Associates degrees: yay or nay?

Hey guys! So this week, I actually make a very important decision in my life! I decided on starting to work on my associates degree! As many of you might have learned through my introduction post or you might know me personally, I am a high school senior as of Fall 2019. Maybe you are asking yourself how is she going to start her associates degree without even having graduated high school? 
Well you have every right to question and I am here to answer all the questions!

Let's start off with: 
What is an associates degree? ⇒ An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded, primarily in the United States, after a course of post-secondary study lasting two or three years. It is a level of qualification between a high school diploma or GED and a bachelor's degree. 

Where are you getting your associates? ⇒ St. Philip's College in San Antonio, Texas. 

What kind of associates are you getting? ⇒ Associates of Arts

Why are you getting an associates? ⇒ Getting an associates let's you take care of all your core requirements and other support courses/major requirements at a lower cost and can be easier if you are transitioning from high school to college. Less student debt and you have a stability at college.

How far are you into your degree?-  I have 52 credit hours done as of right now, 20 credit hours are from dual credit classes I am took/taking my senior year. So, I at the end of senior year I will definitely have 52 credit hours. In addition, I will be taking an AP test in May of 2020 depending on the results.

What do you have left to do for your associates? ⇒ For my associates I am missing a social science core and a life science core.

What are you doing right now to work towards the degree? ⇒ I am currently enrolled in 2 dual credit classes with St. Philip's College and I am studying by myself for AP tests.

Why are you doing this? ⇒ An associates can give you a great head start for Bachelors degree, especially if you want to double major for example or graduate college early. I will have all my core requirements done and even most of my elective classes. Meaning I'll have about 60 credit hours left for my degree which means I would be considered a Junior in college, right after high school! Also since I want to be in communication I would like to get some internships before I graduate 2022. Many jobs/ internships either prefer or require at least an associates degree. 

When will you finish? ⇒ I hope that I will finish the majority of my classes by Summer 2020 and will probably take 3 or 4 classes online while already enrolled at my University to finish off my degree by graduation in December.

Are you stressed/ scared? ⇒ YES! But my family is incredibly supportive and I know that even if I take a little longer I will get it done and I am excited for 2 graduations in a year! 😊

Do you have any questions? Leave them in the comments down below! ⬇