When Maria Coles ’25 entered her senior year in fall 2020 at Riverwood International Charter School, not far from Oglethorpe’s campus, the university was on her college search list. She decided that taking some classes as a dual enrollment student would help her get ahead academically—and help her decide whether to apply for admission at OU.

Maria Coles ’25

This fall, Maria officially becomes a first-year Stormy Petrel and joins the Oglethorpe University Class of 2025. She will begin her freshman year with five completed courses worth 20+ credits, established relationships with professors, and a group of new friends she met in class.

The Georgia Dual Enrollment Program provides high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit at a participating institution. Dual enrollment courses may be taken in core academic areas including English, mathematics, science, social science and world languages. Students can register for a maximum of 15 credit hours per semester with a lifetime max of 30 credit hours.

Brothers James and Jack Owen had such a positive experience as full-time students at Oglethorpe that their younger brothers Joe and John decided to enroll through the dual enrollment program. In 2020, all four Owen brothers were active members of the Stormy Petrel community!

In 2020, all four Owen brothers — James, Jack, Joe and John — were active members of the Stormy Petrel community!

“We’ve seen a rise in the popularity of dual enrollment over the past several years and are pleased with the caliber of student this program attracts to Oglethorpe,” says Kim Grady, Oglethorpe’s dual enrollment liaison.

Kierstin Streitel, director of College Counseling at Midtown International School, says dual enrollment is popular among high school students because it allows them to dive deeper into subjects that they are passionate about but may not be offered at the high school level.

“Our students really seem to enjoy the autonomy and flexibility that comes with being a college student. Oglethorpe has been a wonderful partner for our school in terms of size, philosophy, and atmosphere, and has always treated our students as their own.”

As she prepares for her freshman year, Maria says enrolling as a dual enrollment student helped her get a feel for the Oglethorpe community before making a final college decision.

“I ultimately chose Oglethorpe because I got to experience what it means to be a Petrel. I knew I belonged at Oglethorpe because I was able to take classes without anyone knowing I was just in high school. The professors, faculty, and students alike were very welcoming and made me feel at home.”

Oglethorpe University’s dual enrollment application is now open. The deadline to apply for the spring 2022 semester is November 1.