Choosing Classes: Cross Enrolling and Full-Time Status Explained

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges and considerations of cross enrolling in courses at different institutions, specifically focusing on maintaining full-time student status while managing course schedules and financial aid implications. Participants explore the implications of choosing a Pass/No-Pass grading option for a foreign language course in the context of their overall academic goals.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant discusses the need to register for 12 units at their community college (CC) to maintain full-time status while cross enrolling in an Honors Linear Algebra course at a university on a quarter system.
  • There is a concern about the impact of taking a foreign language course on academic focus and the potential need to apply for Pass/No-Pass grading to alleviate stress during demanding periods.
  • Several participants recommend opting for Pass/No-Pass grading, suggesting it would enhance the enjoyment of the semester without negatively impacting future academic applications.
  • Another participant shares their experience of successfully managing unit conversions between semester and quarter systems to maintain full-time status and advises checking with the financial aid department for relevant forms.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the benefits of choosing Pass/No-Pass grading for the foreign language course, though there is no consensus on how this decision might affect future transfer or graduate school applications.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the implications of Pass/No-Pass grading on transfer applications and the specific policies of their institutions regarding concurrent enrollment and financial aid.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering cross enrollment between institutions, particularly those navigating different academic calendars and financial aid requirements, may find this discussion relevant.

dustbin
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This semester I will be cross enrolling in an Honors Linear Algebra course at a local university in addition to my CC classes. While this is really great, it's also created some odd obstacles for choosing my schedule for the semester. Since my CC is on the semester schedule and the university is on the quarter system, I won't be starting the university class until the end of Sept while my CC classes start this coming Monday.

In order to maintain my full-time status, I had to register for 12 units at my CC and then I will be adding on the Linear Algebra course after about a month. I was originally going to take Physics, but it was very conflicting with my other courses that I had to take. My other option was C++, but then I would only have 11 units for the first month, losing my full time status and making a huge p.i.t.a. to get my financial aid. So, I am taking Russian as my elective.

I have my foreign language satisfied already (Spanish) and am just taking this due to the full-time issue and the fact it has some relevance to my major (since many math graduate programs do a basic test in German, French, or Russian). I am genuinely interested in learning foreign languages, but I also want to be able to focus on my honors courses this semester (Calc II and Lin Alg). Should I apply for Pass/No-Pass? I ask because I don't know if this would be frowned upon when I apply for transfer or to grad schools, etc. I don't want to do P/NP to be able to slack off, I just want the option to focus more on my math courses if I have a period where it is particularly demanding.
 
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I'd take it P/NP, no question.
 
Go Pass-No Pass. You won't regret it.
 
Great. Thanks for you replies. I suspect this will make my semester far more enjoyable (if the teacher allows P/NP)!
 
Its possible that the honors class you are taking can add some units for financial aid consideration. I have done exactly what you are doing and took some classes at a quarter type university as well as some at a semester type community college. I had 10 semester units at the CC and 4 quarter units at the university which, when converted to semester units, came out to be 12.66 semester units total. That allowed me to officially have full time status. I would check with your financial aid department for a concurrent enrollment form or what ever they would call it if they have it.
 

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