Advice please! Should I graduate early and then go to cc?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Here's my dilemma.
I don't want to come off as snotty, but all my life I've been pretty intelligent, academic wise. When I was younger I got accepted ino some gifted school on the east coast, but my family moved to California and thus I got thrust into the public education system. I really think that school has been my downfall. I recall being frustrated throughout elementary and middle school about having to learn at the same rate as my other peers, even though I preferred to learn at my own accelerated pace. </p>

<p>I'm now a junior in high school. I earned a 4.0 all throughout freshman and sophomore year, but this year I found that I was a lot less motivated even though my courses required a lot more. I've also been in some trouble at school. I've been suspended once and have several notes [negative ones] on my record. I used to have this image of a really sweet shy girl but now the school thinks I'm some delinquent. I don't really want to go into much detail but I guess you could PM me about these issues if you wanted to help. My grades have slipped, and since I go to a super toxic and competitive public high school, I'm pretty sure that my class ranking has fallen several dozen places. I really want out of my high school, the environment is so hostile and the teachers aren't all that great. </p>

<p>I recently learned about the CHSPE, which would let me graduate from high school and enroll as a full time student at a community college. I live near one of the best CC's in California (you may have heard of De Anza?).
I'm not sure whether this would open or close doors for me, because the CHSPE isn't recognized by all the states, which means I would have to transfer to a 4 year university within CA. I have my sights set on USC or one of the UC's but I don't want to be limited to just those choices. My parents are supportive but they're also worried about other aspects like, missing out on the college life experience, missing out on the senior year of HS [which honestly I don't care about].</p>

<p>So what do you think? Am I better off trudging through the 1.5 years of high school I have left, or should I get a head start on college next year?
This was a pretty long post but thanks for reading it! I look forward to your feedback.</p>

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<p>bump 10 characters. I need your advice!</p>

3

<p>bump -_-
please help :(</p>

4

<p>It sounds like you aren’t entirely opposed to HS, just your current one. Are there any magnet schools nearby that you could apply to? CC might be an option, but personally, I think they cause more problems than they’re worth (at least for people I know who have gone to them and tried to transfer to a 4 year after.)</p>

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<p>Hey!
I know plenty of people who went to De Anza and transferred to great places like Berkeley. It cuts down on tuition fees as well. Also, it’s the third best community college in America, and it’s definitely not as easy you would think. Many adults flock there to try to improve their education, and they score pretty well in their classes.</p>

<p>I took a summer course there, and I noticed that there wasn’t really a sense of community amongst students. Everyone just seemed to go their own way unless they had friends before enrolling. However, nobody’s going to bother you. If that’s what you’re looking for, I think it’s an excellent choice. </p>

<p>However, I’m not entirely sure about the CHSPE problem. I do know two people who decided to graduate early, go to De Anza, then transfer, but I’m pretty sure they’re set on going to UC’s.</p>

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<p>@long
You’re right. I’m opposed to my current one; it’s just a really toxic environment for me. I wouldn’t be opposed to switching high schools except I’m already halfway into my junior year and it might be too late. I don’t know.</p>

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<p>At least where I’m from, there are a number of programs that can be initiated during the junior, or at the beginning of the senior year. You could also look at doing a post secondary at your HS, it might have a program set up so that some students can spend a half day at the local CC.</p>

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<p>We actually do have programs like that, where you are considered to be a high school student, but just one that happens to take classes at the local community college.
The issue is, my ass-istant principal has already shot down that chance for me since he says I am a “problematic” student and wouldn’t be a right fit, and he can definitely ruin my chances there since I need to get a rec from him
<em>sigh</em></p>

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<p>Is it possible to ask someone else (principal, teacher) for the/ an additional rec? I would say that you don’t have a lot to lose to ask the assistant principal for a rec anyways. The worst he could say is no. Maybe point out to him politely that you would get out of his hair?</p>

<p>Are you eligible for any online public/ charter schools? </p>

<p>Graduating early could limit your choices later, because acceptance rates for four year colleges are generally lower for transfers than they are for freshmen. This is only a concern though if you are interested in applying to other four year colleges where the CC has no articulation agreements. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

10

<p>bump.
Anyone want to share their experiences with the CHSPE?
It seems like the only option I have left besides just sticking thru high school miserably.</p>

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<p>I took the CHSPE after my sophomore year. Best decision ever.</p>

<p>When you transfer as a junior, you don’t need to prove high school graduation. And the CHSPE is legally equivilent to a hs diploma, so if some private school (because the UCs/CSUs for sure won’t ask for it) that’s maybe out of state or something refuses to accept the CHSPE, you could sue them. The only thing that’s different between the CHSPE certificate and a hs diploma is that you could only enter a 4 year before getting 60 CCC units if that 4 year was really, really, unselective (I met with a sacstate official who looked at my crappy hs transcript-2 years, didn’t pass freshman english, a WEIGHTED 3.0 sophomore year lol, and he said that if I took the eng and math requirements that fall, I’d be admitted for the spring).</p>

<p>When you transfer, you only submit your CCC transcript. The UC’s have a much higher acceptance rate for transfers than for freshman for most majors (some are impacted, there are some special schools/programs that I don’t really know about). </p>

<p>I was in a similar situation as you. I was the brightest kid K-12, but my mother made me go to a middle school which I hated so I developed an attitude problem. I ended up going to 4 schools during 7th & 8th grade, an elitist private school that had horriblly subpar teachers/curriculum for 9th grade, and back to a good public school for 10th grade, but by then I was convinced that I didn’t need formal education (since it had proven to be unchallenging and inefficient), so my parents told me I could take the CHSPE as long as I still went to school fulltime at a CCC.</p>

<p>Right now I’m a college sophomore. I’ve spent the past 3 semesters and 2 summers being taught by enthusiastic PhDs, whereas my old classmates are taught by BAs whose students have drained them of any passion for either teaching or their subject. I don’t have any BS busy work, I don’t decorate posters in group projects, when a book or textbook chapter is assigned, I don’t have to spend an hour answering basic questions about it just to make sure I did it, I don’t have to turn in my notes for points (seriously, I can’t believe how much non academic crap I had to do in hs). I don’t have to go to school M-F, 8-3. Everyone told me that I would regret not going to prom or graduation. Yeah, I don’t. This would have been my senior year, and I’m so glad I’m not still wasting away in hs.</p>

<p>PM if you have any more questions, I’d love to share with you my experiences with the CHSPE, CCCs, course selection, and transfer stuff.</p>

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<p>I’m a senior in HS right now. Honestly, graduating early would be your best bet. Senior year is no different than any other year, in my opinion.</p>

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<p>ilikebananas, you’ve made it painfully obvious that you were some sort of delinquent or troublemaker in highschool. I mean just look at your name. c’mon, ilikebananas? Really? You expect us to believe that you’re quite the opposite? </p>

<p>Im totally joking and im sorry for reviving the thread, but i want to to know how your decision went. I cant believe im in the same situation, I wouldve never contemplated this before but now i have to. The way i see it, i might just end up going to a cc anyway and after im done with this year and all my ap exams i could really get a head start in a cc. Do you have any advice? Everywhere i seek advice( mostly my high school advisors) i feel like im being pushed towards the miserable high school direction. They say im too smart to go the chspe-cc direction and almost immediately dismiss the topic. Is this a valid statement? I mean if i stay and graduate, my chances of getting into hpy, let alone many Uc’s, are very slim.
Again sorry for reviving the thread, just hoping somone with experience and success in this can give me some advice to whats truly better and i do understand the answer may vary.</p>

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<p>Please use old threads for information only, do not post and revive them. Instead, please use the New Thread button to ask your question.</p>

<p>If you click on the member name, you will be given the option of seeing the posting history, the OP has not been active on CC for a year and a half.</p>