On Sept. 3 between 12 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., concurrent credit enrollment took place in the Hays High School Library.

Juniors and seniors can take classes that count towards their high school requirements as well as for college credit at the same time in these concurrent classes. The classes are arranged by both North Central Kansas Technical College and Fort Hays State University; the options through NCK Tech include Spanish III, Spanish IV, American History, Advanced Placement U.S. History and Sociology, while FHSU offers Psychology and Calculus Methods, as well as College Algebra, Fundamentals of Oral Communication and Introduction to Computer Information Systems, which must be taken as concurrent credit.

If students take general education classes for concurrent credit, they can clear room for more electives and put extra focus into what they want to be doing in college. Another reason students may enroll for concurrent credit is because the price is lower than the average cost of credit hours in most traditional colleges at $112 per credit hour through NCK Tech and $125 per credit hour through FHSU.

“It’s definitely worth it because you get the credit hours, and you get a head start,” junior Abigail Thornton said.

However, not all students take concurrent credit during high school because some colleges do not accept concurrent credit hours, and some concurrent classes often require more from the students than the ordinary class would. This can be hard on students who are involved in a lot of other activities.

With more concurrent credit and other programs like it being used, it is important to consider all advantages and disadvantages before making a decision.