Staying Overnight, the Ultimate College Experience

Story by Erica Jennings. Photo courtesy of CollegeVine.

I prepared for the trip weeks ahead. I went to orientation, completed my course work, even went shopping for the necessities. But when the day came, and it was time for me to board that blue and orange bus, I didn’t want to go. I couldn’t tell you why, but I was very adamant on not going. It was fun to think about going away from home for about two weeks, but when my alarm went off and I had to get up and get ready to leave… it was scary. However, I suffered in silence, because I knew deep down that this would be good for me.

Where did I go? Virginia State University. Why? The Dual Enrollment program. The Dual Enrollment program allows highschool students to take challenging college courses while still being in highschool. This is a good program to not only experience a college course, but to also potentially go to that school. This program allows you to meet other people and experience college life. 

If you were to ask me what I want to do after college, or what I want to study, it would be between accounting or pharmacy. I’m attracted to these professions as they both deal with management, and in some instances, math. The residential Dual Enrollment program that I did at VSU allowed me to get a glance at what I might do at college if I do follow one of these professional tracks.

This program allowed me to take a nutrition class called Diet 101 and a math course called College Algebra. These courses were the best of both worlds. I got to learn some basics of nutrition that are important for pharmacists, while also learning the math that is the baseline for accounting.

I learned more about college than just coursework. I got to live on campus and experience dorm life, a college campus, and cafeteria food. This was new to me, as I had never been on a college campus for more than a few hours when I went on college tours. College tours and college overnight stays are two very different experiences. While college tours gave me a glimpse of what college might be like, the overnight stay allowed me to actually experience it. 

Without this program, I probably wouldn’t know what it would be like to take classes in a college building until I got there. Without this program, I probably wouldn't get to experience dorm life for myself until I moved in. Without this program, I probably wouldn’t get to meet like minded people until after graduation. Honestly, looking back, I had more positive than negative experiences. I learned a lot while also having fun.

If you have the opportunity to do a program that lets you stay on campus for even a weekend, you should do it. Take it from me, I was nervous at first, but pushing myself out of my comfort zone allowed me to learn more about myself. For example, I learned that I may need to room by myself when I get to college, and I learned that working with like-minded peers helped to expand my thinking. Take advantage of these opportunities, I promise you’ll thank me later. 

Erica Jennings is a junior at Friendship Tech Prep Academy.