Concurrent enrollment in high school

[quasar_4]

Since some of you are high school students and may be contemplating it, I just wanted to share my opinion - don't do it unless the grades are perfect! If I could go back and change anything about high school, it would be NOT doing this. I took a bunch of classes in 11th grade and got credit from a local community college, but being in 11th grade, I wasn't the most serious student, so I got crappy grades. They had told us we didn't have to transfer the grades to later institutions if we didn't want to, so I thought it wouldn't matter; it turns out that (at least at my school) you HAVE to transfer them, and later I had no choice.

So what happens now is that the grades follow me around (despite being 11th grade english, etc.), are used to calculate my total GPA (hence bringing it down) and it is a pain to have to get transcripts from the community college (you can't order them online, so I have to drive for two hours to pick them up). Don't do it unless you know you need the credits, and you anticipate great grades, and you don't mind having to bother with the transcripts later... (like in scholarship competitions, grad school apps, etc.).

Just my two cents, don't want all of you to regret it like I do!

 

[Wellesley]

Why would you have to transfer the credits if you didn't want to? Did you apply as a transfer student to the University after you finished high school, or did you apply as a Freshman? For that matter, what university made you keep the credits?

I'm taking online math classes now, as a Junior in high school. After reading this, I'm somewhat puzzled at your experience. I always thought schools would deny credit, if anything...not force you to transfer the credit.

 

[EnSvensk]

I agree with Wellesley. My University will take credit from other colleges, but absolutely refuses to count it as part of the GPA. However, I see this as a good thing because it means you can take required 'liberal arts'/general education type classes over the summer at a CC and not worry about taking the class seriously (All you had to do is pass and you were fine.)

 

[jgg]

...They had told us we didn't have to transfer the grades to later institutions if we didn't want to, so I thought it wouldn't matter; it turns out that (at least at my school) you HAVE to transfer them, and later I had no choice.

Is your school somehow counting the CC credits in place of your required curriculum, thus requiring it to be factored into the GPA (I'm assuming high school GPA, not the college GPA you earned from the credits)? I've taken/am taking 4 classes directly from local colleges, and I don't have to report a grade for a single one of them if I don't want to. I've never heard of being forced to send scores.

As for the motivation thing, I enjoyed taking college-level courses more than high-school stuff, but that's just me. I also used it to basically get rid of all or most of my general education requirements for college, which meant not having to take a class in Speech or English, thereby motivating me.