Dual Credit Success Story: Julia Sutherland

Dual Credit Success Story: Julia Sutherland
Posted on 04/19/2017

One of the amazing programs that the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board offers to students is the Dual Credit program. Dual Credit is a course where students receive a college and high school credit at the same time and is taught by college faculty and supported by a high school teacher.


Students who take the course are able to explore options for their future after secondary school. We are happy to showcase some of the success stories that are a result of the Dual Credit program.


Julia Sutherland was doing home instruction and wasn’t attending high school. She decided to apply for the School Within a College (SWAC) program and took her first dual credit in July. Since July of last year, Julia will soon be completing her fourth dual credit at Georgian College in Barrie.


Julia took courses that she was interested in which has led to her tremendous success in the program. Courses such as Lifestyle Management, Developing Leadership and Tai Chi are all general education credits that can be used towards a college diploma at any publicly funded Ontario college. Introduction to Psychology can also count as an additional general education credit, or a program specific credit to an Arts and Science program.


The dual credit program has allowed Julia to get back on track with her credits and experience the college environment and expectations. She says, “dual credit has been a great opportunity to experience the college atmosphere. It gives you the chance to see what a college class is generally like. I'd recommend it to anyone, especially those unsure about college or needing an extra credit.”


Not only can she now go into a college program with four credits already completed, she has gained the confidence to know that she can be successful at the college level. Julia is looking forward to beginning her post-secondary education at college in the fall.


To learn more about the program visit the dual credit webpage on the board website.