Are the GPA of courses taken at a community college factored into your overall GPA?

<p>I'm planning to take a community college course but I'm not sure if colleges will factor it into my GPA when I apply. Do they only take your high school GPA or do they combine both?</p>

<p>Yes- they do count in your overall GPA. The courses you take at a CC will just add on to your current GPA, just as if you're taking an extra class at school. Good luck!</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure you'd have to ask your guidance counselor about that and request that your community college courses are appended to your high school transcript. Then it will be combined with your high school GPA.</p>

<p>Can anyone else confirm this? I'm taking the CC course just for interest and I will not send the community college transcript to my high school. So if I took a class at a community college and got a 4.0 GPA, and my high school GPA is 4.2, the college course would actually bring my overall GPA down?</p>

<p>Wait... do colleges only take your High school GPA into account (for comparison purposes) or do they combine community college courses with your high school GPA to determine an overall GPA that they use to compare applicants? I will not be sending the community college transcript so it will not combine with my high school GPA</p>

<p>
[quote]
Do they only take your high school GPA or do they combine both?</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>So if I took a class at a community college and got a 4.0 GPA, and my high school GPA is 4.2, the college course would actually bring my overall GPA down?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It depends on how your school works. There's a four-year university close to where my high school is. Any class taken there is treated as a high school class, that is, it is combined with the high school classes.</p>

<p>Yes, if you earned an A in a community college class and it was not weighted whatsoever, then it would drop your GPA. 4 is less than 4.2, therefore its addition would make your GPA lower.</p>

<p>If this truly bothers you, then don't take the course. My calculus teacher told me of a student who was self-driven and studied AP classes on his own through an independent study program sponsored by his school. Due to some loophole, these courses weren't given the normal AP weighting. The highest grade he could earn from these was a 4.0. He lost valedictorian status because of this. Luckily, he wasn't emotionally destroyed. He ended up graduating from an Ivy League.</p>

<p>My high school combines community college grades only when you send it to them (which I will not). However, that is not what I meaning by "combining." Do colleges only take into account the High school GPA or do they actually combine it themselves?? Are the community college grades sent to them for inspection or do they actually use those grades as apart of our "total admissions GPA?"</p>

<p>Why does it matter if you can just send it to your high school?</p>

<p>It depends on your high school. At my d's school, only courses taken there are reflected on your transcript and into your GPA. Community college classes or summer classes at colleges are not counted; they're not reported to the high school and not considered.</p>

<p>If you wanted colleges to consider those classes (my d got 3 credits over the summer one year), you have to send them a transcript from the college.</p>

<p>What they do with that grade or those credits is up to them.</p>

<p>Yeah, it'll depend which college you send it to. Each one will have their own policies. Some will just throw them out as soon as they get them, or that's what they may as well have done.</p>

<p>The two records should both be sent as separate transcripts and be viewed as such by the colleges. (Separate and parallel records.) None should bring the other "down" or "up," because a transcript is respective to the institution, to be adjusted, combined, etc. by the institution being applied to. </p>

<p>Thus, when my daughters have taken high-school courses off-campus from their high school, their grades are indeed listed on their transcript from the high school, but in a separate section on the transcript, and not computed into the h.school's GPA. (Combining would have brought it slightly "up" in their case, but no matter: the college can see that you can do college-level work -- or for my daughter's -- esp. challenging h.school level work --, and will overtly or indirectly "figure" that into their evaluation of you.)</p>

<p>But again, if you were considered about calculations, I would just send the comm. college transcript separately from your h.s. transcript.</p>

<p>So would it be considered a plus to take a community college course elective and get a B? What about a C? Like I said, the grades won't be apart of my High school GPA. I'm just wondering if the colleges combine the grades themselves. So basically, the grades you send them from community colleges are just looked at and made into an overall impression of you?</p>

<p>Also, I think they treat college courses as "honors." Please read this and explain what they mean by that. Do they weight the grades you get on a 5.0 GPA scale or what? This applies to community college grades too right?:</p>

<p>College/University Courses: If you have taken or plan to take transferable college/university courses while in high school, list the course title, college/university name and grade earned (if completed) in the appropriate year column. List the college course once, indicating the term it was taken. For any college course completed in grades 10-12 that is transferable for advanced-standing cedit at UC, enter CL in the space provided for honors status. be sure to include any college(s) you list here in Section IV.</p>

<p>CL- Use CL to indicate transferable college/university courses taken at a college while enrolled in high school. The course must be transferable to the University for credit to be designated as honors.</p>

<p>It actually depends on the school.</p>

<p>Sorry for such an "inconclusive" answer, but it's true.</p>

<p>Like I said, the grades won't be apart of my High school GPA. </p>

<p>I'm just wondering if the colleges "combine" the grades themselves.</p>

<p>No one on this board, who is not an admissions counselor, can answer that question. Only the colleges to which you are applying can answer it. Call them and ask.</p>

<p>I'm scared of contacting an admissions officer by phone lol. I've emailed them. Hmm, nothing will happen to me if I ask some other stupid questions right? Can my personal info be kept private?</p>

<p>While visiting colleges, and meeting with Admission officers, we were told they kept a file on phone calls-with notes as to level of interest in their school, along with emails-so always be sure you recheck your spelling and typos. While your high school may not have the college courses on your transcript-you will need to be submitting them to the colleges you are interested in attending. As Chevda mentioned, each school will have a different position about classes you have taken. If you elect to "not" advise them of these classes, then they could construe your application as incomplete-or worse-falsified-and then be reason to rescind your acceptance.
Also-get several official copies of your community college transcript for your "college file". This way you have them to send in with your applications. Otherwise you will be paying a premium to get the copies in a timely fashion when you apply.</p>

<p>First, when you initially call the school, you'll speak to a receptionist, not necessarily an admissions officer. Your question is not unique; a receptionist should be able to answer it.</p>

<p>Second, you don't need to identify yourself when you call.</p>

<p>Third, even if you do identify yourself, the admissions officer will be unlikely to keep a note of the question you asked, even if he/she does note the call.</p>

<p>What APOL said is pretty scary... Do you think the admissions officers act like spies and search all over the internet (even here) for students who are good and bad? Anyways, any course that I decide to take at a community college should be beneficial to my chances of being admitted right? I really want to improve specific skill areas and can probably do so by taking these classes. I don't have much to do over the summer anyway. Should I just go ahead and take the class and if I don't like it, then drop it?</p>

<p>CandianGirl, I think what we're saying is this: Disregard whether the classes will "help" your admissions chances. Assume that they have no effect, good or bad, on your admissions. Take them if you want to. Don't take them if you don't want to.</p>

<p>Easy.</p>

<p>Ok, chedva. I think I can think of it that way. Hopefully it will be of benefit when I apply to colleges =] Thanks you guys</p>