Josiah Daniels
April 28, 2011
Enterprise PSEO
PSEO Students at Anoka-Ramsey
Have you ever wondered about PSEO students? What do teachers think of them? How prepared are they for college? How well do they perform? What do they think of college?
PSEO stands for Post Secondary Enrollment Option. It is a program where the state of Minnesota pays for juniors and seniors in high school to go to college. According to the Dean of Research and Evaluation, Nora Morris, 891 students at both campuses of Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) were PSEO students in 2009.
When it comes their performance, “Honestly, I can’t tell the difference between PSEO students and more traditional students,” commented English teacher Dr. Kate Maurer.
Likewise, English instructor Kathleen Hoffman said, “They keep up very well with the rest of the students.”
In fact, according to ARCC advisor Maria Barlage, PSEO students seem to play a vital role in higher-level math courses. “I don’t know how our higher level math classes would get filled with out PSEO students.” Barlage went on to explain how because PSEO students come straight from high school, they tend to remember their mathematics better. However, some of the other students have forgotten theirs because they’ve been out of school.
In Barlage’s opinion, the performance of PSEO students ranges in excellence. However, she also believes that this is true with the general population as well.
Tami Duke, a counselor at Princeton High School, estimated that only about three percent of students at Princeton, who start PSEO, drop out. However, she did say that about 10 percent sign up for PSEO at registration and then don’t end up enrolling at a college.
Likewise, when Dr. Maurer was discussing how prepared PSEO students are for college, she stated how it is usually “hit or miss.” But, it is also like that with the general population as well, she explained.
Actually, according to The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MNSCU), PSEO students had a success rate of 80.2 percent in between the fall of 2008 and 2009 whereas regular undergraduate students had a success rate of 69.7 percent. MNSCU also stated that this level of success has been fairly stable over time.
In regards to PSEO student’s maturity level, Hoffman commented how she noticed that about 90 percent of PSEO students seem to be mature whereas the other 10 percent aren’t always. She continued to note how the immature PSEO students can often times get on the nerves of the more traditional students.
Furthermore, Barlage commented on how, in her opinion, the home school PSEO students seem to be more mature than the other PSEO students. She attributed this to the idea that home school students tend to be used to working on their own more. According to Norris, home school students accounted for 138 PSEO students in the fall of 2009.
But what do PSEO students themselves say about PSEO?
“I think it’s actually easier than high school,” commented Tim Hasser. Hasser stated that he believed that the flexible hours of PSEO makes it easier. Hasser also commented on how he goes to school two days a week. Hasser will graduate with 4.0 GPA and his Associates in Arts degree this spring.
Likewise, PSEO student Cody Farrond commented on how he thought PSEO wasn’t much harder than high school. However, Farrond did mention one challenge. “You have to take a lot of classes that you don’t want to take,” he explained.
Hasser commented on how one of the hardest parts of PSEO is missing friends at the high school. Duke also reflected the same information by commenting on how some of the students she councils in PSEO say they miss their friends.
On the contrary though, Duke commented on how a lot of students like the flexibility they get with their schedules. “They like not being in the high school with the ‘drama,’” she noted.
Additionally, several PSEO students commented on how teachers at ARCC are very accessible and helpful. However, one student did mention how he thought some of the teachers weren’t very structured with their teaching time.
“Yes I would recommend PSEO to other students. It’s a great way to get a leap start on your career,” commented PSEO student Samuel Wagner.
Similarly, Farrond thinks that PSEO is a good option for high school students who want to get a head start on college.
Stephanie Daniels, an incoming PSEO student, commented on how she thinks PSEO is a good option as well, but that she’s not sure it’s for everyone. “Some people just aren’t ready to take on the responsibility of going to college yet,” she explained.
For example, some people don’t think that PSEO is right for them. Josh Norman is one example. Norman went back to his high school after one semester of PSEO at ARCC. “You really have to be in that college mindset, and not everybody is ready for that in high school,” explained Norman.
In Duke’s opinion, “Sometimes I feel like students are trying to push too hard, too fast and don't revel in their high school experience. But it really just depends on the student.”
Side Bar:
What Classes do PSEO Students Take?
Do you remember what it’s like at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) in the fall semester when the days come for PSEO students to register for spring semester classes.
There is the crowded front entrances, the busy counselors, and the stressed PSEO students hoping that they’ll get the classes they want.
Have you ever wondered what classes all of those PSEO students are signing up for?
According to Nora Morris, the Dean of Research and Evaluation, statistics show that College Writing and Critical Reading, English 1121, has been the top choice of PSEO students for the past nine years.
These facts are for both the Cambridge and Coon Rapids campus’ combined.
Coming in second each of the nine years has been General Psychology, PSYC 1110.
Third place has been mixed through out the past nine years. However, the most common third place appearing has been General Sociology, which has appeared in third place seven of the nine years. College Algebra and Introduction to Speech Communication were the other two that each robbed a year from General Sociology.
Other common courses include American Politics and Government, Interpretive Chemistry, and Principles of Economics.
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