Free resources · Checklist · By FastTrack Advising

Is my teen ready for dual enrollment?

Twelve questions, best answered with your teen in the room. Mostly yes means start with one course. Mostly no doesn't mean never; it means there is a specific thing to fix first, and the no tells you which.

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The work itself

My teen finishes homework without being chased for it.
They can read a syllabus and tell me what's due next week.
They've handled at least one class where the teacher didn't remind them about deadlines.
They understand that the grade goes on a college transcript and stays there.

The plan

There's a subject they're already strong in that we could start with.
We can name the courses this would replace or add at the high school.
We've checked whether the course counts toward high school graduation, not just as an elective.
We have at least a rough idea of the kind of college they might attend, so we can check transfer.

The logistics

We know how they'd get to campus, or the course is online or taught at the high school.
The college schedule doesn't collide with a sport, a job, or a sibling's pickup.
We know who pays for tuition, books, and fees in our state and district.
We know the notice or application deadline, and it hasn't passed.

0 of 12 yes.

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How to read your answers

Ten or more yes. Start with one course next term, in the subject from the first "plan" question. One course is enough to learn how your teen handles the pace, and it limits how much a rough first term can affect the college record.

Six to nine. Look at which section the no answers cluster in. Logistics problems are usually solvable in a month. Workload problems are worth a semester of waiting.

Five or fewer. Wait a term and revisit. Dual enrollment is not going anywhere, and a bad first college grade follows a student for years.

If the sticking point is the plan itself, which courses and in what order, that's the part we do with families.

Is my teen ready for dual enrollment? · FastTrack Advising · https://fasttrackadvising.com/resources/readiness-checklist · By FastTrack Advising

About FastTrack Advising

FastTrack Advising. FastTrack Advising works on dual enrollment and nothing else. We help families choose college courses a high schooler can take now that will still count toward the degree later, we check every course against the transfer rules of the colleges they name, and we stay in the picture through registration so the plan gets used. When the answer for a student is to wait a term, we say that too.