<p>I am wondering are there a any kids about to graudate highschool or just have on this board? I am wondering if anyone here has done dual credit at a texas community college or college courses and then were apply to transfer their credits at an out of state school. I know that if I take community college classes in texas and apply to a school in texas it would work out, but I really do want to be at an out of state school. I mainly want to apply in NY and Chicago, but I have a feeling those credits wouldn't fly if their from a community college. Any answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Whether credits from a community college or another 4 year college transfer depends on the institution and the content of the courses themselves. </p>
<p>I suggest you ask potential colleges; they would be able to tell you for sure their individual policies on community college courses from another state.</p>
<p>Diane is correct, whether or not the dual credits transfer depends more on the 4 year college than on being in-state vs. out-of-state. For instance, Harvard won't take any dual credits at all, period, even those earned by high school students taking courses at Harvard.</p>
<p>My family homeschooled in Texas for 12 years. The local teens almost all do CC courses. The kids who end up at UT take most of those credits with them. The ones who end up at selective out of state schools generally view their CC courses as being their way of doing high school rather than as something that would shorten their time at the 4 year college they end up attending.</p>
<p>Our experience matches that of Texas137. Our son (now a freshman at Carnegie Mellon U in Pittsburgh) enrolled in the local community college as soon as he turned 16. We viewed his classes there as a stepping stone to allow him to prove to colleges that he was, as they say, taking the most difficult classes available to him.</p>
<p>None of his cc hours transferred to CMU. But he made it there and has experience negotiating some of the college world (dealing with registration, professors, class work, etc) that his public schooled classmates may not.</p>
<p>Despite the cost, we thought cc was definitely worth the investment.</p>
<p>It is true that many private colleges do not accept cc classes. But, that does not necessarily mean that they are 'lesser' classes because they were taken at a cc. It may be because they don't accept ANY classes from ANY other college for the simple reason that they want ALL of the students' classes to be taken at their own institution. My son's friend found this to be true of Rice, right here in Texas. They told him that they don't accept ANY transfer credits. So, if what he told us is correct, it wouldn't have mattered whether he'd taken the classes at the cc or at the state university (UT).</p>
<p>OK, then here's what happened to this friend at Rice: he took a heavy load and got stuck in those huge auditorium classes - the ones with 500 students per class. He had a different TA grading his work each time, and each one graded differently. He went from homeschool to a rigorous engineering curriculum. He bombed out. $20,000 (which his parents couldn't afford) all for nothing. He's now attending the local cc (SAC). What a shame. He's a really smart kid, too. He just wasn't prepared properly, and the prestige of being accepted to Rice seemed more important than whether he was really ready to make such a drastic transition. Homeschooled kids don't have the experience of being in a classroom, unless they took co-cop classes, and even then it's iffy. CC dual-credit offers the very valuable opportunity to transition.</p>
<p>However, that is not the only benefit. I contend that getting the core curriculum classes at the cc, with the intention to transfer, actually has many advantages.</p>
<p>Ironically, one of the reasons my son's friend's parents wanted him to go to Rice, rather than UT, was that they supposedly had a small student-to-teacher ratio. Ha! That did not turn out to be true. Rice has huge classes at the freshman level, just like UT.</p>
<p>One of the reasons we decided on the dual-credit approach is so that our son would get a BETTER education! He has taken most of his basics at SAC (our local cc) - his English, Hist, Govt, foreign lang. His classes all have only a max of 30 students. His profs all know him and he is thriving and making A's. </p>
<p>People might think that cc classes are somehow inferior. Not so. The core curriculum classes transfer directly to the UT because, duh, they are the SAME. The very same! The only difference is that cc's are not likely to have as many good teachers. But, there are both good and bad teachers at any school, cc or not. I do think there are more good ones at the 4-year university of course. But it is possible to find some really awesome teachers at the cc. We consulted rateyourprofessor.com as well as asking other teachers in the appropriate dept. before deciding which teacher to take. I even called every one of the English teachers and literally interviewed them. I wanted someone who would INSPIRE my son. Wow, and did I find a gem! His English prof is absolutely incredible! It's only been 2 weeks and my son is now excited about an educational trip to Europe! He's always been an avid reader but wasn't much into poetry, but the other day he was telling me about how great works of art bring out the best in humanity, and he is reconsidering a computer science degree in favor of a liberal arts degree, because the human mind is more fascinating that hard, cold machines. He had been interested in Psychology already, but I had not seen this passion before he took this class with this particular teacher. Like I said, it's been only 2 weeks. Same with his German prof. This guy used to teach at UC Berkeley. And he is teaching this cc class on the same level. He made that very clear to us. He is really exceptional.</p>
<p>I am just trying to offer a different perspective. Just contrast what happened to my son's friend at Rice (bad teachers who didn't even know he existed, C's and D's) with what's happening with my son at SAC (A's, wonderful teachers who are inspiring him) + the fact that, having been homeschooled, he is adjusting to the college load gradually. Dual-credit programs only allow 2 classes per semester, and up to 27 hours only (at least that'st the way it is at SAC - check your local cc). My son maxed it out at the end of 11th grade so I was forced to graduate him a year early, so he could continue. He is supposed to be in 12th grade now but is considered a freshman at SAC. He is now taking 10 hours, so by next year when he transfers (with about 40 hours), I am confident that he'll be ready.</p>
<p>Taking college classes at the high school level is an accomplishment. I want to make damn sure my son gets his due for that - no way would I want him to lose those credits! He is at the top of all his college classes, despite being 2 years younger than the other students, and these are the same classes he would have had at UT. So yeah, having those classes transfer is definitely part of the equation here.</p>
<p>Not to mention the obvious fact that now my son has the option of taking a full load and graduating 2 years early (at far less cost to us) or taking a lighter load and enjoying college life for a full 4 years with less pressure.</p>
<p>And, he will be considered for acceptance to UT based on his actual college performance, rather than high school records and SAT, which can only, at best, predict how the student MAY perform in college.</p>
<p>A lot of benefits to be had for this approach. I disagree that dual-credit is to be thought of as a way to take high school classes and prepare for the 'real thing.' These ARE college classes. They ARE the real thing! They are not the same as high school AP, which do not automatically give college credit (the student has to take an additional test to get credit.)</p>
<p>A college professor once told me that no one cares where the person took his basics. Employers don't look at that at all. All they care about is where s/he got his/her DEGREE!</p>
<p>UT has a transfer guide that tells you exactly which classes transfer from SAC. It is true that you'd need to specifically ask any out-of-state schools if the classes will transfer. </p>
<p>For those intending to go to an Ivy, or pretty much any private school, dual-credit classes at the cc might not be an option. But for those who can't afford a private school, or who have chosen a state university for its own merits (as opposed to grudgingly accepting it as a last resort), then cc dual-credit program can offer a lot of advantages. My son is smart enough that I know he could probably get into pretty much any school he wanted, if he really set his mind to it and jumped thru all the appropriate hoops. But, he doesn't like jumping thru hoops. He has chosen UT for a variety of reasons. It's an excellent school with the political activism he is passionate about, has a hip music scene, has a lot of diversity (there are bumper stickers that say 'Keep Austin Weird'), is ranked high, and a variety of other reasons. I don't think my son would want to go to an Ivy even if it were free. It's a matter of finding the best fit for the person. Right now he is getting the best possible education for his particular needs. That's valuable and I wouldn't want those hard-earned credits thrown away or scoffed at by a private school.</p>
<p>Hey I just realized that that last statement might have sounded a bit defensive. I apologize! I don't mean to criticize Ivies/private schools, but was just trying to offer another perspective. Not everyone here is heading in that direction. Anyway sorry if I offended anyone - not my intention!</p>
<p>Keep in mind also that sometime credit isn't accepted by a college if the course was taken to satisfy a HIGH SCHOOL requirement. In other words, if the biology you took was used to satifsy your high school home-school "science credit" , they might not also let you use it for college credit.</p>
<p>Very true. Be sure to confirm with the dual-credit office that the student will get COLLEGE credit. It was a given at SAC but I don't know about other schools.</p>