Waking up to an ear-piercing alarm clock at 6:00 AM on a Monday morning after a long weekend sounds torturous, but how does 10:00 AM sound? Instead of slumping to a boring third period class to do nothing but copy notes from a PowerPoint, how about walking out the front doors of school and having the rest of the day off to do as you please? These are just a couple of perks that come along with being a senior and enrolling in FCC’s Open Campus program.

While many students may be intrigued to hear about half school days, there are strings attached (and sometimes whole ropes that you can hang yourself with.) FCPS gives seniors the opportunity to be immersed in a college environment, taking classes on campus at Frederick Community College, but there is the expectation that students can handle the workload and be independent learners.

If you are currently a junior and are considering enrolling in Open Campus next year, there are two options: Leave school for half the day and drive to FCC’s campus for class, or stay at Linganore and work through the same course, but with your peers in a more familiar environment. This is the new dual enrollment.

Student services chairperson Paula Larson advises that the choice must be individual. “Some students, such as those with older siblings or who have been exposed to certain activities, are ready for the college environment, and I would encourage them to take an [off campus] class. For others that aren’t, I would encourage them to take dual enrollment here at Linganore.”

Either option is a win-win. Larson warns that students must “investigate the process with an understanding that it is not a guarantee.” All students must take a placement test at FCC’s testing center to qualify or have a high enough SAT score.

Larson believes open campus or dual enrollment is a huge help in transitioning to a college environment. “When I went away to college I had no idea what it was going to look like.”

Corbin Austin is a senior who participated in the Open Campus program and took classes at FCC, and Hood College. “I wanted college credit, but I’m not good at AP tests.”

Austin’s favorite aspect of Open Campus was getting to leave school after only one class period, and his least favorite was all of the driving he had to do to and from Frederick.

Rachel Peterson is also a senior but chose the traditional path of staying in school all day. She chose not to enroll in Open Campus. “I wasn’t 100% sure what it entailed so I stuck with a normal school day. I like the classes I’m taking here.” Child Development is one of her favorites.

Open Campus Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Gaining College credits before graduating high school
• College environment experience
• More options of classes (ex: Human Relations isn’t offered at Linganore)
• Time out of school – sleeping in in the morning, getting out early in the afternoon
• Meeting new friends in classes

Cons:

• Inconvenient location
• Lots of gas money and time spent driving
• Harder to be involved in school (Miss club days)
• Out of the loop with friends
• Have to come back at the end of the day for sports
• Class prices average around $500 with textbooks