A mix of burnt orange and royal blue

On Ramps offers students a mix of high school and college instruction and UT credit without an AP exam

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Caroline Cox

On Ramps is a rhetoric-based junior English class that is more focused on writing, rather than reading literature like other English classes. It also offers UT credit, and the students get taught by English teacher Ms. Adamson and a UT professor. “UT’s year is done, so were done with the On-Ramps part of it, and we’re working on our final project for the class which is just reading a book and writing a report on it,” junior Skel Gracie said.

Rylie Jones

As a student who has taken both OnRamps and AP classes at McCallum, it’s become clear which has been the better choice for me. OnRamps students get college credit through the University of Texas just by taking the course, without having to take an AP exam. Students can choose to accept or deny credit as they go through the year based on their grades. Students who take the course are able to transfer their credit from UT to any college of their choosing, and a UT credit looks a lot better to most colleges than an ACC credit.  

During the 2017-18 school year, OnRamps has been introduced to McCallum students through three classes: English for juniors, and Physics 1 and 2. Pre-AP English l and OnRamps English III teacher Diana Adamson and Physics l and ll teacher Nick Bisbee have gone through training to become OnRamps teachers, and most of the work and teaching goes on through the UT website.

The OnRamps classes work better for me. I am introduced to challenging curriculum that forces me to expand my horizons and approach assignments in ways I am not used to. My OnRamps English class has made me a better student overall as it helps me manage my time through assigning small portions of a big project over an extended amount of time, and it has made me a much better writer, because I am forced to write essays using styles and perspectives I have never had to before. Overall, I am extremely glad I chose to take OnRamps courses. What better way is there to prepare for college than taking college courses?

It is also helpful to go into the year knowing that if I pass my class, I will get college credit. I’m not a good test taker, and since I don’t have to take an AP exam to get college credit, that is a huge plus for me. Instead of spending my time studying for AP exams on top of my other courses, I can spend time writing my final essay for English or focus on finishing up my physics coursework.

It is sort of a letdown, however, that I don’t get to read and analyze the literature that my peers did their junior year. Sometimes I feel sort of left out of discussion outside of class when my friends talk about the book they are reading in English, or the project they’re finishing for physics. However, I feel like the pros of taking the OnRamps courses outweigh the cons, because preparation for college and college credit is more important to me for the most part than being a part of every discussion with my friends.

With that being said, I still feel like taking OnRamps courses was the right choice for me, as I have improved my writing, my time management skills, and my overall skills as a student preparing for college.