By the end of his sophomore year at East Lansing High School, Charlie Kroom had run out of math classes to take, so he kept moving to the next level — MSU.

Last semester, Kroom enrolled in a 200-level multivariable calculus class. This semester, he is taking linear algebra — a 300-level course.

"It's something that just comes naturally," the 16-year-old junior said. "It's a great opportunity to be able to do all these things. If I wasn't able to do this at MSU, I'd be stuck at my high school not doing math, sitting around for two years, which would really hurt me in college."

Currently, Kroom is considered a lifelong education student by the university. Technically, he is restricted to taking 16 credits, said Kathee McDonald, MSU's director of gifted and talented education.

But a change working its way through MSU's Academic Governance system could change that restriction.

A proposed policy called Opportunities for High Achieving High School Students was approved unanimously Tuesday by Academic Council, and it will go to the MSU Board of Trustees for final approval.

If the proposal passes, MSU will no longer limit the number of credits that dual-enrolled students can earn.

"I have students that are taking as many as three or four classes, as well as high school classes," McDonald said. "By the time they take two terms their junior year and participate in the summer program and do senior year, they are going to be over that credit limit as the most they would accept.

"It just wasn't logical for the university to do that."

Jim Brusstar found himself in a situation similar to Kroom's. After participating in MSU's Cooperative Highly Accelerated Mathematics Program — a program in which middle school students essentially complete four years of high school math in two years — Brusstar found dual enrollment at MSU to be convenient.

This fall, the 17-year-old senior at Okemos High School will go straight into the University of Michigan's College of Engineering.

Brusstar has taken a variety of courses at MSU, from math and physics to computer science.

"As an engineer, math is all your prerequisites," Brusstar said. "It's convenient for me to get it all out of the way, since all of these credits will transfer for me. Second of all, I'm not bad at it, so it works out."

For these high school students, adjusting to college course work isn't the only challenge to overcome.

Nevena Paripovic is enrolled in German 202 this semester. The 16-year-old Haslett High School junior said the atmosphere and variety are different from those at her high school.

"I remember my first couple classes. It was kind of weird and I wasn't really comfortable," she said. "But after a while, I just kind of adjusted because you are all learning the same material and everyone is on an equal level."

She even has made a few friends, she said, because her professor often organizes small group activities.

For Kroom, however, the social aspect of the classes is intimidating.

"I had another friend who … was talking to all the college girls. I mean, he was a grade or two above me, but it's kind of weird," he said. "I think there is another high school student from Okemos. We just kind of sit back in the corner and try to hide."

After graduation, Kroom wants to head to a university on the East Coast. He said there are more benefits to dual enrollment aside from just getting ahead.

"Lots of people, when they go into college, they will have that fear or nervousness, but having taken these classes, I know the flow of college," he said. "I know I'm not living in a dorm or taking six classes or having a job or scheduling and all those things (college students) have.

"(But) when I go to visit the colleges, I want to check out their math classes and compare it to MSU, which I have experience with."