<p>I attend a performing arts school that I love... but its academic offerings for next year (my senior year) are slim. I am considering taking only the required English and Government classes and then leaving and taking courses at one of the colleges in my area. My question is: what courses would you recommend as the most useful and beneficial as a student looking to attend college for a BFA in MT? Which would be the most helpful in knocking out gen ed requirements?</p>
<p>Also, if I choose to do this, I will have 17 academic units- in addition to my artistic units... 9 or 10 I think- and I've been told that many academically competitive schools recommend 20 academic units. Would it be better to stay and take the remaining math and science courses offered by my school (which are easy/ not interesting to me) to get up to 20 credits or go and take courses at a college?</p>
<p>Thanks for your help! I am so grateful every day to you guys!</p>
<p>one thing you should know about taking college credits in high school --</p>
<p>this technically makes you a transfer student -- at least audition-wise. there are some schools who DO NOT take transfer students (Emerson is one, i know) and therefore will not let you audition. you might think that i've misconstrued this information, but i was told directly by the director of admissions at Emerson that A SINGLE college course makes you a transfer student. </p>
<p>i thought i'd let you know so that you wouldn't find out the hard way, like i did.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to evaluate the course requirements for your most academically competitive "hoped-for" college. Most of the schools will lay out the requirements for you. We did this from material obtained on college visits, but surely it would also be on college web sites. If it is required or recommended, go ahead and do that additional year of some of the high school courses.</p>
<p>Maggie, re college credits and being considered a transfer - it really differs by school. At Point Park the limit is 12 credits, I believe, but at other schools it's a full year of credits, and apparently at Emerson it's even one college course. All these things need to be checked carefully for each school, as you said. </p>
<p>Would that mean only college courses taken for college credit as opposed to a college level course taken for high school credit (ie. my D takes a pre-calc class for high school credit that is technically a college class)?</p>
<p>Unless the credits come from a college, I believe it is still a high school course. "College courses" refer to courses where you show a transcript from X COLLEGE with the credits on it.</p>
<p>Evasmom, I cannot speak for Emerson's policies. However, a student who is in HIGH school and is taking college level courses as a high school student in a NON degree program is considered a freshman applicant at MOST colleges. Advanced high school students who are seeking challenge, often DO take college level courses to augment or substitute for courses at their high school. Because of my kids heavy extracurricular schedules and living in a rural area not too close to a college, they did not do this. However, I will give one example. Both my Ds accelerated in various subjects including math and so by 11th grade they were in AP Calculus which is as far as our high school's math curriculum goes. One of my kids graduated after 11th grade. But the other one still wanted to take math and would have taken a college course if it wasn't so far and if she wasn't scheduled every afternoon/evening in her activities. However, instead, she did a long distance math course through Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth for credit on her transcript. But had she taken that course at a college, she'd STILL be applying to colleges at a freshman applicant. Please do not get concerned by what you are reading. It is different for a high school graduate who has gone to college than for a high school student taking college courses for enrichment purposes, etc. Whether those credits will count toward college is an entirely different matter but I am ONLY discussing their class standing. A student like your D will be considered a freshman applicant. I guess one might want to check with Emerson but I truly believe this even applies to Emerson in your D's situation. I just don't want to say for sure about Emerson but I'm giving you the general answer.</p>