Taking Advantage: Reflecting on Dual Enrollment at UAF as a High School Student

By Ransom Hinshaw

Hi! I’m Ransom Hinshaw, and I’m a fifteen year old sophomore in high school. I’ve been homeschooled my whole life, and I have grown to love learning. I enjoy studying every subject, especially math and history, and I spend most of my free time reading. Since I’ve started high school, my parents have, in a lot of ways, given me the reins for my own education. Last year I chose to enroll in several courses in an online school made specifically for homeschoolers, but it  wasn’t academically challenging enough. This year, I’ve decided to dual enroll in a writing and a math course at UAF through the Alaska Advantage Program. 

I chose to dual enroll for a few reasons. One of them is that I want to get a head start on  college. It would be amazing to have a lot of credits, and maybe even my associate degree, out  of high school so that I can be in college for a shorter time. I want to finish college early so that I  can jump into a career as soon as possible. College can be long, especially if I choose a harder  degree like engineering, and also expensive. If I get a lot of my college done now, I won’t have  to pay as much for my degree after I graduate. I want to start my career and start making a  difference as soon as possible, and dual enrollment while in high school can help me with that. 

Another reason I have chosen to dual enroll is that I want to get familiar with how college  works before I start. Starting college can be a big shock for some people, and already completing several courses may help negate some of that shock. Being in high school, the classes I’m taking now at UAF have low stakes, as I can always retake them later. It will help me pass my other courses in college if I’ve already completed a few in high school. Duel enrolling now will help  me be prepared for when I graduate and leave home. 

I also wanted to dual enroll because school is just plain fun for me. I’ve always enjoyed  learning about all kinds of topics, and the harder the class is, the better. The last couple of years  my school hasn’t been challenging enough for me to really enjoy, so I chose to do college classes  this year. It’s only been a week so far, but these courses haven’t disappointed me. At first I didn’t  know whether I should dual enroll or not, but now I know I made the right decision. I want to  enjoy school so I will be more driven, and dual enrollment is helping me with that. 

Because of all these reasons, I have chosen to dual enroll. My education is very important  to me, and I think I made a good choice this year. I will have at least a few college credits by the  end of the semester alone, and this will help me be set up for the future. I have a love for learning and I want to keep exploring it all my life.