College readiness and completion has been at the forefront of national and state education initiatives. As a result of these initiatives, many states are utilizing dual-enrollment programs to enhance their educational offerings. A qualitative study was conducted to understand dual-enrollment program experiences from the perspective of high school students in central and southwest Ohio. The purpose of this study was to understand students' initial experience in a dual-enrollment program taking at least one course on a college campus. Parental, school, and peer support, obstacles encountered, academic, social, and behavioral feelings of preparedness and insecurities were identified. Marcia's identity status theory (1966, 1967) was utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. The sample consisted of eight students, evenly distributed, in suburban and rural schools. Data were collected from participants in one-on-one interviews and a photo-elicitation component. Data collected was analyzed using Merriam and Tisdell's (2016) three-level process of qualitative analysis. The results of this study identified that participation is greatly influenced by peers, families, and students' experiences within high school. The transitional phase for dual enrollees presents the following obstacles: self-accountability, time management, and feelings of isolation. Students desire more support and communication from both secondary and post-secondary institutions. Students indicated experiencing a social tug-of-war between high school and college life. The high school students' perspective on the initial experience in a dual-enrollment setting provided meaningful data for both secondary and post-secondary institutions by specifically identifying areas which would strengthen the overall experience for future students. It is recommended that post-secondary institutions develop a cohort for dual enrollees to provide support. Secondary institutions are encouraged to provide continual and structured communication throughout the program, assign student mentors for students new to dual-enrollment programs, and provide skills training in the areas participants indicated as obstacles. Recommendations for future research include: (1) broadening the participant selection to include schools and students in urban and Appalachian areas, (2) a comparison of unobserved characteristics among dual-enrollment students and their non-participating peers, (3) a comparison of students' experiences at state universities and community colleges, and (4) an analysis of the progression of students' identity status throughout participation in dual enrollment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]