Ever since the second week of the school year, I have been taking a class at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in addition to my high school curriculum. Postsecondary enrollment options, (PSEO), is a program that allows high schoolers like myself to take college classes without paying for tuition or books. Wanting to continue my Chinese education beyond the levels offered at AHA, I discussed next steps with my counselor to begin my involvement with this program. The PSEO program was the main option available to me, so I applied and was accepted; once accepted, I had to go through training, guidelines, a placement test, and setup to be ready to apply for the class. After the necessary online steps, I picked up my student ID card and books at the student center building. The entire admittance and application process helped me to learn how to complete tasks for myself as all of the necessary actions must be taken by the student, not a parent.
On the weekdays of Monday-Thursday, using a predetermined process with my counselor and the school, I sign out at the front desk after 6th period and drive to the parking garage at UMN. Parking is the only expense that comes as a result of attending my classes. I walk to my building, sit in the same spot in the classroom every day, and talk to the people that I have made friends with while taking the class. The class is taught for 50 minutes, after which I either stay to talk with friends, go to the architecture library across the street to study, return to Holy Angels to pick up my sister, or go home. On a Friday, the Chinese class is taught through Zoom, so after sixth period, I go upstairs and take the class in an empty office space that the counselors have arranged for me. This process was repeated quite consistently throughout the two semesters as the classes were at the same time. Despite potentially seeming complicated, the process was easy to figure out after about a week and I became efficient at it by the second semester. Although the schedule means that doing after-school activities at Holy Angels is not possible, taking the class was more important to me and will help my future more than extracurriculars.
I would recommend anyone who outgrows the possible classes in high school to look into the PSEO programs at other universities and colleges. There are multiple schools who accept PSEO students, not just UMN, so there is a chance for many people to take advantage of this program. In addition, it is a good way to get college credits at little cost while still in high school. For anyone concerned about the homework or difficulty of the classes, I would say that for my 5 credit class, we did have homework every night and the content was difficult. However, it was still manageable and should not be a concern when considering the program. Another benefit is getting to have an authentic college experience before you are actually in college. This benefitted me as I was able to make friends in all levels of college and I was able to see what I liked and disliked about a college environment, such as class sizes, student life, the overall campus environment, etc. I later utilized this knowledge when I went on college visits and will take it into consideration when applying for colleges in my upcoming senior year. Overall, PSEO is a great program that furthered my Chinese education, gave me the confidence to make friends with older peers, and gave me a great pre-college experience.
