Cohort at Northwood MC2?

[Anonymous]

How academically strong is each cohort in the MC2 program at Northwood? Is it lottery or application based? Is it very new?

Does it differ from Early College via MoCo community college? (I don’t know much about either program.)

My kid is someone who would probably thrive at the Blair STEM program if he got in. However he also likes the idea of earning college credit. But as an 8th grader he doesn’t know what the programs will actually be like day to day. Will MC2 draw similar academically inclined students?

I find that the most important thing to an awesome class is having an awesome teacher, which is somewhat of a crap shoot. Also looking for a strong cohort of peers.

[Anonymous]

Observer with a current 8th-grader so take this with a grain of salt: from what I can tell, the MC2 cohort is academically strong and motivated, and if your child wants to trade a significant portion of high school for college and get some gen ed credits out of the way, that could be a good route.

However, the AP teachers at Northwood also seem to be a strong crew, so your child could still have a more typically high school experience, gain AP credit, and still have a strong cohort/classroom experience.

[Anonymous]

You can do MC classes without being in that program. Better to go to the regular school and take MC classes.

[Anonymous]

We looked into MC2 when my kid was in 8th, and if remember correctly, students take a combination of AP and MC courses taught at Northwood in their first two (maybe 3?) years, then move to the MC campus for the final year(s). I can’t recall the exact progression, but they’re not dropping high school freshmen into a college classroom with 20-year-olds. And they’d start out by taking AP classes alongside their peers at Northwood.

And—again, if I’m remembering correctly—the MC2 program includes a specialized class or two designed to help freshmen ramp up to college-level work quickly.

My impression at the time was that it’s intended to be a carefully-designed, well-supported program with specific academic tracks, as opposed to the a la carte Dual Enrollment model.

Ultimately, mine decided the IB approach was a better fit for their deep-dive learning style, but was pretty intrigued by the MC2 model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Observer with a current 8th-grader so take this with a grain of salt: from what I can tell, the MC2 cohort is academically strong and motivated, and if your child wants to trade a significant portion of high school for college and get some gen ed credits out of the way, that could be a good route.

However, the AP teachers at Northwood also seem to be a strong crew, so your child could still have a more typically high school experience, gain AP credit, and still have a strong cohort/classroom experience.

This is pretty accurate. The MC2 cohort at Northwood tends to be a strong group. Also, the AP classes at Northwood range from good to excellent. If your kid is in MC2 or the type of kid who wants to load up on AP classes, they should be fine at Northwood. Counselors are very focused on mental health so they try to dissuade students from taking too many AP classes but with parental permission, they will let you do it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Observer with a current 8th-grader so take this with a grain of salt: from what I can tell, the MC2 cohort is academically strong and motivated, and if your child wants to trade a significant portion of high school for college and get some gen ed credits out of the way, that could be a good route.

However, the AP teachers at Northwood also seem to be a strong crew, so your child could still have a more typically high school experience, gain AP credit, and still have a strong cohort/classroom experience.

It is not a significant portion.

Freshman year, it’s 1-2 AP classes.
Sophomore year, it’s 2 AP classes and 1 college course taught on Northwood’s campus.
Junior year, it’s two college classes taught on Northwood’s campus and one college class taught at an MC campus (used to be summer, going forward will be winter).
Senior year: if your child prefers, they can take 4-5 college courses each semester on a MC campus and never set foot at Northwood. However, they can also go back to Northwood for clubs, athletics, and other activities. Which is what my child is doing. There are also a few seniors taking 1-2 MCPS classes at Northwood.

Along the way, my child attended dances, the musicals, and sports events, participated in extracurriculars at Northwood (including serving as a leader in clubs), traveled internationally, interned during summers, and exceeded the required SSL hours. Normal high school experience for a very driven kid in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Observer with a current 8th-grader so take this with a grain of salt: from what I can tell, the MC2 cohort is academically strong and motivated, and if your child wants to trade a significant portion of high school for college and get some gen ed credits out of the way, that could be a good route.

However, the AP teachers at Northwood also seem to be a strong crew, so your child could still have a more typically high school experience, gain AP credit, and still have a strong cohort/classroom experience.

It is not a significant portion.

Freshman year, it’s 1-2 AP classes.
Sophomore year, it’s 2 AP classes and 1 college course taught on Northwood’s campus.
Junior year, it’s two college classes taught on Northwood’s campus and one college class taught at an MC campus (used to be summer, going forward will be winter).
Senior year: if your child prefers, they can take 4-5 college courses each semester on a MC campus and never set foot at Northwood. However, they can also go back to Northwood for clubs, athletics, and other activities. Which is what my child is doing. There are also a few seniors taking 1-2 MCPS classes at Northwood.

Along the way, my child attended dances, the musicals, and sports events, participated in extracurriculars at Northwood (including serving as a leader in clubs), traveled internationally, interned during summers, and exceeded the required SSL hours. Normal high school experience for a very driven kid in MCPS.

Thank you. This is helpful. Is your child aiming for UMD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Observer with a current 8th-grader so take this with a grain of salt: from what I can tell, the MC2 cohort is academically strong and motivated, and if your child wants to trade a significant portion of high school for college and get some gen ed credits out of the way, that could be a good route.

However, the AP teachers at Northwood also seem to be a strong crew, so your child could still have a more typically high school experience, gain AP credit, and still have a strong cohort/classroom experience.

It is not a significant portion.

Freshman year, it’s 1-2 AP classes.
Sophomore year, it’s 2 AP classes and 1 college course taught on Northwood’s campus.
Junior year, it’s two college classes taught on Northwood’s campus and one college class taught at an MC campus (used to be summer, going forward will be winter).
Senior year: if your child prefers, they can take 4-5 college courses each semester on a MC campus and never set foot at Northwood. However, they can also go back to Northwood for clubs, athletics, and other activities. Which is what my child is doing. There are also a few seniors taking 1-2 MCPS classes at Northwood.

Along the way, my child attended dances, the musicals, and sports events, participated in extracurriculars at Northwood (including serving as a leader in clubs), traveled internationally, interned during summers, and exceeded the required SSL hours. Normal high school experience for a very driven kid in MCPS.

Thank you. This is helpful. Is your child aiming for UMD?

Yes, but it seems like this year the entire cohort is, which will make it more competitive. I thought more would want to go out of state.