If you’re currently a junior and have mixed thoughts on what classes to sign up for during the 2017-2018 school year, I would strongly encourage you to take Kirkwood classes. You might be on the fence for many reasons, thinking the classes will be too hard or you’re not sure if they will benefit you in any way.

This year I am enrolled in the Arts and Sciences Academy at Kirkwood and take psychology, composition 1, fundamentals of oral communication and composition 2. You may be thinking to yourself, “I have already taken AP Lang and AP Psych.” It doesn’t matter though because these classes transfer into almost any college and count for a semester’s worth of rhetoric. In other words, if you plan on going to college in the future, by taking these classes you will already have 12 credits or a semester of an English GED fulfilled.

Other than satisfying college credit through these courses, they also count towards your four years of language arts graduation requirement at Kennedy. So, if you take these classes, you will not be required to take any additional language arts course in high school.

Another feature of enrolling in these classes is that you don’t have to drive all the way out to Kirkwood’s main campus. The Arts and Sciences Academy classes are taught in the Linn County Regional Center off of Boyson Road. For most Kennedy students, this is very convenient and is an easy drive. Along with the great access, the Kirkwood calendar matches up with the Kennedy calendar very swiftly. All breaks line up, for example if you plan to travel over Thanksgiving, Christmas or spring break, you are completely able to do so.

If you’re hesitant because you hear the term “college classes” and you feel they will be too difficult for you, don’t let that hold you back. These classes are very reasonable and helpful in preparing you for a university or a community college after high school. I have had much success in these courses due to the understandable professors. I would say my classes at Kirkwood are very comparable to the AP classes I have taken at Kennedy.

Lastly, a nice little reward when taking Kirkwood classes is the benefit of them being college classes, meaning you will get a month off of your classes during winter break and you almost get out a month early upon graduation in the spring. Therefore, if you take the morning classes you will get to sleep in for the last couple weeks of each semester before going to your high school classes or you will be released from high school early for the last couple of weeks if you’re in the afternoon session. Either way, the extra time is awesome.

I highly recommend this academy to anyone who plans to go to college. There’s not one negative aspect to taking these classes, they are even free and so are the textbooks. Sign-up for them today and make sure to keep attending info sessions to learn more about this incredible opportunity.