<p>Ok, so I'm a rising junior and I'm being pressured into enrolling in a dual enrollment program by my parents. The program essentially means that I would be earning an AA degree along with my high school diploma from the local community college. I am just concerned that an AA from a community college would hurt my chances at admissions at more prestigious schools like an Ivy or elite Liberal Arts schools ( I have the GPA and PSAT scores). I also intend on attending Medical School and I'm worried that they won't count credits earned at CCs.</p>
<p>You don’t need the AA degree; it won’t do you any good. They generally will NOT count college credits earned as a high school student for your high school program as credits toward graduation when you enroll in college. But the dual-enrollment program might still be a good idea if it is more challenging than your local high school. See the first mentioned link in my signature block for more information on the trade-offs. </p>
<p>Good luck making your decision.</p>
<p>My two Ds each completed over a year’s worth of college coursework at our local state university as part of their HS curricula. They went to an Ivy where the credits did not transfer, but had they stayed with the state university system, those hours would have counted toward graduation. Even so, I think the dual enrollment was very valuable - for its own sake, as a taste of what college-level work is like, and as a means of showing the Ivy that they were willing to go to extra measures in order to access the most challenging curricula possible in our area.</p>
<p>Be careful of how many college credits you accrue. I remember a story a couple of years ago of another high school student who got an AA by high school graduation and was deemed a transfer student by all her dream schools. She did not get in anywhere because she applied as a first year student.</p>
<p>Tokenadult? Do you remember the specifics?</p>
<p>I’ve asked MIT about this. MIT doesn’t care at all. I think most of the other elites don’t care at all how many college-as-high-school credits an applicant amasses, and that applicant can still be a FRESHMAN applicant. The one bad case would be actually enrolling (matriculating) in a four-year degree program at a four-year university. That would make an applicant a transfer applicant, which would worsen the admission odds at nearly all highly selective colleges, and bar admission entirely at a few.</p>
<p>This student was rejected at elite schools (Ivies, I believe) as well as match schools. She was not enrolled in a four year program but received an AA in criminology or some sort major. I wish I could remember more. The problem was that she was matriculated in a DEGREE program rather than taking these classes as a supplement to high school classes.</p>
<p>OP, check with your college guidance counselor ASAP to ascertain any potential problems with your working toward a degree.</p>
<p>I found the thread. It was a student who had enrolled in community college in lieu of high school and then found out that she had too many credits to be considered even as a transfer student at top liberal arts colleges.</p>
<p>I think that as long as you are still enrolled in high school, you should be fine. Still, just in case, check with your GC.</p>