<p>On the Common App in the "Academics" section, one of the many check boxes asks to checkmark if you've taken "any courses at a College or University for credit." It then asks to report the grades earned in the classes. I read the last two words with emphasis: "for credit." </p>
<p>I took Fundamentals of Communication (a speech class) the summer after my freshman year and got a B in it. I took Math 2 (aka Precalculus) this summer (I'm about to be a senior) and am expecting no higher than a C in it since it was so ridiculously hard (the professor had a PhD from stanford..he was the only math professor with a PhD at the community college.) </p>
<p>But the thing is I'm "retaking" precalculus at my school this fall anyway. So do I have to report the grades I got in the community colleges? Because speech was just for fun, and precalculus I'm not getting credit for. I don't want credit for it. I want to relearn precalculus the way my high school teaches it; that's why I'm deciding to take it fall of my senior year.</p>
<p>But what when they review my application they pull up the computer and enter my name and then see the transcript of my community college classes?</p>
<p>In that post I was saying that like for every single applicant...dont they pull up their computer database and enter the applicant's name in it, and then see for themselves whether the applicant lied or not about anything? (since the database has everything about the applicant--sat scores, college board reports, ap scores, hs transcripts, community college transcripts, everything). </p>
<p>thats what i meant, and that's what im scared will happen to me if i don't report it on the app/send it</p>
<p>Here's the deal: If you took classes at this community college, you got credit for them. They apply toward your Associate Degree. Sure, you didn't get HIGH SCHOOL credit or anything, but technically you still got credit somewhere.</p>
<p>Now, when it comes to application time, and they ask "have you ever received any college credit?" you are obligated to check yes. If you check no, and it is later revealed that you DID, IN FACT, receive credit for college level classes at this community college, your application will be found out to be incomplete (aka falsified). And that's just bad news.</p>
<p>But I'm not even planning on getting an Associate Degree...I don't want one...and it asks three spaces later, after you list what courses you took, for the "Degree Earned?" Well I didn't earn a degree...I only took two pointless classes "for fun." </p>
<p>I didn't receive credit for one of the two classes I took anyway. since I found out it was 3 levels of math higher than what I should have been and thus I did so poorly in it (long story). So I didn't get "any college credit" for it. </p>
<p>Just because there isn't a "know it all" database doesn't mean that the information isn't out there. All it takes is a simple contact with your community college to find out if you were a student there.</p>
<p>But wait, you ask, how will they even know where to look?!
Well, I'm guessing there is at most 2-3 community colleges around where you go to school. So, it's not exactly hard to deduce. And since many applicants do take community college classes, and since it takes 2 minutes to ask if you attended, your record has a good chance of being found out.</p>
<p>And, as with any information, it's much better that you be straightforward and report it rather than them finding out later and assuming you lied to them.</p>
<p>Conclusion: Don't ****ing lie on your application.</p>
<p>By the way you have been responding - it seems that you are planning on leaving the grades out of your college application.</p>
<p>Here are the basic facts:
-Taking classes at community colleges looks good if you do well. You didn't do well. It will not look good if you got a C, as in some ways it <em>may</em> reflect to some adcom that you cannot handle college level work.
-Taking classes for no point makes no sense. Take classes that you are passionate about because you like learning the material and expanding your horizons.</p>
<p>Simply enough - the answer to your question is here:
-99.999% of any college you apply to will never find out if you took two classes at a local community college if you fail to report it/have the college send them your transcript. If you truthfully have no problem doing it because you believe it will be negative to your application, then it is completley your choice whether or not to "withhold information".</p>
<p>And for those of you who earlier said it was unethical or whatever, actually it is perfectly legal if you answer every question to the best of your knowledge. If, at the time of the application, you are unsure about whether or not you "have" to check that you took classes for credit, then you are legally allowed to leave it blank. This is similar to reporting your parent's job titles.</p>
<p>Thank you so much guys! especially you, nathanmc. So i guess that 'know it all database' that I somehow made up won't be a part of my nightmares anymore. :)</p>
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If, at the time of the application, you are unsure about whether or not you "have" to check that you took classes for credit, then you are legally allowed to leave it blank.
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</p>
<p>That solves it all then. I'll leave it blank. (Besides, anyway, the "for credit" thing is still debatable to me, even after all these posts there hasn't been a SOLID and CLEAR answer to the question of "whether you've taken a college or university class FOR CREDIT." In other words, I don't know exactly what it means so I'm leaving it blank.</p>
<p>There's no open-access database that admissions officers can tap into to view anyone high school student's community college grades, but my understanding is that if you want colleges to acknowledge the courses you took, you have to send them the transcript from your community college (or have your school do so). So unless you decide not to send the transcript at all, I think they'll see it.</p>
<p>Regardless though, I wouldn't worry so much about what you list on the common app. Admissions officers will understand that there are inevitably ambiguities and I very much doubt they would hold something like this against you.</p>
<p>(Take the above with a grain of salt, as I'm a rising senior myself and only kind of know what I'm talking about!)</p>