definitely would have been easier to not take any college classes. Working towards my associates helped me take hard classes and have the motivation to do well in them. It was hard at times to give up elective classes to take college classes.” If you have a goal that you really want to achieve, go for your goals and be able to push yourself to work harder while not burning yourself out in the process.
Maylen expresses,“I have done hundreds of hours of homework for college classes and oftentimes even had to work hard to take the classes I wanted or needed.”
Putting in effort can be time consuming and exhausting, but if you stay committed to your goals and what you’re passionate about, it’ll pay off and your future self will thank you!
She says again,“Over the summer I am going to Otech for nail tech and in the fall I am going to Weber State for higher education.” Pursuing something you love while also continuing on another path can keep you busy, but it will definitely benefit your future and help shape your career.
Tamera Meacham, one of our counselors, says, “Taking AP and CE classes in 9th and 10th grade is a good way to start.” She’s saying that starting as early as you can will benefit very well and give a good starting point.
She carries on,“For the associate’s degree, if you don’t have 30 college credits completed by the end of 11th grade, it will be most difficult to complete that degree. For the COC, the math and english senior year are important. Without those specific credits, a student can’t complete the COC.” She tells us that it is important to start as soon as possible or you will not be able to get this reward, and the bits and pieces of information on what you can do and act fast.
She says again, “History 1700 or AP history, CE science, art, human dev, English and math.” In that, she is talking about the major classes that you can take and will get you credits closer to getting an Associates or COC.
Cora Sayers, a senior also graduating with an associates degree, reflects, “If you are looking to get your degree and only care about getting college credits, I would say avoid AP classes as much as you can.” CE classes can be more favorable than AP courses for many students, especially for students who don’t perform as well on tests than are required for AP courses, she continues, “I really enjoyed taking Medical Terminology and learned a lot. This class is not required to obtain your degree but it is an option. The other class I really enjoyed taking was Criminal Justice.” Taking classes that offer CE credits while also teaching valuable skills for the future is one of the best ways for students to get ahead a little quicker for their careers.
These are some excellent options for classes you can take that count for CE credits! A few are required, but choosing them over regular classes is totally worth it – they’ll get you ahead and make earning your degree way more fun and rewarding!
Cora continues,Starting later can be more challenging and may take extra effort, but in the end, it’s worthwhile and can help guide you toward achieving your dreams.
Taking CE or AP classes early can strongly benefit you but there is always room for you to be able to start a little bit later in your high school path. Working hard will keep you engaged and bring lots of challenges but there is going to be a chance where it can guide your future. So take them now!
