Chosen Solution
I just put in 16GB on my macbook pro 13 inch early 2011 and “About MAC” only shows 8GB with one slot open. I am on high sierra. Does About MAC not recognize more than 8GB or do I need to check that both memory cards are installed accurately?
Check which slot is being seen, then switch the sticks to see if it is the stick or the slot. What OS X are you running?