Hey guys, so I need some advice or suggestions on what I should do.
I am a senior at a new type of high school that is located on a community college campus. During our four years in high school we end up having enough credits to receive our associates degree. I currently have over 75 credits from a two year from the community college. As I focused more on my college classes I did the bare minimum in my high school classes since I have more than enough credits to apply as a transfer student to finish my bachelors degree and actually go to college. My 1st choice school is Syracuse University and a safety is Rutgers Newark to stay local. I applied to Syracuse, but since I haven’t graduated high school yet they said my credits don’t count to apply as a transfer student until I finish 12 credits AFTER I graduate high school next month even though I will get my associates degree next week. Syracuse is a good school to finish my next two years at school and somewhere where I really want to go, but I don’t really know what my options are since they won’t take my application as a transfer. I could go to Rutgers for a semester or do an additional semester at my current community college to even be considered, but I don’t really want to waste my time if Syracuse only transfers a few of my credits.
Most colleges will consider you a frosh applicant if you have not taken college courses after high school graduation (or otherwise leaving high school).
However, even if you enter as a frosh, if your transfer credit is accepted (including for subject credit needed to fulfill frosh/soph level requirements for your major and general education), you may still be able to graduate in two years. But check carefully whether your courses actually are accepted for subject credit at your target universities (if Syracuse really won’t accept any transfer credit for entering frosh, that is quite unfriendly). Most high school students taking college courses while in high school are not trying to optimize for fulfilling college requirements (especially since they may not know their majors yet) rather than high school requirements.
Applying as frosh tends to be more favorable for earning merit scholarships at many colleges. This is likely your best option if the university accepts your transfer courses, since you can still graduate early if you want and your transfer courses line up properly for that.
For NJ community colleges to NJ universities (public and some private), you can use https://www.njtransfer.org/artweb/chgri.cgi to check what your community college courses would transfer as and compare that to the degree requirements at the university.
Others may be able to help you better if you indicated your intended major and what community college you attend.
I attend BCC and will most likely be going into political science or criminal justice to later go for a law degree. I don’t think my high school gpa would be good enough to be accepted as a first year so that’s I’m trying to go in as a transfer student with my college gpa being a 3.5.
You will not be a transfer at Rutgers (or likely any school). From the Rutgers website:
For frosh admissions, college courses taken while in high school and their grades are used along with high school courses and their grades. You may want to check the colleges to see how they do that. What is your GPA in high school courses, and how many high school courses have you taken?
My high school gpa is currently a 3.1 and most of our classes are dual enrollment classes so they count towards high school and college.
Does your 3.5 college GPA include the dual enrollment courses?
Have you considered also applying to TCNJ? It’s an excellent school with good prelaw advising. NJ has a wonderful cc transfer agreement with nearly all colleges except Princeton. The benefit of doing college in hs is to save money but the school would have to accept your credits in their whole form and not just as electives or for placement. Good luck!
Half of my college classes consist of classes I took outside of high school and half of them are the classes my high school assigned me to take.
That’s one of the things I was thinking. Isn’t there a law where NJ colleges have to accept an associates in its whole form or would the law not apply since I finished my degree during high school?
Accepting credits and the method (classification) that you apply are two different things. There are lots of students that have advanced standing after their AP/DE classes are counted. However, they all apply as first years.
Talk to the Guidance Counselor at your HS/CC and ask what colleges have agreements to accept your class credits.
What is your overall GPA in all college courses (including dual enrollment)?
What is your overall GPA in all college and high school courses?
Yes, there is a law that your cc credits Would be accepted in their whole form depending on which classes you took. Somebody up thread posted the transfer equivalent link. It doesn’t matter if you took the class in hs or after graduation. If law school is your ultimate goal then you should seriously consider keeping your undergrad costs to a minimum. I do know that some colleges in PA accepted NJ cc credits in full but it’s very school specific. For example, U of Sciences in philly accepted an acquaintances daughter credits. She did an accelerated OT program and graduated in 3.5 years with a master’s. If you’re interested there are some law programs that are accelerated. I don’t know much about them, however.
Edited to add: When you look for a job as a CNA or MA apply to higher acuity facilities. You’ll get much better experience than a nursing home or an outpatient clinic. A hospital would offer the most choices and flexibility since they’re open 24/7 with all kinds of different specialties.