Will Nixon, who is a top computer science student at Carrollton High School, has created several apps, including The President Quiz pictured behind him. He will be taking a Georgia Tech CS course next semester as a dual enrollment student.

 

Classes good for students who have aspirations to go there 

With the first semester of the year in the books, 150 Carrollton High School students not only attended classes on campus, but also matriculated through dual enrollment programs at three colleges, including new distance math and computer science opportunities at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

CHS Assistant Principal Courtney Walker said while most of the students split their time between CHS and partners University of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College, only two students are participating in the Georgia Tech program this first year.

"For exceptional students we believe will be successful despite the rigor, we knew the Georgia Tech distance learning programs would be a great opportunity for them to get a foot in the door considering Georgia Tech's rigorous admission process," said Walker. 

Admission numbers support her statement. This fall, 13 CHS students applied to Georgia Tech, with six accepted for early action and five deferred. Emie Fleck, one of the students accepted, took a distance math course fall semester.

"Taking a high-level math class online is definitely a learning curve," said Emie. "You have to be very self-disciplined in your study habits and schedule throughout the week, as any slacking off can be detrimental when you are learning such difficult subjects. I have learned a lot about my strengths and struggles and how to utilize and grow from those, which has made me a much more disciplined student."

Emie took linear algebra. In order to take the class, she had to have taken Advanced Placement Calculus BC by her junior year and made a minimum of a 4 on the AP exam. She also had to display a rigorous course load throughout high school and demonstrate success in those courses through her resulting GPA. 

"This dual enrollment class was one of the many strong factors that determined Tech is where I wanted to spend my college years," said Emie, who accepted Georgia Tech's offer of admission. "I always knew Tech was an incredibly difficult school, and that intimidated me for a very long time. However, after this class, while it was definitely difficult, I learned that the difficulty was manageable as long as I stayed focused and disciplined in my studies.”

Emie also said the professor who taught the class lessened the stress of the difficulty.

“I loved the way my professor taught, and I felt like he was very knowledgeable in the subject matter as well as really invested in his students and making sure they have the ability to succeed,” said Emie. “This all ultimately helped push me to realize that Tech is where I want to spend the next four-ish years."

Joining Emie spring semester when she will take multivariable calculus will be Will Nixon, a junior, who has been accepted to take a Georgia Tech computer science distance learning course. 

Will has a passion for coding and app development and is one of the school’s top students in this arena. He most recently served on a team that created the Trojan Map app, which provides a map to faculty and students to help them find their way around campus. 

"It is probably the most ambitious project for Trojan CS to date," said his teacher, Robby Blakemore. "This project had 16 student contributors with roughly 30,000 lines of code."

Will, whose brother Ben is a recent graduate of Georgia Tech with an electrical engineering degree, says Tech has always been his "ideal school" because of its world-renowned reputation as a top engineering university.

"It is definitely the best option for me since I wish to pursue engineering," said Will. "I believe a degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech will help me get a great job and start a career in a field that has really caught my interest." 

Walker said CHS is very strategic in deciding what dual enrollment classes are offered to ensure student support remains the top priority.

"Our counselors have a close hand on our dual enrollment students' academic progress, registration process, and transfer of credits," she said. "We in no way would want to open up our partnerships so broadly that we couldn't support our students. If students had the option to dual enroll with another prestigious university, it would need to be the right fit and feel for our school. We would never want our students to embark on an academic journey where they were left on their own and could not be academically successful."

Walker also praised the partnership CHS has had for years with UWG and WGTC. 

"Proximity and good communication have helped create a mutually beneficial partnership with them," she said. "We truly work together to make the process as seamless as possible for students."