Ashlyn Brydges

Posted on Thursday, July 7th, 2016

How did you learn about the dual credit program? Who did you complete your application with?

I’ve always been interested in automotive trade since I took it at high school. I’m really close with the Vice Principal there, so through talking with the VP and teacher and doing a bit of research through them, I found that there was a program I could take where I could get a college and a high school credit and be involved in the workforce at a dealership or shop. Through that, I talked to my co-op teacher there and she gave me more info about it. I knew I loved the trades, especially automotive, and I thought it’d be a great experience to try out. It doesn’t hurt to get a credit for college for free. I thought it had a lot of benefits to it. I filled out application with my co-op teacher.

Ashlyn Brydges

Did you attend an orientation session? What did you find most helpful about orientation?

Yes. Last semester I attended the orientation session. It was good. It was where we first met everyone. We didn’t all talk but we talked about the fundamentals of the course involving the math and stuff we would need to know. I was pretty excited to come here for it. It was helpful. It gave me insight and a bit of what I’d be expecting in the course. I didn’t know where the school was or my way around the classes. It was a good bridge between high school and college.

Did you think you were you prepared for the course?

I felt, for the most part, it wasn’t unexpected — the workload. But it gradually developed and got a bit harder as we went. I think it was a good pace to adjust to. I was a bit nervous going into orientation, but as we got into it, it kind of felt like a normal classroom setting. I was able to adjust.

Do you think the dual credit was a good fit?

I love it. I just find it easy. In the schoolwork, I’m getting okay grades. I’m doing all right. But for my experience between here and the shop, I noticed I am taking in a lot in terms of how things work. I like learning how things work together and I like problem solving. Learning different components and how it all works together helps me in the shop. It helps me have some transferable skills when I go into the trade.

Did you require any accommodations? Were your needs meet?

No

How was transportation?

I bussed no problem.

How comfortable were you with the technology aspect of the course?

No problem. I didn’t need any support.

What were the greatest differences between high school and college?

I know they talked about how it’s different from high school, but I think it’d be really helpful to have them explain that it is more responsibility on the student and there are not going to be teachers following them around. Even with dual credit, they’re pretty lenient. It’s going to be a lot different in level 2 and level 3. A lot of students didn’t expect it to be as independent as it is. It’d be good in orientation, in my opinion, to inform them that they are going to have to take a lot of responsibility and leadership over their own work.

Assessment and evaluation: Pretty easy. I think it’s pretty easy, but I think it’s because we are high school students doing this course. I think the course is a little more accommodated to how we’ve been learning for the past 12 years. But at the same time it does have a bit of the college curriculum involved in it. It’s a good middle. It’s not super easy like high school, but I don’t feel like it’s too the extreme where we’re super overwhelmed. I like how our college instructor hasn’t given us anything we haven’t gone over. If he asked us to search something up, it has something to do with what we are doing.

If you needed to communicate with your College instructor, what was the best way?

We have Pierre, the dual credit support teacher. You could talk to him about anything and he’ll find connections for you. My co-op teacher is really good at finding info, too.

Our instructor said to ask anything in class. I feel like Pierre and my co-op teacher were kind of the “outside of school” people to talk to. They were a good liaison in between.

Challenges?

Keeping on track. You have to take initiative in comparison to high school; it’s a lot different. No one is following you around for assignments. You have to take responsibility for knowing what the teachers are expecting of you. I wouldn’t say it’s too challenging, but in a sense it gave me a kick in the butt and told me to get myself in gear and out of the high school mentality and into the workforce mentality. It was a good thing for sure.

Would you recommend that other students take a dual credit? Why or why not?

For sure I think it’s a great way to learn about the trades or whatever course you are interested in and get the hands on experience to see what you want to do. You aren’t spending money on tuition and finding out this isn’t what you want to do. It’s a free course and it’s a great learning experience.

What do you hope to do once you’ve graduated from High School?

Right now I am doing my co-op placement. The service manager there offered me a job. They just don’t have positions so I’m waiting for availability. Hopefully with that I’ll b able to work there and continue. If I can’t get into my Level 2 in the fall, hopefully I’ll just work full time at the dealership until then.

Last say/best advice

I feel it was a good in between for high school and college. I find it’s a mixed course. I think that helps me prepare my mentality for next year. I think it’s really opened my eyes to how big the difference is between high school and college.

• Posted in
• Current Students OCDSB OYAP Rural