Despite the many rewards of taking college courses while still in high school, the intimidation faced by high school students on their first day of dual enrollment is unmatched by any other experience in life. On the first day, you have to arrive at least 20-30 minutes early to prepare for countless wandering and craning your neck to read signs, beside the fact that everyone is looking at you as if you just illegally crossed the border.

                The actual classes themselves vary by professor; however some surprisingly resemble high school classes. For example, my English Literature Professor made us partner up, introduce ourselves, and learn three things about each other, and then present each other as if we’d known each other our whole lives. My partner however, obviously couldn’t be more enthusiastic, because he listed the three most obvious facts about himself (hair color, backpack color, and the fact that he drives). Other classroom aspects High school students need to get used to are the variety of cultures and nationalities on campus, including the many professors whose first language isn’t English.

                The structure of the school itself is quite confusing as well. For example, many high school students don’t fully understand the function of the panthercard (ID), as they are used to IDs simply taking up space, like it was in high school. The PBSC panthercard however, serves as an ID, a debit card, and access to various machines and infrastructure on campus.

                Overall, the early admissions experience is refreshing, and not easy to get used to, but getting a year of college done for free is surely worth the effort.