This year, twelve ADM students will be graduating from DMACC with an Associates degree. This is a four-year long journey that takes a lot of tears, probably some sweat, and maybe even some blood.
The Associate’s degree is equal to two years of college. It consists of a mix of DMACC online classes and in-person ADM classes worth both high school and college credit. ADM pays for all DMACC courses taken during the school year, so the Associates degree saves students a lot of money. Payton Taylor, a senior receiving her Associates degree, estimated that she is saving at least $50,000.
“I’m getting my Associates in high school because I want to knock off two years of college that I didn’t have to pay for. Since I’m planning to go into vet school, that’s an additional four years, and I didn’t want to have to pay for eight.”
Another student getting her Associates degree is Alayna Freeman. She plans to attend Iowa State University to study chemical engineering. She explained that she committed to her Associate’s degree her Sophomore year, and it has had its ups and downs.
”My favorite class is probably the one I’m taking right now; Med terms. I like learning all the suffixes and prefixes of everything and like being able to identify that. Super fun. The worst class I took was probably oral communications. But that’s also because I totally just didn’t do DMACC for like three weeks straight because I was stressed out in my mind. So I went from A, to failing, to a B in two months.”
Freeman and the other seniors getting their Associates will walk at DMACC graduation on May seventh, weeks before graduating high school. Although she had struggled at times, Freeman explained why DMACC classes can be beneficial to everyone.
“ I would recommend, even if you don’t do your Associates, to take as many DMACC classes as you possibly can. Because it does take a huge chunk, like more than you would think, out of your college bill.”
Both Taylor and Freeman mentioned Beth Knipper as helpful in their journey. Knipper leads the G.A.T.E. program at ADM, so has been instrumental in helping students get an Associate’s degree for three years. So far, she has led six students to completion, but the program has expanded. Currently, there are forty-five students (including the twelve aforementioned seniors) working towards their Associates degree.
“ Benefits, especially if you want to like do a double major or you’re planning on doing a lot of post grad work. You’re gonna save a ton of money or like if you do a double major you don’t have to spend more time in college because you’ve gotten a lot of that legwork done now. So you can do multiple majors in college.”
However, Knipper also explained that the Associates degree can also have minor pitfalls, especially for undecided students.
“Drawbacks, not a fun schedule. Another drawback is sometimes a lot of the electives people take are very specific to a program like engineering or biomed. But if you go into those majors, usually those colleges want you to take their classes. So you still get the credit. You just may have to retake that course.”
Upon whether one should get their Associates degree, Knipper reflected on differences between students.
“ I don’t think it’s a strict yes or no answer. Because I think it just depends on the student, and I think it depends on your goals, which is what I talk about a lot with GATE students when I meet with them about the Associate’s degree.”
If you’re a freshman, sophomore, or even junior interested in the DMACC classes, you can speak with Mrs. Knipper or your counselor to put some in your schedule for next year; you can money and learn about an interesting subject.
