To extend more to my question, I’m a current junior attending a half-day medical program at a local technical HS. There, we learn clinical skills, anatomical, and pathological medical basics and overall just prepare for the Clinical MA Certificate exam this June.
*I love the class. It’s amazing and I have learned a lot. *
Next year (senior), we even get internships during the half-day and instead go out on clinical rotations at a local nursing home and even Walter Reed! We then get a second CNA Certification in June 2021.
However, since it’s a half-day, I’m only able to take 3 ACADEMIC classes per year.
This means my transcript won’t look as “rigorous” since my HS is very generous with its AP and IB course loads. We are a pretty big, good public HS so.
I’m still trying to take as many AP and advances courses as possible. I will only have taken about 6 AP courses by the end of HS.
I know that rankings don’t matter but most of my college list is T40 so I think my worry is justifiable.
Would my half-day program be looked down on or viewed differently?
Since it’s a technical high school program, I’m also worried as the stigma is that people who go there are those who fail academically and will only earn minimum wage, etc…
Thank you so much!
It will look great. You are doing something beyond. Which is good. Go as far as you can with it. But your high school work comes first. This will be just an EC and no one reviewing you knows the difference between the 2 certs. But it shows you went out of your way to get the extra knowledge. Who knows. Maybe you will work part time during college. Your learning great skills.
I don’t think that this is going to look great. What will you have for the academic topics (English, Math, Science and Foreign Language)? Unless you live in CA, top 40 schools will contain one or zero in state schools.
OK… I now have to agree with the above I read this really fast. I thought you were trying to get a medical assisting certificate in addition to high school. Not instead or part of it. I would look at your schools Naviance or the like to get a feel for what those top 40 schools at looking for and if people from your school get in. If your like in a health sector high school then the AOs from the colleges will already know this. Each school submits a school profile and your judged on that to your peers.
I would ask your guidance counselor where other students of your caliber have been accepted in past years. Honestly, I don’t really see vocational high schools sending many students to T40 colleges. Their respective missions are just very different.
@Eeyore123 Thank you for your answer! I think I didn’t really detail or emphasize that I AM and HAVE been taking the core classes. For ex, all honors and AP (Lang, World, Gov) and will be taking Lit, Calc and Physics. I was worried too but hopefully that explains it 
@Groundwork2022 It’s not one school but rather two schools. My home, normal school is amazing and fairly rigorous top school in the state/county and it shows as my school rather than the vocational . I just found that out, hopefully the half-day will be seen as just extra. I will ask my counselor either way, thank you!
@Knowsstuff Yea I get it, that’s a little bit of why I’m worried but as I’ve mentioned above, I think my school will send 2 profiles. Or just my home school. And my home school is great so there’s really no disadvantage particularly. And yea, I really hope the program would help me stand out due to my focus + experience and also help me land an MA job during & to pay for college. I really couldn’t take them along with school either since I’m 16 and they’re fairly long and intensive programs!
By graduation, will you have
- 4 years of English (including AP Lang which you said you do have)
- 4 years of History/social science including global/world/european history and US history?
- Bio, chem, physics + at least one more science ?
- Foreign language through level 4?
- Math through precalculus?
@MYOS1634 Hi! Yes I will have those classes, all ADV/HON/AP besides Level 4 Foreign Language. The Spanish teachers at my school are horrible, I just self-studied that and ASL. Besides, I have taken Bio & Chem and will be taking AP Physics next year. “One more science” would be my Health Science & Anatomy class!
“Lit, Calc and Physics”
Physics is AP, are the other two also? If that’s the case, you’re fine, most kids only take 5 or 6 classes senior year maybe even 4 if they’ve fulfilled all their requirements. And what would be other courses you’d be taking if you didn’t do the MA program?
But since you love the program so much, I think you should do it, just explain it the Addl info section and have your GC mention it in support.
Do the courses and look beyond T40 schools.
Since you have the most demanding core curriculum, then you’re good taking the CNA Program :-).
That being said, ask your guidance counselor how many students from your school are admitted to your state flagships and how many in the past 5 years have been admitted to top 50 universities/LACs.
Run the NPCs on all colleges you’re considering. Remember most scholarships come from the colleges themselves, which is why it’s important to run the NPC first and only apply to colleges that’d be affordable. Never start with the “sticker price”, most colleges have “discount” systems depending on your parents’ income, your test scores, their institutional priorities, whether you come from a far-away state or are from a nearby high school…
@2plustrio Yea of course! I am not focused on T40 but rather schools that I love are within that. I have several safeties/matches also. Thank you for your advice
@theloniusmonk Yes they will be AP I have already taken the MA program (finishing and getting certified this June). I’m just debating if I should do it senior year (where I will get the CNA and clinical at Walter Reed). If I decide to not do next year , I would take AP Psych, and a dual enrollment course !
@MYOS1634 Check and check. From my school (good ranking IB), 188/270? were accepted into UMD (my state school) last year. That’s probably my #1 right now as it’s a great school and it’s in-state. This year, we have alot of senior admitted into Top 50, and an amazing few T5s. I’m not worried about my home-school but rather how doing the half-day would look
And I am doing the NPC currently, it definitely gets a little complicated for some schools but I have safety schools that I would be able to get decent merit aid from. I had to eliminate some schools that I loved (NYU, USC) because the prices were not great and aid not better.
Thank you so much!
Excellent.
Adding AP psyh wouldn’t benefit you personally or wrt college admissions the way the CNA/Walter Reed internship would.
Go ahead with this since you like it and have all the important classes.
@MYOS1634 Thank you so much for your advices! I’m just worried that since they won’t see my Walter Reed internships (it starts January), it would look a little ~blank. But i may try to include it somehow. And since my undergrad academic would probably be Psych or Public Health (Psych concentration). I’m worried not taking AP Psych would be weird.
I will continue to discuss with my counselor and maybe even take a CC Psych class over summer that will show on transcript Thank you again!
You will have to list both semesters’ schedules. In addition, you can add information about your internship in “additional information” detailing what your tasks and responsibilities entail.
Psychology, as a major, does not have pre-reqs beside biology/chemistry.
@MYOS1634 Ah ok, that’s great then. I thought it would be just the first semester. Thank you again. And yea, I get that but I just think taking AP Psych would show more rigor towards my demonstrated area of interest & major. Either way, a BA/BS degree in Psych/Public Health isn’t my end goal so as long as I can go to a decent college without too much debt it’s fine.