<p>Currently, I'm thinking about going to Community College for my junior and senior years in high school but I was wondering, would it increase my chances to transfer from a Community College or keep going through highschool and just take APs?</p>
<p>More than anything, this decision will depend on what you want your college experience to be. If you attend a CC, you will transfer to a four-year institution for your final two years. This means that you miss out on the “traditional” college experience, especially freshman stuff, and that you’ll be out in the work force or applying to grad/professional school two years earlier. If you take APs at your HS, by contrast, you might be able to enter college technically as a second semester freshman, a sophomore, or even a junior, but you won’t miss out on the traditional college experience. Cost is a factor as well.</p>
<p>As for which option “looks better,” that depends. Many states have transfer arrangements with CCs that allow CC students with certain GPAs to transfer to any of that state’s state u’s, including flagship campuses. A pretty sweet deal, especially in states with great public unis (Virginia, California, North Carolina, Michigan). But for top private colleges, transferring in is incredibly difficult because the schools have such high retention rates. Some, like Princeton, don’t even accept transfers; Harvard just began accepting small numbers this year after accepting none for several years. If top privates are your goal, stick with AP and supplement your HS classes with CC classes where appropriate. (If you’re a math whiz and you exhaust your school’s offerings, take Calc 3 at the CC; if you’re a language buff, try learning a third language or take supplemental language courses–ie, a foreign literature course–in the language you’re already studying.)</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. Currently I’m hoping to go to Yale, but seeing some of the people here it seems like an inhuman feat. </p>
<p>My current problem is that I took Algebra 2 in 8th grade but when I moved, they placed me in Geometry and because this current school is funded a lot more, they are making me take part of it again. My mother works in a state university and I believe that I could audit a pre-calc class there over the summer, and if not, then I could definitely retake Algebra 2 over the summer. I’m stuck on math and science because those are my strengths and while I do believe I could possibly try writing a novel, the idea of more foreign languages than I am already taking is overwhelming (currently I take French but I’m foreign so I also know a bit of Arabic).</p>
<p>If your goal is Yale, the CC route is not your best option in my opinion. Do not worry about old school versus new school too much. You will not be penalized for what your school doesn’t offer.</p>
<p>Is there something else you recommend then? And I don’t think I worded my post correctly, my new school is significantly better. I moved into a richer town and as a result, it has so much compared to my old school that I couldn’t possibly use all of the resources available to me.</p>
<p>In my opinion…A rigorous high school program is a better route than going to a community college. I have no idea about the caliber of either your high school or your local community college. Having said that, on average, a good high school will have better students than a good community college. Although community colleges play an important role in their regions, in general students who have lots of options don’t start there.</p>
<p>Staying in high school should give you a good foundation for college. You will also be able to grow and mature through the classes and activities you choose to pursue. With any luck, there will be a teacher or counselor there who can help you move in the right direction to reach the goals you have. If you do exceptionally well in high school, you have more options available to you than you would if you did exceptionally well at a community college because not all schools accept transfer students. </p>
<p>The community college route before graduation is a great option for some students: those who HATE high school, those who have been homeschooled and can’t be helped any more at home, those who just can’t function in a high school setting–and others I am sure. From your posts, I don’t think you meet those categories. Good luck.</p>
<p>While, I do extremely dislike the high school system and at the moment, while I am a straight-A student, I’m expecting a 70 or so on my French exams which would bring my grade down to a B- I think and that’s really bad for my grade so I was sort of hoping that perhaps there would be a way to salvage my grade. I know that I would love someone who could help me one on one to get into college but I feel that my family shouldn’t have to pay for that and that no one would really help me, hence my wanting to go to Community college. I feel that if there are transfers, it’s slightly easier to get in than normal admissions.</p>
<p>If you are enrolled at the community college through a dual-enrollment program, some colleges would consider the classes that you take there to be still part of your high school education, and your credits would not necessarily transfer. Those colleges would consider you a freshman applicant. Other colleges would let you apply as a transfer student instead. </p>
<p>If you leave high school early because you are fed up with it, and enroll in the CC, then you would be a regular CC student, and you would apply as a transfer student. Every single year, some students from my local community college transfer to top 4-year colleges and universities, so I know that it can be done.</p>
<p>I’d suggest that you sit down with one of the admissions counselors at your CC and find out more about your options. Then you will be able to make a better decision.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>