Move On When Ready, or dual enrollment, is a program used by some high schools that allows students to receive college credits during high school. This program was originally only open to upperclassmen, but as of 2 years ago, underclassmen have been able to take part as well. As this program is new for freshmen and sophomores, there aren’t many who are a part of it; I am an exception.

I am a freshman at John’s Creek High School who is a part of the MOWR Program. As an eighth grader, I went through a lot of tedious paperwork to become a part of this program, but it was all worth it.

This program opens up so many opportunities to get a head start on life. There are a plethora of courses that a student can take at the college in the district of their school that transfer over onto their high school transcript, enabling the student to speed through their high school experience. As the typical college course is one semester long, this allows the student to complete more courses in a year than the average high schooler.

For example, in my first semester of freshman year, I looked through the course catalog for Gwinnett Technical College, a nearby community college, and chose American Government and Psychology. The college AM Gov. class transferred over onto my high school transcript, so instead of taking a two semester long high school American government course, I took a one-semester long course and got both high school and college credit at the same time.

The difficult part to this is scheduling. I talked to my counselor and we were able to adjust my schedule to where I didn’t have a second or third period and I had lunch to accommodate for travel time. On Monday-Thursday after my first period ended at 9:30 a.m., I would go to the college, take my 10:30am-11:50 a.m. class, come back during lunch, and continue on with the regular high school day. On Fridays, I didn’t have a college course to go which allowed me to spend that chunk of time revising, studying or reading.

This open block of time only posed a little bit of a problem for my second semester in which I had to select a course that fit the time parameters, but aside from that, it went smoothly. This semester I could only find one class that fit the time parameters, but I’ve occupied my time with other classes. The college English class is on Monday and Wednesday, giving me Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to work on the online class I registered for. Though this load may seem very heavy, the classes are surprisingly easy to manage for me, but then again I have always been very focused on school.

The cherry on top is that I haven't had to pay a dime for it. The school covers the cost of the class and the textbook. The only expenses I have been responsible for are the cost of my college ID and transportation. While some schools have buses that shuttle students back and forth, my school doesn't have that accommodation yet. As the program was initially geared towards upperclassmen who could drive, there wasn't a need to use busses. Now that the option is available for underclassmen, transportation will most likely soon be an option.

Over the last semester with this program, I have become more independent and have learned how to manage my time better. Being on a college campus has been a whole new experience, but it has allowed to me to get used to the environment and know generally what to expect when I get to college. As I am in classes with actual college students, I have also gotten used to speaking with adults which is very helpful. MOWR opens up a world of opportunities that is changing the game and hopefully will be accessible to all students soon.