My first and only nickname at Mercer has been “the fetus.” It was given to me during a meet and greet activity in Spanish 102. We had to go around the room and find people that had certain attributes, one of which was to find someone younger than you. When the other students found out I was only 16 one said “wow, you’re like a fetus!” and the name stuck. It didn’t bother me. I understood it was unusual.
It wasn’t hard to qualify to be a dual-enrollment student. I simply had to get permission, register, and take the placement test. Then I just followed the same process everyone does. I got a school ID and registered for classes.
The first thing I learned at Mercer was that I didn’t look as young as I felt. Most of the time if I didn’t mention anything, I could easily pass as the average college kid who procrastinated and complained about homework. But once I get to know people I don’t mind telling them I’m a homeschooled high school kid who got a jump start on college.
It hasn’t always been easy. There are struggles that come from having started college early. Often things other students think is common knowledge is news to me and vice versa. For example, during my first semester at Mercer, I learned plenty of students come to class late and even without homework, something that terrifies me as a person who has always had to live with the teacher who had the ability to ground me and take away all my privileges.
The ability to work around difficult teachers and other students was also lost on me. Group projects, especially ones where no one does their work, are still a challenge. On the other hand, I’ve blended right in with the team at the college newspaper.
The biggest learning curve was realizing that if I wanted information, I had to seek it out instead of having it handed to me. The problem was, it was hard to reach out in a place that was so different from what I am used to. I would often try something and wait to see if anyone stopped me rather than asking if I was doing the right thing.
I didn’t know if I could use the gym or the tutoring services. I didn’t know if my student ID somehow marked me as different since I didn’t know what anyone else’s looked like (answer: identical). I wasn’t sure I was even allowed to join the college newspaper.
Mercer has helped me learn how things work, but I also love homeschooling because it is flexible. It has let me explore different kinds of hobbies like being able to snowboard on Fridays in winter. It has let me travel. I have family all over the world and have been able to visit most of them.
I don’t remember the first time I traveled outside of America because I was 9 months old. Imagine my surprise when I learned that most people don’t have passports and don’t fly regularly.
Being a dual-enrollment student has allowed me to prove to myself that I can do college level work. Next semester I transfer to a four-year college on the other side of the country and I am not afraid. I’ve learned how to ask, learned how things work and learned how lucky I am to have done it this way.
