The adjustment from academic expectations for high school students to the collegiate level can be abrupt for teenagers. We believe that students should build toward full-time college enrollment. Our preferred path for our student body to do so is labeled, “College 123”. Hutchinson High School recommends that students wanting to take College (Concurrent or PSEO) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses to follow this College 123 idea.
- Begin by taking ONE college/advanced course the first year, then adding ONE course per year. With this expectation, we expect freshmen, sophomores and juniors to be jumping into that first step when they are ready. By their senior year, we feel that all seniors should be earning at least some college credit at some level. By that time, some of our students may even be able to be close to fully enrolled in college classes.
- One reason we believe this is that going full-time college, at any grade level, precludes students from continuing to build on the experiential courses that help to shape student’s passions, build on their skill sets and to continue their social growth toward adulthood. We don’t recommend full-time college enrollment for any of our students.
- Anyone deviating from this plan should have special permission from parents and counselors to ensure that you are ready to take on such a challenge. Really, no matter what age you start, it is a good idea to pace yourself with this expectation.
