by Beth McCracken-Harness

When you are thinking about what your teenagers will do over the summer, you might consider a concurrent enrollment class at University of Maryland, College Park. This opportunity is open to talented high school seniors.

My son took courses there in history and PE over the summer, earning an A- and an A. He just got accepted to the University of Maryland, and I think that having previously taken courses there helped.

These courses were paid for by Prince George’s County Public Schools, through the Dual Enrollment Program. Tuition at any public Maryland college is fully covered by PGCPS, and fees and textbooks are also covered for those students who qualify for free and reduced meals. This month, PGCPS is hosting two information sessions for the Dual Enrollment Program.

To enroll in a UMD course, my son had to apply to the university under their concurrent enrollment program for high school students. (That was good practice for applying to colleges in his senior year.) The process was more complicated than taking a course at Prince George’s Community College, but it was well worth it.

To do this:

1) Register for the Dual Enrollment Program through PGCPS: http://www1.pgcps.org/dualenrollment/

For more information, speak with your professional school counselor, or email the PGCPS Dual Enrollment office at dual.enrollment@pgcps.org.

2) Enroll at the University of Maryland, College Park under their concurrent enrollment program for high school students:
http://admissions.umd.edu/requirements/SpecialAudiences.php

The deadline to apply for the summer session is May 1. The application is processed through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and may take up to six weeks. For additional information, contact: um-admit@umd.edu.

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