Ethan Kershaw took his first classes at Truman State University while he was attending Smithville High School in Smithville, Missouri.
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. A political science major, Ethan completed these two requirements of the Truman general education curriculum before he arrived on campus.
Ethan observes, “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.”
Ethan recognized the value of having these early experiences while he could, noting, “I took almost every college course available to me in high school, and I am glad I did because the classes are a lot cheaper then, and I brought in a lot of credits which allow me to focus on my major-specific classes.”
Of course, many students worry about the workload of college classes while in high school, but Ethan points out the advantages.
“I improved my ability to manage my time, and I got a taste of what taking a college-level class is like,” notes 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.”
Truman is happy about Ethan’s presence on campus, and he is proud of his first-year experience. When asked what makes him the most proud among his recent accomplishments, Ethan says, “I was elected as a voting senator in Student Government, and I was appointed to be the chair of the Environmental Affairs Committee for 2020-21.” The environmental advocacy opportunities Truman affords played an important role in Ethan’s college decision. “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,” says Ethan.
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.