There are a myriad of different perspectives on how students should spend their senior year of high school. Some say it’s a time to focus on having fun and fostering friendships before going to college. Others say it’s yet another opportunity to get college credit, so students should stay focused. At the end of my junior year, I found myself being pulled in both directions. I knew I wanted to end my high school academic career on a high note, but that I also wanted to have a fun and more relaxed senior year. This is why I decided to do part time PSEO (post secondary education option) my senior year, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

For some context, I have been very academically driven since middle school. I care a lot about my grades, and I take all AP, IB and honors classes. Because of this, I took a full load my junior year: AP U.S. History, AP Calculus, plus three IB classes and electives. I got through it successfully, but I knew that I wanted an easier, less stressful senior year class load. I had considered doing PSEO junior year, but I was worried about it impacting my social life. As much as I would rather not be in the high school at times, I do enjoy seeing many of my classmates everyday. For senior year, I decided I would do part-time PSEO. I had already gotten the required credits for math and science, but I needed a total four years worth of social studies and english. Because college courses run on semesters rather than the full year, I took two college classes per semester plus two full-year high school classes, for a total of six classes and 12 high school credits.

First semester, I took College Writing (English requirement) and Intro to Programming and Problem Solving at Normandale Community College. Between these two classes, I was at Normandale Tuesday through Thursday in the mornings. This meant that I was able to sleep in on Mondays and Fridays. At the high school, I was a TA, and in French V, Echo and a study hall for periods four through seven. All of my college classes ended at 9:50, so I was able to come home for about 30 minutes before going to the high school. This helped break up my day and gave me more time to do my morning routine. For second semester, my schedule is even easier. Currently, I am taking Intro to Psychology (social studies requirement) and Intro to Business and Technical Writing. My psych class is Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and my writing class is completely asynchronous, so I only have to go to Normandale twice a week. I no longer TA or have a study hall, so on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I sleep in, go to fifth and sixth hour and then go home to get ready for my sports. It feels like I’m cheating the system, but I’m getting college credit fair and square. I started at Normandale halfway through August which was not my favorite, but my last final is May 7, making the end of my senior year a breeze.

I have really enjoyed my experience as a PSEO student. I have met some really cool people at Normandale, including PSEO students from other schools that I am still friends with outside of class. Plus, because I had some freedom with choosing my classes, all of my coursework has been very interesting to me. I was very nervous going into the school year about missing out on socialization, especially in my senior year. I combatted this FOMO by not only taking a few classes at the high school, but also by doing sports year-round, going to school and sports events, and making an effort to hang out with my friends. I really recommend part-time PSEO if you want a good balance of college and the ‘senior experience.’ One thing I have never feared missing out on was AP and IB tests!

My PSEO experience has helped me grow in many ways as a student and as a person. Students gain a new kind of independence in college, so learning how to deal with this early on will help prepare me to better tackle my freshman year. Especially for classes that are all online, you really have to keep yourself accountable to get stuff done. In the same vein, doing PSEO helped me avoid senior sliding. Although I have definitely lost motivation as the year has progressed, knowing that I have college classes that actually matter and will transfer keeps me focused on my academics. The biggest thing that attending Normandale has done for me is push me out of my comfort zone. If you want it to be, PSEO can really be a trial run for entering college. You’re in a completely new space, with little to no familiar faces and a different academic dynamic. Learning how to navigate group work with a class full of strangers can be intimidating, especially when many of them are older. However, putting myself in those kinds of situations has helped my social skills and made me less nervous for college orientation. One of the less relevant but most surprising ways PSEO has helped me is forcing me to drive to Normandale a few times a week. Going into senior year, I was not very comfortable driving on freeways. After having to take Highway 100 to class every morning, I am now confident driving anywhere in the Twin Cities.

As with any academic route one may take for their final year of high school, there are limitations and downsides to senior year part-time PSEO. I was very lucky that the two classes that I wanted to take at Park, French V and Echo, were at convenient times that worked with my college classes. When I was signing up for my Normandale classes over the summer, I had to guess when my high school classes would be and hope for the best. Additionally, many science classes at Normandale require a separate lecture and lab on the same day that could take up a good chunk of the day, so the selection of class options may be limited. Obviously there is also the obstacle of having to drive to Bloomington (or the town of your preferred college). There are a lot of synchronous and asynchronous online classes, but if you want an in-person teaching style, then there may be an issue.

Overall, doing part-time PSEO was the right choice for my senior year. I feel that the Marvel quote “With great freedom comes great responsibility” applies perfectly to this situation. There is a lot of independence that comes with taking college classes as a high school student, but you and only you are responsible for staying on top of things. Everyone’s experience will be different, and I can only talk about doing PSEO at Normandale. In general, though, I would recommend part-time PSEO to any incoming senior.