2025 Clarke County High School valedictorian Emmet Morris said he “100-percent” recommends high school students take dual-enrollment classes.
He is taking around 40 credits with him when he goes to the University of Virginia this fall to major in chemistry.
“I will do maybe a pre-med track, or maybe even research, I haven’t really decided yet,” said Morris. “I’m still looking at different opportunities.”
Clarke County High School encourages students to take advantage of dual-enrollment options, he said, although he got some advice closer to home.
“Both of my brothers went through Clarke County and they both dual-enrolled,” said Morris. “One just graduated from U.Va., and he had a lot of credits. He highly recommended it to me, and I just thought it was a great option. I’m pretty sure all my credits are transferring.”
His favorite dual-enrolled class was calculus.
“I think calculus is typically thought of as a college class, and getting through it and kind of understanding what college math is going to be like is super-helpful,” said Morris.
There are other benefits to taking college classes while still in high school besides the tremendous cost savings.
“It also saves me from taking all these classes, the basic classes that I’ve already been taught,” said Morris. “I think that college is a point in your life when you want to be exploring new things and you don’t want to be repeating the same classes you took in high school. It’s great to have the time, the money savings, and the opportunity to explore more and expand your horizons.
“It’s a very good program, and I definitely highly suggest every student, even if you don’t plan on going to college, use dual enrollment just in case. There’s no harm in taking it.”
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.