Middle College is a program that not only gives students the opportunity to enroll in college courses while in high school, but also to attend school at the college campus. Sophomores and juniors are able to enroll and are able to stay attending the college until graduation. But that brings up the question: what is the Middle College experience like? And how does it balance the freedom and responsibilities of being a student in Middle College?
Being a student in Middle College comes with a lot of freedom and benefits, but it is also a lot of responsibility, having the ability to have a flexible schedule, only going to school on certain days or certain times of the day or picking your courses and getting college credits while doing so. Then comes the responsibility aspect. You have to make sure you stay on top of your work while maintaining a balance between leisure time and school. Landon Aleman (11), a current Mills student who spent the first semester of this school year in Middle College, spoke of his time there, ”My experience there was pretty cool. I guess it was rough at times but besides that it was pretty cool.” He talked about challenges of being in the program,”[The hardest part was] the workload that they give. Since you pretty much have homework almost every single day for every class, there’s always something new and the lessons they teach are very long and informative because they try and speed things through.” Aleman had also mentioned the biggest differences between Middle College and Mills was the workload and the amount of people he would see everyday.
The workload and responsibility in Middle College can be overwhelming and too much at times. One could say it may not be for everyone, in the sense that not everyone always makes the best use of their time — coming from someone who procrastinates and falls behind trying to balance responsibilities with classes. At the same time, there are many students who thrive in that type of environment and with the workload that comes with it. There are also students who enjoy the freedom enough to be able to keep up with the workload. The key is finding a balance between both. Jeremiah De Guzman (11) is another current Mills student who spent his first semester of this school year in Middle College. His experience was a little different; while he ended up coming back to Mills, his return was not for academically-related reasons. When asked how his experience went and if he felt the increased freedom impacted him in school, he said, “It was cool, it made school very easy. I could do everything in my own time, 45 minute classes every day.”
De Guzman also mentioned that “as long as you stay on top of your classes [and] don’t let it stack up, you’re chilling.” It’s apparent De Guzman enjoyed his time in Middle College and didn’t feel the workload was too much for him to handle.
All in all, it’s a big responsibility to be a Middle College student. With so much freedom, it’s very important to find a balance. Everyone works differently and has different needs when it comes to learning, but nevertheless it’s a great opportunity for students. It may have its positive and negative sides, but nothing’s perfect. There are always tradeoffs you need to make with that much responsibility and freedom.
