Experiences with Early College at MC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My colleagues daughter did a similar program in PG County. She did graduate with an AA but ended up majoring in an unrelated field (and not at UMD) and did not use many of the credits. They knew this was likely going in. She did it for the challenge and peer group. No regrets.

In MCPS, they are mostly Gen Ed requirements so it’s unlikely most would go unused. In last night’s meeting, the coordinator said many students had 50-60 credits transfer.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Has anyone’s kid done the early college at MC where they get an associate’s degree at the same time as an MCPS high school diploma? My 10th grader is thinking about applying and I’m looking for some stories to add to the details on the web pages.

How is this program different from dual enrollment?

Or taking AP classes?

Kids graduate high school with an AA degree. That degree can translate to joining some schools as a sophomore / junior in college after transfer. Montgomery College, which is where kids study toward the AA, has a variety of transfer agreements with colleges and universities to ensure that credits align, are accepted, etc

That seems nice and money/time saving for many credits can be transferred, and can be a sophomore/junior in college after high school graduation, but isn't it the kid would also miss the freshman/sophomore precious year experience (living, hanging with friends, playing or activities etc) in the new 4 year college?

Well, sure. And different families have different priorities. College is expensive!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Has anyone’s kid done the early college at MC where they get an associate’s degree at the same time as an MCPS high school diploma? My 10th grader is thinking about applying and I’m looking for some stories to add to the details on the web pages.

How is this program different from dual enrollment?

Or taking AP classes?

Kids graduate high school with an AA degree. That degree can translate to joining some schools as a sophomore / junior in college after transfer. Montgomery College, which is where kids study toward the AA, has a variety of transfer agreements with colleges and universities to ensure that credits align, are accepted, etc

That seems nice and money/time saving for many credits can be transferred, and can be a sophomore/junior in college after high school graduation, but isn't it the kid would also miss the freshman/sophomore precious year experience (living, hanging with friends, playing or activities etc) in the new 4 year college?

Well, sure. And different families have different priorities. College is expensive!

That makes no sense. An 18 year old living on campus can have the same experiences whether or not they have 60 college credits already. No one says this about the kids at Ws taking 16 AP classes between 9th and 12th grade. More bias against this option claiming that families are giving up a “precious freshman/sophomore experience” because college is expensive!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - My niece and nephew went through the program. Both went onto UMCP and now are each respectively in graduate school in in-demand fields.

The snobby subtext the PP either espouses or alludes to is it’s widely looked down upon by wealthier schools as a program for poor kids. This isn't true - my brother and SIL are well off -but MoCo folks like to keep people who deviate from the academic norm in check if they aren’t at a W school. That stigma keeps kids out of the program.

Plenty of W HS kids do this program.

You are the snob. One of my neighbor's homes over $10 mil kids did this. Stop lumping all of the W parents into one group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My colleagues daughter did a similar program in PG County. She did graduate with an AA but ended up majoring in an unrelated field (and not at UMD) and did not use many of the credits. They knew this was likely going in. She did it for the challenge and peer group. No regrets.

In MCPS, they are mostly Gen Ed requirements so it’s unlikely most would go unused. In last night’s meeting, the coordinator said many students had 50-60 credits transfer.

If it was not a MD school, they may not have accepted them as easily...but if you want all the credits you just go to MD.

[Anonymous]

Depends what your kid is seeking. If it is acceleration/peer group for a highly abled kid, I've been told that taking the most rigorous classes in H.S. is the better way to achieve this. If it is college credit, finishing college sooner, or being more independent than a typical H.S.er, then classes at MC is the better approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends what your kid is seeking. If it is acceleration/peer group for a highly abled kid, I've been told that taking the most rigorous classes in H.S. is the better way to achieve this. If it is college credit, finishing college sooner, or being more independent than a typical H.S.er, then classes at MC is the better approach.

This sounds like a reasonable summation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends what your kid is seeking. If it is acceleration/peer group for a highly abled kid, I've been told that taking the most rigorous classes in H.S. is the better way to achieve this. If it is college credit, finishing college sooner, or being more independent than a typical H.S.er, then classes at MC is the better approach.

This sounds like a reasonable summation.

But specifically for Early College students, they are with a cohort of high achieving students, not just taking a handful of random classes with the general MC population.

AP Language is equivalent to English 101
AP Calculus is equivalent to Calculus 101 (or whatever the actual course code is)

I wouldn’t say the most rigorous AP courses are actually better than the equivalent college credit class. There’s a reason some schools will take college credit classes when they won’t give credit just because you took an AP class.

[Anonymous]

I have a question as to how this would help get a high achieving HS student into a more selective college, in comparison to AP or IB program. I am also confused when a PP said there is a better peer group at MC. Aren't the majority of those in MC classes older than HS students enrolled in community college, whereas in AP or IB program you are with other kids your age who will likely end up going to other more selective colleges after graduation? The peer group statement doesn't make sense to me. Please explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a question as to how this would help get a high achieving HS student into a more selective college, in comparison to AP or IB program. I am also confused when a PP said there is a better peer group at MC. Aren't the majority of those in MC classes older than HS students enrolled in community college, whereas in AP or IB program you are with other kids your age who will likely end up going to other more selective colleges after graduation? The peer group statement doesn't make sense to me. Please explain.

NP
My DD who is in the biological science program takes all her classes with “early college” students not regular MC students.
I think people are confusing early college and dual enrollment.
Early college students are taking full time MC courses and just do Athletic things in their high school.
Most of this students took AP courses during freshman and sophomore year and wanted to have specialized educational experience in computer science, biological science, nursing or business.
Colleges will look at AP/IB/ and taking CC courses in high school favorably.

[Anonymous]

One caution about dual enrollment classes is that there is not the same safety net at CC as there is in HS. If your teen tends to flake out on assignments and skip tests, it is better to keep them in HS. If they are both smart and responsible, it can be a good option.

[Anonymous]

I've taken some classes at MC, and they were easier than my HS courses, and half the class was barely literate in English. If you can't afford a university, then this program is great, but if you have $ send your kid to UMD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've taken some classes at MC, and they were easier than my HS courses, and half the class was barely literate in English. If you can't afford a university, then this program is great, but if you have $ send your kid to UMD.

You’ve totally missed the point of this program. These are HS kids taking college courses. Most of them could not get into UMD at 14, 15, 16 without a HS diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've taken some classes at MC, and they were easier than my HS courses, and half the class was barely literate in English. If you can't afford a university, then this program is great, but if you have $ send your kid to UMD.

You’ve totally missed the point of this program. These are HS kids taking college courses. Most of them could not get into UMD at 14, 15, 16 without a HS diploma.

I don’t know what you are talking about. But my son had the same teacher in Montgomery college for organic chemistry 1 as he did for organic chemistry 2 in UMCP. Montgomery College is great and attracts amazing professors who are not interested in research and tenure. Or, was this an anti-Latino snark?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've taken some classes at MC, and they were easier than my HS courses, and half the class was barely literate in English. If you can't afford a university, then this program is great, but if you have $ send your kid to UMD.

You’ve totally missed the point of this program. These are HS kids taking college courses. Most of them could not get into UMD at 14, 15, 16 without a HS diploma.

I don’t know what you are talking about. But my son had the same teacher in Montgomery college for organic chemistry 1 as he did for organic chemistry 2 in UMCP. Montgomery College is great and attracts amazing professors who are not interested in research and tenure. Or, was this an anti-Latino snark?

My DD is taking organic chemistry as early college and likes her professor.
I think the pp took some easy classes after high school.