The phrase “first-year junior” may seem like a contradiction, but it’s a reality for some Miami University students this fall semester. Dual enrollment has become a popular path for high schoolers over the last few years, especially with the introduction of programs such as Early College Academy (for Miami Regionals) and the heightened awareness of College Credit Plus (CCP).
According to data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, nearly 2.5 million high school students took at least one dual enrollment course from a college or university in the 2022-23 academic year. According to Ohio’s Department of Higher Education, statistics for CCP include 14 participating universities, 24 branch campuses, 23 community colleges and at least a dozen early college high schools within the state.
I happen to be one of those students.
For two years, I traded my junior and senior years of high school for a full-time education at Miami’s Middletown regional campus. I learned about the program early in my sophomore year after seeing an email from my counselor. To me, it represented the fast-paced academic environment I had craved for a long time.
It wasn't a hard choice either; I kept my close friends and extracurriculars, and I still participated in major events. I was plenty happy to ditch high school politics and excess amounts of study halls, and though I never disliked my district, I was running out of options that fit my future. There was a limited selection of Advanced Placement classes to take, and I didn’t see many programs that matched my interests at our local career-technical school, either.
I graduated last spring from the Early College Academy, where I had been accepted in 2023 as part of its second successful cohort. Some attended the ceremony, but not all, as the day happened to be the same as some districts’ high school graduations. My own was a week after I walked for Miami, a situational irony that was not lost on my friends and me.
It was an amazing opportunity, but it did make my choice to enroll at Miami atypical. I applied to other schools, surely, but I knew that it didn’t really matter in the end. I made my choice two years ago, and it was common sense to simply follow through with what I started.
Now, it’s simultaneously my first and third year at Miami. I don’t know where anything is since both regional campuses are tiny in comparison. Hamilton has five academic buildings, but for Middletown, there are only three. Just to conceptualize how condensed everything was, all three of my in-person classes were in the same building and on the same floor last semester.
The jump from attending those to powerwalking every other day from Williams to Pearson Hall within a 15-minute timeframe is far from smooth. But then again, that means I don’t share many classes with other first-year students.
I skipped out on UNV 101 completely, and so did many of my friends, because the academic workload and balance were not new concepts. The social aspect and exposure to so many different people at the same time definitely was, though.
I’m still navigating those challenges the same way people my age are, but without the opportunity to relate in the curriculum. Organizations, jobs, internships and research opportunities aren’t the same, either. I don’t have the background of a typical junior, but I’m still expected to graduate in two or three years regardless, entering the workforce a bit out of my wits.
It makes me think: is it worth making connections or new friendships, knowing that it won’t be long until I graduate again? Do I have enough time?
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I can only imagine this is what my peers might be thinking whenever I wave them out in a crowd or lecture hall. But the anxiety doesn’t last too long. I’m still joining clubs, attending events and having fun. For myself, I’ve been able to get an on-campus job and participate in volunteer work while making new friends. The path may look a little different and steep, but I’ve been here, and that has never stopped me before.
Maureen Wilson is a first-year student majoring in English literature and minoring in creative writing. She is an opinion writer for The Miami Student and a senior staff writer at the Miami Regional Pulse News. She’s involved in MU Kababayan and Bridges Scholars, and she enjoys watching films in her free time.
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