Northwood Middle College program

[Anonymous]

I am confused about this program - what is the advantage of getting an Associate's degree? I am aware of Bachelor's/Master's degrees, etc. since I went to grad. school here, but what is an Associate's degree? DC who is interested in Blair STEM magnet is also looking at other application programs in case he does not get into Blair, and the fact that he can get a college degree while in high school makes him think this may be a challenging option. How does this program compare to Blair STEM or Richard Montgomery IB programs? How will the associate's degree help if DC is going to end up at a four-year degree program anyways? How is this different from doing AP courses and getting college credits for those AP courses?

Thanks for any information!

[Anonymous]

There have only been a handful of graduates from the program as it is new. I think all went on to U of Md, so it’s very helpful to them to start off college with 60 credits. It’s not clear how many credits a private college would accept. Many of the Northwood credits do come from AP classes, so those credits will transfer however the colleges treat AP from any high school. One benefit from the Northwood program is that the Montgomery College courses count for credit, while the AP credits depend on the score on the AP exam.
The Northwood program is not a competitive application program. So, while the students choosing it are motivated, but it’s not a rarified cohort like Blair STEM.

[Anonymous]

Your child will possible be able to transfer 2 years worth of credits to another school and possibly start as a junior...especially at MD schools. Depending on the college he attends, some of the credits may not transfer or be useful towards a particular major. It is not nearly as intense or competitive as Blair/Poolesville/RMIB but is an opportunity to get ahead and save some college $$. I do think you have to pay for the MC credits. MC seems to really be pushing/expanding these programs but they are still pretty new.

[Anonymous]

An associate's degree doesn't have much inherent value. But, if your kid goes to an MD state college, he will start as a junior and will finish his undergraduate 2 years early. I will encourage my kid to do this program. It creates more time for a gap year, an internship, etc.

[Anonymous]

I would beg to differ given that an associates degree is more challenging than high school credits. While the program is in the early stages, I am positive it will become a highly sought after option and become more competitive as more people find out about it.

[Anonymous]

A few other thoughts to consider.... while you might think "well I want my kid to experience the full 4 years of college anyway" so this isn't for him/her....

1. Bringing in a big chunk of credits could allow your child the flexibility to double major.
2. Bringing in a big chunk of credits could allow your child to graduate in the 4 years with a Master's Degree (there are a lot of BA/MA programs out there that get you an MA in 5 years of schooling). That's a real savings of money and time.

I'll be curious to see how the program grows over time, but it might be a very cool option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would beg to differ given that an associates degree is more challenging than high school credits. While the program is in the early stages, I am positive it will become a highly sought after option and become more competitive as more people find out about it.

I don't think a community college class is more challenging that a magnet class. I am not sure that they are more challenging than an AP class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would beg to differ given that an associates degree is more challenging than high school credits. While the program is in the early stages, I am positive it will become a highly sought after option and become more competitive as more people find out about it.

I don't think a community college class is more challenging that a magnet class. I am not sure that they are more challenging than an AP class.

Depends on the two you are comparing. I took geography courses at MC as an educator. Most were more rigorous than the AP Human Geog course taught at the HS where I worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would beg to differ given that an associates degree is more challenging than high school credits. While the program is in the early stages, I am positive it will become a highly sought after option and become more competitive as more people find out about it.

I don't think a community college class is more challenging that a magnet class. I am not sure that they are more challenging than an AP class.

I am absolutely positive that a community college class is not more challenging than most AP's (let's ignore AP Computer Science Principles and Human Geography). There are adjuncts who teach both AP classes during the day and MC classes at night. You can ask them.

The Middle College program is really going to be most attractive to families whose children are not seeking to attend very competitive colleges. Many competitive colleges would not accept 2 years worth of credits from Montgomery College anyways. That being said, if you don't care about your child having 4 years at a high-level university and 3 summers of competitive internships, send him/her to Middle College.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would beg to differ given that an associates degree is more challenging than high school credits. While the program is in the early stages, I am positive it will become a highly sought after option and become more competitive as more people find out about it.

I don't think a community college class is more challenging that a magnet class. I am not sure that they are more challenging than an AP class.

Depends on the two you are comparing. I took geography courses at MC as an educator. Most were more rigorous than the AP Human Geog course taught at the HS where I worked.

AP Human Geography is considered one of the easiest AP courses. Some states really encourage freshmen to take it. At my DD's high school, a lot of students take it who haven't taken any other AP's. It's considered "accessible."

[Anonymous]

I think it sounds like a great way to transfer into UMD automatically!

I think MD is almost guaranteed to accept students with associates from MD community colleges

[Anonymous]

But I'm also curious to know if students use it to get to higher ranked colleges

I'm zoned for Northwood and would love a program that guaranteed my kid gets into Maryland while also leaving the door open for other options

[Anonymous]

Having an AA makes it harder for the college to pick and choose credits, even AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it sounds like a great way to transfer into UMD automatically!

I think MD is almost guaranteed to accept students with associates from MD community colleges

But not into the limited majors like engineering

[Anonymous]

Thanks ^ good point

They would have to still apply to those based on their grades