Middle College/Dual Enrollment

<p>Is anyone here in the middle college or dual enrollment program?</p>

<p>I've heard it called different things by different people, but it is essentially where high school students take college classes INSTEAD OF high school classes. You take one high school class that is taught at the community college by teachers from the district. For example, I switched from a rigorous private school for freshman and sophomore years to the middle college program. I have not actually set foot on the high school from the district with which I am affiliated because I take all classes at the community college. It's a great program, but I'm just wondering if any of you have had any experience with this and college applications. I know it is looked upon as a rigorous program, but I'm looking for ways to hilight that I am taking college classes (not AP classes, which seem to be grossly inflated where I am from). Also, I know that a lot of colleges (Cornell, specifically) say that they won't take credits from dual enrollment programs. This seems strange to me because I've heard of many college students who don't do well in rigorous classes at their respective colleges (Bio or high level math, for example) who re-take the classes at community colleges. I'm not sure how I would get my credits (I'm taking Bio 6A next quarter, which is a transferable course to ALL UCs, and I'd really like it to transfer to the private institutions to which I am applying). Is anyone familiar with this system?</p>

<p>My school instituted a program with a local community college this year where, with grant money, they reimburse students for courses taken at the CC. I didn't have any social studies left to take beside AP US History, which is a joke class at my school and doesn't interest me, so I took Cultural anthropology, Macro/Micro Economic through this program. I also took English Comp I because AP English could not fit into my schedule.</p>

<p>The classes weren't bad, but it depends on the teacher. My English professor, for instance, is an idiot and terrible teacher who gives me C's because I didn't copy his outline verbatim (I have an 800 SAT writing so...whatever). Overall, the quality of classes at a CC will always be less, but the Econ. for instance has helped me prepare to take the AP Econ tests.</p>

<p>If you're hoping to be able to get out of core requirements based on these classes, either find out your school's specific policy beforehand, or take the AP test to the corresponding subject in addition to the dual enrollment class. I found out that my college (Georgetown) will not take credits that counted toward your high school diploma as well, so dual enrollments are out. But I will take AP Econs and AP English to try and get credit that way.</p>

<p>Minnesota has a huge statewide program for dual enrollment called "Post-Secondary Enrollment Options" (PSEO) that is more than twenty years old. </p>

<p>Postsecondary</a> Enrollment Options </p>

<p>My son will take some of those courses next year (probably at the U of MN) as part of his "eleventh grade." Dual enrollment is very common around the country, </p>

<p>Dual</a> Enrollment of High School Students at Postsecondary Institutions: 2002-03 </p>

<p>through various channels, and admission officers at highly selective colleges are very familiar with applicants who have taken a year or more of full-time college courses as high school students before applying to matriculate as freshmen at some elite college. The usual elite college answer is that such college study as part of high school does NOT offer transferable credit to the new, elite college, but of course if my son stayed at the state university, for example, he would have a huge number of credits already in hand by the time he was the usual age of a college freshman. Check each college's policy to see if any credits will transfer (not too likely), but taking AP tests in the same subjects is one means for having the chance to gain advanced standing at a college like Harvard </p>

<p><a href="http://www.fas.harvard.edu/%7Eadvising/docs/advancedStanding0708.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~advising/docs/advancedStanding0708.pdf&lt;/a> </p>

<p>or its peers.</p>

<p>To clarify, my program (as I've now just found out by reading some information) is not a "dual enrollment" program. I take NO high school classes at my public high school...it's all college. To take the AP tests would be superfluous for me because these classes function as college classes. I am way over-qualified to graduate, so I wonder if they would accept the credits when they aren't really counting towards graduation requirements.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I wonder if they would accept the credits

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That's a good question to ask when you meet college admission officers at college information sessions or college fairs. </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/460097-how-meet-college-admission-officers-spring-2008-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/460097-how-meet-college-admission-officers-spring-2008-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Oh, I see what you mean. Good luck anyway!</p>

<p>It seems to me they would just accept them as transfer credits but you can never be sure until you ask.</p>