MCC Dual Enrollment Prepared High School Graduate for Next Steps

Middlesex Community College gave recent high school graduate Leah Thomson, of Reading, a huge advantage as she started considering her options for college. Through MCC’s Dual Enrollment Academy, she got a head start on earning college credit and was rewarded with a number of choices for a four-year institution.

“Thanks to the help of MCC, I was able to be accepted into Bentley, Salve Regina and UMass Lowell,” Thomson said. “MCC has greatly prepared me for college courses and I feel extremely confident in my abilities now that I have attended MCC.”

Thomson learned about Dual Enrollment from a guidance counselor at her high school when she started her senior year. She chose Middlesex because the courses were affordable and flexible. In particular, she enjoyed being able to take online courses she could complete on her own time.

“I love online courses, especially self-paced ones,” Thomson said. “They allow me to learn in any form I’d like to. I can take my time with my material or spend all day on my work. Online courses give me the flexibility to use my hours as I please.”

At Middlesex, Thomson also had the opportunity to dive deeper into subjects that are not traditionally taught in high school. Her goal in the future is to earn a bachelor’s degree in business before pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA).

Taking MCC’s Introduction to Business, Social Media, Business Communications and Statistics gave her early exposure in her field of study. Completing the courses also helped her finish general education requirements that will transfer to a four-year institution. This will allow Thomson to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in less time.

Another one of the main benefits of Dual Enrollment for Thomson was being able to take one class to earn both high school and college credit. Classes such as English 101 taught her how to perform well at a higher level.

“English 101 was most beneficial to me in learning what is expected of me in college courses,” she said. “There was a lot of new learning I had to do from my professor on the differences of high school papers and college papers.”

As she prepares to start at UMass Lowell in the Fall, Thomson is grateful for getting her start at Middlesex and for all the ways the college set her up for success.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent here at MCC,” she said. “I am extremely grateful for every opportunity they have made possible for me.”