Eighth Story.

Laura Sweeney
November 25, 2009
Eighth Story

“I picked to do PSEO because I hate high school, I felt like I was above all the other high school students in maturity and intelligence,” Melissa Zeman, a 16-year-old PSEO student at ARCC . “It’s free college, I don’t understand why people wouldn’t chose to do PSEO. “

Zeman isn’t the only PSEO student who feels like this. Of the 20 people surveyed four said they were PSEO students, when asked why their explanation was almost word for word as Zeman’s.

When asked if the surveyors were PSEO students in high school, six said yes, two said no, and 12 said they wish they were. “I wish I would have done the PSEO program when I was in high school. I was the type of person who just hated being in school with all the immature kids, I felt more grown up. If I would have done the program I probably would already be done with school and saved a lot of money that I’m wasting in school right now,” Katie Sweeney, a 21-year-old student at ARCC.

20 out of 20 surveyors answered that PSEO is a very good program when asked if they believed PSEO is a good program.

Most students don’t even notice who is and isn’t a PSEO student. “I only notice when those students make a spectacle of themselves. Say, if I’m doing a group project and I have a PSEO student in my group, if they aren’t doing their portion of the project, I might be a little more aware of the face that they are PSEO. Or if they talk too much in class, start drama, and act like college is like high school that upsets me! So it all depends. Some PSEO’ers are great at fitting in and acting like the rest of us, and then I think they belong there,” Carissa Parker, a student at ARCC says of PSEO students.

“If the student has a good work ethic and the patience and maturity why not be in college, they already have the grades to get in,” Sweeney says.
Dan Mau says “PSEO is a great program, when I was in high school doing it was the best thing ever. I loved getting out of high school and saying I’m going to college now. I also felt like I belonged there. I felt I was never judged that was probably because no one suspected I was still only 17-years-old. These days when I’m sitting in class I can tell who is and isn’t the traditional student.”

When asked if they felt high school students belonged in college 19 of the 20 said they feel they did, one answered no.

“I don’t understand why some people have a problem with high school students being in college. Seriously I’m at a maturity level that’s higher than the rest of my high school probably put together. Also I’m in the same class as the traditional student so doesn’t that cross out the possibility of me being stupid? I have the same level of intellect as you so why are you judging me? I’m just trying to get some free college, and by the looks of it others wish they would have too,” Zeman says when told some people don’t agree with high school students being in college.

By the looks of it Zeman is making a choice many other college students wish they would have made when they had the chance.