My D20 is currently enrolled in a MV Calculus class at her local CC since she completed AP Calc BC her junior year. As a high school student, she got last pick of the CC courses and selected the MV Calc class that was available. Since she enrolled in June, a previous commitment (Co-Chair of a Philanthropy Board) has shifted its schedule and it is making it very difficult for her to finish the CC’s MV Calc course. If she drops it now, one month in, she will receive a “W” on a CC transcript, which I believe she now has to send to colleges as part of her application (even with zero grades or any other courses taken). Three-Part Question: 1) How do Adcoms at T25 and UCs view a CC transcript being included in the admissions package that shows no courses and a “W”? 2) Would it work to use the “extra information” section of applications to explain the need to drop the course to follow through on a previous commitment? 3) Should she try to take another course somehow somewhere to make up for the dropped course (she can take a semester-long honors MV Calc course at a local private 1-to-1 high school or she can take an online for-no-credit course via edX or such)…all advice appreciated. I don’t want to provide bad guidance on this one. Thanks in advance for your input and suggestions!
In our family, academics come first. If outside commitments interfere with classes it’s the commitments that are scaled back. I think learning to prioritize is good practice for college.
I think your safest bet would be to talk to the registrars office or an advisor at the CC and see if she can transfer into another MVC class that better meets her schedule. A class that was previously filled may have had some drops or transfers out. Also, it is possible the advisor could get the professors permission to fit one more student into the class. It is worth asking.
That said, how colleges view the W could depend on the college and the AO reading the file. One person may forgive a scheduling conflict whereas another might note that she put ECs ahead of academics. In any case, she needs four years of credited math courses. I wouldn’t bother with a non-credited option.
My DD also sits on a philanthropy board, and I have to say there is no way I’d let her put that ahead of school work. It is a wonderful, meaningful-to-her, and worthy EC, but education still comes first.
How is it that she let that committee meeting get rescheduled to a time that doesn’t fit her schedule? I’d ask about re-scheduling that too.
For UCs, ask her guidance counselor.
Most places aren’t going to care that she has dropped a class that it is so far outside the normal high school curriculum. Whether the specific places on her list would care, and whether it could matter for her projected major, are different issues.
Is the real situation that she has lost interest in MV? Then that’s OK too. Provided she has enough math to meet her school’s graduation requirements, then she should feel free to ditch the class and get on with her life.
I’d agree that as it’s a class beyond what a vast majority of students take in HS, it’s not going to be significant as long as she has a full HS schedule.
Another vote to prioritize the course over the EC.
At my D’s HS, four years of math are required for graduation, regardless of level reached so be sure to also check with the HS GC before withdrawing if you go in that direction.