What does college actually feel like?
What are the classes like? How different is it from high school? And how do you know if you’re ready?
Some OCSB students don’t have to wait until graduation to find out.
Through the OCSB Dual Credit Program, eligible high school students can take a college course or apprenticeship training while they’re still working toward their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
For one recent OCSB graduate, taking a Dual Credit course was an opportunity to experience college-level learning before transitioning to postsecondary education.
“It just prepares you for what university and college would look like,” she said. “I think it’s a really great transition step.”
What is a Dual Credit?
Dual Credits allow eligible high school students to earn credits that count toward both their high school diploma and postsecondary education.
OCSB students can earn up to four Dual Credits, with courses available in areas including Psychology, English, Math for the Trades, Business, Public Safety, and Arts and Design.
Courses being offered this fall include:
- Introduction to Electrical Trade Theory
- Introduction to Residential Construction
- Skills for Academic and Business Success
- Photography Foundations
- Crimnology
- Professional Communication
- Game Design Foundations
- Character Design
Through the OCSB’s partnership with Algonquin College, students also get something that can be hard to understand until you experience it for yourself: a chance to see what college is really like.
A First Look at College Life
For the student featured in our video, that meant learning from a college professor, experiencing longer lectures and taking more responsibility for her own learning.
Her advice to other students is pretty straightforward:
Show up on time. Pay attention. Take notes. Get to know your professor. And do the work.
“It just makes you feel like an actual college student,” she said. “It makes you feel like an adult.”
A Dual Credit can give students a chance to try something new, see how they respond to a different learning environment and get a better sense of what they might want to do after high school.
More Ways to Explore What Comes Next
Dual Credits are just one of the ways OCSB students can explore their interests and future options while they’re still in high school.
Students can also explore Cooperative Education, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM), the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), Focus Programs and the OCSB Elite Skilled Trades Academy.
There isn’t one pathway that works for every student. These programs give students different opportunities to learn, explore careers and discover what works for them.
Interested? Start With Guidance
If you’re wondering whether a Dual Credit could be right for you, talk to your Guidance Counsellor.
They can explain the available courses, eligibility requirements, and how a Dual Credit could fit into your high school plan.
And if you’re still not sure, our recent graduate has some simple advice:
“I just recommend trying it.”
