Getting a head start through High School ACCESS

Stepping into a college classroom for the first time can bring a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Doing so while still in high school, however, takes a particular kind of curiosity and confidence.

Jonathan Zheng, a sophomore at Fairview High School in Boulder, makes the trip to CU Boulder each day for his MATH 2400: Calculus 3 lecture in the morning and recitation in the afternoon, navigating campus alongside students several years his senior.

Through High School ACCESS, a program that allows high school students to take college courses at CU Boulder, Zheng is earning college credit that will apply to the 220 credits he needs to graduate high school all while exploring longstanding interests in math, physics and computer science.

“My freshman year, I heard some seniors talking about classes at CU and I was really interested, so I went home and I talked to my dad and we started looking into it,” said Zheng. “I also talked to my high school counselor and the Grad+ counselor at Fairview—they introduced me to the process.”

The Boulder Valley School District covers CU Boulder tuition at the current community college rate while the Colorado College Opportunity Fund provides an additional stipend. Zheng also applied for and received additional assistance through the Non-Degree Student Scholarship—one of several scholarships offered by Continuing Education to high school students taking courses at the university. 

Thus, with a broader catalog of courses at his disposal, Zheng could explore interests beyond what his high school offered.

For his first class at CU Boulder, Zheng chose CSCI 1300: Computer Science 1. His curiosity for STEM began at an early age when he competed in a math Olympiad, experimented with LEGO bricks and developed an interest in computers. With encouragement from his parents—a university professor and computer scientist, respectively—Zheng took the plunge and pursued coursework that would help him build a foundation across his areas of interest.

“I'm very interested in learning about quantum mechanics,” said Zheng. “I barely understand anything right now, but what I do know is that it requires a background in math, physics and computer science, and I want to get that background as quickly as possible, which is why I wanted to take classes during high school.”

Though initially apprehensive about the difficulty of the course and being younger than his peers, he quickly settled in as an equal. 

“I made a couple of friends in my computer science class and then this semester in Calc 3, I’ve liked being able to work with my fellow students,” said Zheng.

Within the classroom, Zheng had other allies ensuring his success, leaning on his instructors to help him understand more difficult concepts. 

“There are so many resources, especially for my Calc 3 course, like office hours, review sessions and past exams,” said Zheng. “I really like the professors, both in my computer science class and my current math class. Their teaching styles are a little different from those of my high school teachers.”

Back at his high school, Zheng’s classmates treat him the same as always, albeit with more questions about his unique academic schedule.  

“I think my high school classmates are impressed, but they mostly have questions about my scheduling,” said Zheng. “I think some of them consider taking courses their senior year and I'm like, ‘yeah, you should go for it, it's a pretty fun time.’”

For other high school students considering the program, Zheng recommends making the most of the experience, even if it seems intimidating.

“I always say to them: take a class that you're very interested in because you are going to be putting a lot of effort into it,” said Zheng. “And always feel free to reach out to your professors, counselors or TAs about support, because they're definitely there to help you. Make sure to use all the resources that they can give you!”

With two years of high school still ahead of him, Zheng isn't in a hurry to settle on a particular path. Instead, he's using his time at CU Boulder to explore his interests and discover where they might lead.

“I'm seeing what I like to do at CU Boulder, but I'm definitely interested in a lot of stuff right now.”