<p>This might have been asked 4324 times already but I had no luck with the search button so i guess I will need everyone’s help again.</p>
<p>I am wondering just how tough is community college? I know it is not easy to define that but lets say comparing it to AP classes in high school, do you think the classes in cc are more rigorious? So is getting a 4.0 in cc similar to getting straight in all AP?</p>
<p>And will a 3.8+ in cc with a decent amount of ec be enough for the likes of penn wharton? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I do not think it’s that hard but realize that not even 4.0’s at CCs are guaranteed admissions to the Ivy Leagues. I took a George Mason math class (the school is above a CC) and I thought it was pretty easy. I kinda screwed up the curve for the rest of the class so they probably didnt’ like me.</p>
<p>I’m worried about a similar issue. I’m a senior, but I’m in a program where I attend all my classes at a cc. My grades are great, but I fear going to a university will be such a rude awakening, especially Berkeley or LA, the schools I want to attend most. Since I am a business major, I have to reapply to Berk soph yeah to get into haas. and I’m wondering if I get into berk if I should go or just stay here to keep my gpa high. Sucks, because if I get into Berk, I know I’d probably end up going and dropping my GPA significantly.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the class. Two weeks before my first quarter at the junior college, I was required to take a two week “College Success” class. The people in there weren’t exactly as motivated as those in my previous AP classes and I was sure I wasn’t going to be challenged at the junior college. </p>
<p>Luckily, I’ve found that my other classes have been very challenging. It’s a completely different format then in high school. I feel like these classes are a lot more productive because we don’t waste time on busy work. Class mainly consists of lectures and you are expected to keep up with homework and readings at home, even if they’re not collected. </p>
<p>Although it’s been challenging, I am really glad I decided to take the classes at the community college instead of AP. I have had amazing teachers that will do anything to help me, as long as I work hard. In high school it was hard to get this individualized attention because my teachers always seemed overwhelmed by the size of the classes. In AP Euro last year, we had 40 students and often ran out of desks and textbooks. This year, I just finished a Calculus class with 11 other students. The difference in class size is amazing. Overall, I feel that the environment at the community college has been more supportive and individualized. Although the classes cover material fast (we covered a whole year’s worth of chemistry in a quarter) and the concepts are sometimes challenging, it’s not frustrating because I’ve had teachers that are very supportive and enthusiastic about their subjects.</p>
<p>Workload has been a little above average, but the classes meet less often than high school classes so you have a little more free time to study. To give you an idea of the workload I’ll describe the quarter that just finished yesterday. Winter quarter I took a pretty average load (15 credits) which consisted of: Chemistry, English, and Calculus. Chemistry wasn’t too bad, I’d say probably 8-10 hours of homework each week. Usually covered about one textbook chapter each class session and had tests every other week, with a comprehensive final at the end. Calculus was hard, but I had a wonderful teacher that was amazing at explaining concepts and making the class very exciting. I probably worked 10-12 hours/week on homework for this class. Our grade was mainly dependent on 3 midterms and a comprehensive final. Homework was optional but it was pretty obvious that if you didn’t do the homework, you’d struggle with the tests. English was average. We had a ~2 page paper due weekly on assigned subjects and readings from Elie Wiesel’s novel, Night. We used online discussion boards a lot to reflect on what we read and to offer constructive criticism for other students’ essays. The class culminated with a 10 page term paper about an example of oppression in our society. I just finished mine on “The International Community’s Response to the Current Conflict in Darfur.”</p>
<p>If you want to get into Penn Wharton, I’d probably suggest you stay with AP. I’ve heard that colleges are more impressed by AP because the curriculum is somewhat standardized. I chose to participate in the dual enrollment program because I had a bad experience with my AP classes last year (I didn’t like the huge crowded atmosphere and had a teacher who only showed up about once a week. The rest of the time we spent on busy work and “study time” for other classes.). I’ve had a really good experience with my classes at the community college but I think it depends on what you want out of high school. I really could care less which college I get into as long as I am challenged and learning in school. I feel like I’ve learned so much more in this dual-enrollment program, that it’s been worth it even if I just end up at a state school after high school. If you just want to impress colleges, I’d suggest staying with AP because I think colleges like that they can compare the AP test grades easier then community college grades.</p>