Ethan Kershaw took his first classes at Truman State University while he was attending high school in Smithville, Missouri.
A political science major, Ethan completed these two requirements of the Truman general education curriculum before he arrived on campus as a first-year student. He took MATH 186 (Precalculus) as part of Truman’s innovative Competency-Based Mathematics program (CBM) and later completed MATH 198 (Analytic Geometry and Calculus I) as a dual-credit course.
“I wanted to earn college credits early at a cheaper price, and it was easy to earn the credits at the same time I was taking my usual [high school] math classes,” says Ethan.
Recognizing the value of having these early experiences, Ethan took almost every college course available to him in high school. “I’m glad I did because the classes are a lot cheaper then, and I brought in a lot of credits which allowed me to focus on my major-specific classes.”
While some students worry about the workload of taking college classes while in high school, Ethan discovered it had several advantages. “I improved my ability to manage my time, and I got a taste of what taking a college-level class is like,” says Ethan. “It was also one of my first experiences with a high-level online learning system and made the transition to classes in college with online components easier.”
The environmental advocacy opportunities at Truman played an important role in Ethan’s college decision to attend Truman, and he is proud of his first-year experience as a college student. “I was elected as a voting senator in Student Government, and I was appointed to be the chair of the Environmental Affairs Committee,” says Ethan. “I chose Truman because it is far enough [away] that I felt like I was leaving home, it has programs on environmental studies, and it is an affordable price.”
Whether you ultimately wish to attend Truman, or just want to take some high-quality courses in preparation for college somewhere else, numerous opportunities are available through the Early College Program.