Early College at Montgomery College

[Anonymous]

Wrote this in MCPS but didn't really get any concrete answers. Is there anyone here that went through the Montgomery College Early College program and it really made that admissions difference? And our child felt more ready for college and was challenged? My child and I are going back and forth (it would be a business AA degree, thinks they want to be a lawyer, versus taking 4-5 Aps per year Junior and Senior year (child one year ahead in math)

Is it more desirable for colleges for your high school student to go to MC for early college (jr/sr years) or stay at an above average (but not "W" school) and take 4-5 AP classes per year. Kid is current sophomore taking all AP and honors classes, 3.8 UW gpa, one year ahead grade level in math. This kid also will be playing a college sport at the D3 level probably (only 1 other EC because the sport demands practice almost every day and weekend tournaments). Expecting them to go to a 2nd or 3rd tier school, not enough extracurriculars for top tier because of sport balance and keeping up good grades. Expect their SATs to be around 1400, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. But i don't know how their sport will play into this either...trying to plan, first things first, MC decision incoming.

[Anonymous]

Only considering college admissions it goes: IB, AP, dual enrollment in terms of how admissions officers perceive rigor.

[Anonymous]

Since your kid’s UW GPA is only 3.8, the focus should be on getting all As. Additionally, it’s not difficult to get 1500+ with some effort. Just focus on building a strong foundation on basic math and language.

[Anonymous]

I was a poster on the other thread.

If you are going for Ivy’s I wouldn’t rock the boat. I’d just do APs like everyone else.

Nobody can tell you exactly what every AO at every school thinks about every DE class. I hope that AOs in general would feel favorable toward kids taking DE linear algebra and differential equations vs not taking four years of math.

Absent knowledge of which schools your kid plans to apply to, what classes they would take as APs, and which classes they would take as DE it is hard to say.

I will say, it is easier to get an A at MCPS than at MC simply because the grading in MCPS is more favorable. Particularly the STEM courses at MC can be quite challenging. Don’t assume DE via EC is easy. I say this as the parent of a child that has a 1580 SAT score and came from a competitive magnet.

You can see on the EC page where they send students. They have kids that go to MIT and CMU, and kids that go to local colleges to finish their four years.

[Anonymous]

DE is not the same everywhere. In some school districts it takes the place of AP courses, in some places it is where you take classes beyond AP, and in some school districts it is where you take an easier version of AP classes. I can figure out that DE has different purposes in different school districts just by reading these forums.

Whether the AO at your school will understand where to put MCPS/MC early college DE is unknown. I am certain that at UMD they are familiar with the program and how it compares with staying at your home HS and doing AP classes. I have no idea what they would think about it at North Dakota State University.

[Anonymous]

If you are poor, it's a good way to go. College isn't just for credits to check a box. It's social and to make connections. MC won't get you that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only considering college admissions it goes: IB, AP, dual enrollment in terms of how admissions officers perceive rigor.

This is a bit misleading because "IB" covers far fewer courses than AP. So 3 HL + 6 SL IB might be better than 6 AP, but not better than 14 AP.

[Anonymous]

EC is good for students how have better things to do with their time than high school, like time intensive Extrurriculars, and for people who want to move directly toward a specific vocational degree like nursing or forestry or criminal justice, which you can complete earlier of trim away liberal arts HS/college courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since your kid’s UW GPA is only 3.8, the focus should be on getting all As. Additionally, it’s not difficult to get 1500+ with some effort. Just focus on building a strong foundation on basic math and language.

Is this because of grade inflation? That seems like a decent GPA outside T20 schools (assuming lots of AP classes).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only considering college admissions it goes: IB, AP, dual enrollment in terms of how admissions officers perceive rigor.

Except…this is what parents think.

Yale:

“ How does Yale use AP, IB, A-Levels, and Dual Enrollment courses completed in high school?
Admissions officers are familiar with various types of advanced coursework, including AP, IB, A-Levels, Dual Enrollment, and others, but have no preference for one advanced curriculum over another. We also understand that the availability of advanced coursework varies significantly from school to school. For matriculating students, top scores on AP or IB exams can, in some cases, be used for the purposes of course placement or acceleration (i.e. completing the requirements for an undergraduate degree in fewer than 8 semesters). Details of the Yale College policies on acceleration are available in the Yale College Programs of Study.”

https://admissions.yale.edu/faq/applying-yale-college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DE is not the same everywhere. In some school districts it takes the place of AP courses, in some places it is where you take classes beyond AP, and in some school districts it is where you take an easier version of AP classes. I can figure out that DE has different purposes in different school districts just by reading these forums.

Whether the AO at your school will understand where to put MCPS/MC early college DE is unknown. I am certain that at UMD they are familiar with the program and how it compares with staying at your home HS and doing AP classes. I have no idea what they would think about it at North Dakota State University.

This.

[Anonymous]

one year ahead grade level in math

this isn't really a thing in HS. What is she studying?

For admissions purposes, getting an AA only matters if your daughter wants to apply as a transfer student. That's where early college makes a difference, admissions-wise.

Otherwise, it's just one version of a rigorous curriculum, and your daughter should not do it for the purpose of gaining any kind of admissions advantage.
If anything I'd imagine that there is a potential downside insofar as being off-high-school campus would limit her engagement with non-academics as a high school student -- basically everything that goes on at school outside of class.

To be the best college (read: 1st year) applicant she can be, she should choose the course of study most aligned with her interests, goals, and passions -- whatever that may be -- and get involved in her community (school, local, interest- or affiliation-based, however she defines "community.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

one year ahead grade level in math

this isn't really a thing in HS. What is she studying?

For admissions purposes, getting an AA only matters if your daughter wants to apply as a transfer student. That's where early college makes a difference, admissions-wise.

Otherwise, it's just one version of a rigorous curriculum, and your daughter should not do it for the purpose of gaining any kind of admissions advantage.
If anything I'd imagine that there is a potential downside insofar as being off-high-school campus would limit her engagement with non-academics as a high school student -- basically everything that goes on at school outside of class.

To be the best college (read: 1st year) applicant she can be, she should choose the course of study most aligned with her interests, goals, and passions -- whatever that may be -- and get involved in her community (school, local, interest- or affiliation-based, however she defines "community.)

This is completely incorrect. Almost zero 4 year colleges/universities allow HS students to apply as transfer students even if they have an AA.

Ignore the entire post bc it shows this is all based on guessing (and she’s absolutely wrong). If she doubles down: please post every college/university’s admissions website allowing a HS kid to apply as a transfer (not a first year) student based on college credits earned during HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

one year ahead grade level in math

this isn't really a thing in HS. What is she studying?

For admissions purposes, getting an AA only matters if your daughter wants to apply as a transfer student. That's where early college makes a difference, admissions-wise.

Otherwise, it's just one version of a rigorous curriculum, and your daughter should not do it for the purpose of gaining any kind of admissions advantage.
If anything I'd imagine that there is a potential downside insofar as being off-high-school campus would limit her engagement with non-academics as a high school student -- basically everything that goes on at school outside of class.

To be the best college (read: 1st year) applicant she can be, she should choose the course of study most aligned with her interests, goals, and passions -- whatever that may be -- and get involved in her community (school, local, interest- or affiliation-based, however she defines "community.)

This is completely incorrect. Almost zero 4 year colleges/universities allow HS students to apply as transfer students even if they have an AA.

Ignore the entire post bc it shows this is all based on guessing (and she’s absolutely wrong). If she doubles down: please post every college/university’s admissions website allowing a HS kid to apply as a transfer (not a first year) student based on college credits earned during HS.

+1

Kids that earn college credits in HS always apply as freshman.