The pressure of doing well is everywhere; especially for high school students entering the college field. A portion of PSEO students of Anoka Ramsey Community College are going through the struggle that is possibly bringing their GPA and grades down.
Beginning in high school, students get used to the life where slacking off is heavy, friends are number one, and teacher’s are simple. Entering a whole new environment of college they have to adjust to something different. Some students though, gain even more struggles, beginning their junior year as college students. 17 year old PSEO student, Desirae Cram, stated, “My family was very supportive of it. Actually, it was kind of pushed onto me. In the end, it was my decision to do PSEO but if I decided not to then I think my parents would have been upset with me.” A large portion of students entering college in their junior year, go through that process, of parents pushing them for such an opportunity. PSEO is, after all two free years of college. Free college then sparks a desire, to finish as many credits and classes that could possibly finish schooling sooner after finishing high school. Although it is the student’s choice to load on credits or not, some parents find themselves involved in the decision also, and push their juniors to take many credits so that paying for college would not be such a high price. Another PSEO student, Carla Hemminger, said, “My mom was very interested in me joining the PSEO program. She actually pushed me to take more than one class. She kept saying, “It’s free college, Carla!””
Family and friends love to get involved at this point. But counselors do their job and warn of the consequences expected when following such pressures. High school counselor of Pact Charter School in Ramsey, Heather Walsh, warned, “I always caution parents when setting these expectations for their kids. They may be setting their child up for failure if the student is unprepared or over challenged with college level classes. Students' ability to carry a high credit load of college level classes varies from student to student. Some students would bloom and thrive much better in a high school environment. Some students fail PSEO classes as well where they wouldn't necessarily fail a high school class, which compromises their high school diploma as well as future college plans. Other students may get by, but nearly all students I see take PSEO classes are highly challenged at the PSEO classes and most earn a lower GPA while taking PSEO classes than they did when they were taking high school classes.” Walsh does all that she can to have her students succeed in not only school but life also. Sometimes though, it becomes a struggle when students don’t communicate or contact her about their trouble.
“I used to do PSEO also and I have to admit, I wish I could have contacted my counselor more often. The only time I saw my counselor was when I had to fill out the 3-part state form and even then she just filled it out and I would leave right away. I struggled a lot in my classes, barely passing a few of them.” Aleena Krinitsyn, now a student of Northwestern College, stated. “My parents would pressure me into getting enough credits to graduate with an Associate’s Degree. That’s about 16 credits per semester. The recommended is 12 credits per semester. I did eventually graduate with an AA but my grades weren’t the brightest Letters on my report.” Krinitsyn wasn’t the only one out there being pushed to more credits. A few others had also accomplished what their parents desired, but with lots of stressful lost brain cells and sleepless nights.
The more credits, the more time spent on studying. A general rule of thumb for college classes is that you should expect to study about two to three hours per week outside class for each unit of credit. Based on this rule of thumb, a student taking 15 credit hours should expect to spend 30 to 45 hours each week studying outside of class. Students entering PSEO are expected from their counselors and teachers to be responsible of their choices and lifestyles, especially during college. Walsh also added, “I expect that PSEO students are independent, good problem solvers and good at using any resource they have available to them, in order to be successful. PSEO students need to meet high school graduation requirements as well, though there is a little more flexibility and options for them to do so.”
There are though, those parents that don’t need to mention anything, and their student dives into college by themselves. Erica Eggan of Pact Charter School in Ramsey, confirmed, “My parents were very supportive. I don't remember discussing it with them, but I remember just knowing that I wanted to do PSEO and them being supportive of me! My mom helped me get everything done that I needed to get done (accuplacer test, online orientation, and signing up for classes). It would have been a mess if my mom hadn't been helping me along- keeping me on track with everything I needed to get done.” Parents are those that could and should push, but not to the point of stress and trouble. Students are making this decision to receive the free opportunity; parents are support and that drop of confidence.
