I’m a junior in an early college program at my high school where I attend a community college full-time (no classes at my high school). The community college is the top transfer school to the state flagship which is a T40-50 school. All of my classes are in the “transfer program” so they are (or at least should be) comparable in level to the classes at the state flagship. Before I started this program, I went to a large public high school and took 3 APs in 10th grade, all honors (if available) for 9th and 10th. I am worried that colleges may not see community college coursework as rigorous enough. I am taking 18 credits this semester (the most out of anyone in the program) and have a pretty hard course load (calc 3, bio, English, history, independent project). The only thing is that I’ve heard from others that from personal experience the classes are generally a bit easier at the cc (especially math). I feel like that is to be expected though. I am worried I will get penalized for not taking AP courses (my school offers many) because I chose to be in the program.
I know that at schools with minimal APs/course rigor, students aren’t penalized if they can’t take that many, as long as they take close to the number offered. Would this apply to me even though I chose to do the program and my school does offer APs? Basically, will I be compared to applicants (and be at a disadvantage) from my school who took more AP classes than me because they weren’t in the program?
For context, I’m aiming for schools like tufts, Wellesley, bu, bc, neu, and full-ride scholarship programs at lower ranked schools.
The private schools on your list would likely prefer to see AP courses and they will compare your rigor to that of your peers who remained in traditional high school classes at your school. The public schools, especially in state, may be more accepting of community college courses.
It’s a nuanced decision and many other factors will weigh into the decision. The route you took doesn’t disqualify you from certain schools, but you may be at a disadvantage relative to your classmates for the more competitive private schools on your list.
“Early College” programs are generally seen positively since the best way to demonstrate ability to succeed in college is … success in college.
BTW you will be compared to your early college cohort, not the kids at your HS.
However, the issue isn’t AP v. “early college” (DE) classes. AP=DE, especially if the CC is reputable.
The difficulties are different from what you imagine:
what your 4 semester path at the Early College looks like
whether you managed to remain involved, either at the CC or the HS (+ in your community)
First, it’s not so much about how many credits as long as you have 15 (and I would strongly discourage you from taking 17-18 Fall senior year!), the trick is in taking the “right” classes, ie., classes you wouldn’t have been able to take in HS or pursuing “beyond AP” level in some subjects, etc, in addition to the “typical” (required) early college classes.
Colleges will not like it if you took “College Algebra” after completing Precalculus H in HS, for instance. I see you’re taking Calc 3 so you got the right idea.
You would need to use the opportunity of the CC for your foreign language requirement, for instance: because HS FL1+2= 1 semester in College, you could complete levels through level 4 in College and have reached an AP/post AP level.
In Math, if your CC is decent, it should offer more than the typical Calc sequence, but also Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Calculus-based Stats.
The CC should also offer Philosophy, Anthropology, etc - classes you can’t take in HS. (Philosophy in particular indicates intellectual curiosity and rigor).
Second, “Early College” students often can’t get involved on their college campus because they’re too young, and aren’t involved at their HS because they’re no longer physically there. That’s, by far, the biggest issue. How have you been able to navigate this problem?
I disagree with @MYOS1634 about how early colleges are viewed by elite colleges (agree with the involvement part) but one way to understand better for yourself is to look at your high school’s profile to see how each program is described. You will get a sense of how each program is presented in terms of rigor and can then better anticipate how admissions officers view each path.
If your school uses Naviance or Scoir, perhaps your high school counselor can somehow show which kids are in which program when you are looking at the scattergrams for various schools. If that isn’t possible, then she should at least be able to give you a qualitative assessment of whether students in the DE program are successful at the schools in which you are interested.
In addition to how those credits will be viewed for admission, are you hoping that some will be accepted for credit?
Many privates will limit or disallow DE courses. Here is verbiage from Rhodes College (not as selective as schools you listed) that was discussed in another thread so easy for me to copy. This policy is in line with many I have seen at other privates.
Courses taken on a college campus prior to matriculation by accepted students, including those which are taken in conjunction with a dual enrollment program at the secondary school level, will be accepted for credit only if such coursework does not satisfy high school graduation requirements or requirements for admission to Rhodes. Such courses must be taken on a college campus, not in a high school even if taught by collegiate faculty. Credit for such courses must be requested during the summer prior to enrollment at Rhodes.
This may not be a concern for you, but I wanted to bring to your attention.
Perhaps your state flagship would provide an excellent opportunity in your case? They will probably look favorably on your DE classes, and you will likely get transfer credit for them, which will put you way ahead of the game giving you some flexibility for things like graduating early, double majoring/minoring, doing a fun study abroad experience, etc.
No, the community college classes probably wont be as rigorous as APs or the equivalent classes as at the flagship, and yes, private schools may view this as your having taken an easier path. But if you are happy to go to the flagship, i would go for the comm coll route. A decent college degree for just 2 yrs in state cost? What a great deal. If you are gunning for a T10, and money is no object, go the AP route.
“Dual enrollment is widespread and growing, but unequal. Dual enrollment is a common practice in most U.S. high schools. Approximately 88% of high schools offer dual enrollment, and 34% of U.S. students take college courses in high school.”
How prevalent is DE in your state? Is there a DE academy at your flagship? How does your hs calculate rank?
I’m already in the program and applying to college next year. Just was wondering… but maybe I should have asked earlier. My counselor and teachers seemed to think it was a challenging and rigorous option (if you chose the right classes). I guess it depends on if you took the bare minimum classes or if you took the hardest course load you could (just like in regular high school)?
The thing is, most of my transfer credits might have to be retaken as I’m planning on going premed and a lot of schools require the courses to be taken at a 4-year. So the only advantage of going to my state flagship would be cost. And even then, based on my EFC, private schools that meet full need would end up being about the same cost.
I also want to go out of state because I’m planning on skating for a competitive synchronized skating team and the top teams are located mostly in big cities on the east coast.
Paging @WayOutWestMom, because my understanding is that if you repeat classes that you’ve already taken (and by having dual enrollment classes, they will be on a college transcript) that medical schools may take that into account when you retake the classes. I believe (though I am not the expert…wait for someone who is to weigh in) that it might be better to continue in the sequence, taking more advanced classes (even if it goes beyond the requirements for med school) in the subjects where you took community college classes. That way it shows that the grades/credits you earned were legitimate and that you have the necessary skills expected from having completed those courses.
Each university sets its own policies with how they will handle this. Typically, public universities are fine with kids bringing in their transfer classes and starting at a higher level. At private schools, there is more variation. It might be that they want you to repeat, or they might want you to take the same number of classes as you would have if you came in with no credits, but you get to start at a higher level.
You have two threads going. You have unrealistic expectations of what you can manage during college. Competitive skating that limits you to prob only boston and chicago, if that. Premed. Fin need. Yes, you would probably have to retake your math and science prereqs at a 4 yr institution.
Not necessarily. USFSA has a list of colleges that offer intercollegiate skating and there are actually quite a number of schools that do, all over the country. Synchronized, however, is less often offered in intercollegiate clubs, so that specific kind of skating might be the limiting factor - although I wouldn’t assume only Boston and Chicago.
But again, the issue would be synchro - it is not as commonly available for intercollegiate clubs, although it exists and also not just Boston and Chicago. Here are the results for synchro nationals for intercollegiate teams:
There is a current post from a 2023 who took a lot of college courses. It might be a helpful data point for you. It’s anecdotal and I don’t mean it translates directly to your situation, but it may be helpful to you in creating a balanced list and setting your expectations:
@AustenNut is correct. Repeated classes are marked as such on the application transcript that is sent to medical schools. Repeating classes is not a good look to adcomms. It looks like grade grubbing–which med schools unofficially but universally dislike. Med schools prefer that students who have already earned credit for AP/IB/DE classes take an equivalent number of higher level courses in the same department as the transfer credits to prove a) mastery of the material and b) the any CC grades are not flukes or due to less rigor and less competition in those classes.
