Unnecessarily mean.
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It’s not. It’s reality. If you can’t be bothered to learn how to spell the name (and a three letter name at that!), you are demonstrating a lack of seriousness about the endeavor. That is not a winning approach.
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Why would you want MY kids’ stats?
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OMG. What’s wrong with the adults on this site? This a 15? 16? 17? year old kid that may have very little familiarity with the higher ed landscape and no parental or school guidance. I’m shocked that posters feel okay ridiculing this young person that came here for genuine guidance.
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I can think of two reasons why this community college to four year plan would be beneficial.
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Community college is far less costly in most cases. So if finances are a concern, doing two years at a CC and then completing the bachelors degree at a four year school can save money.
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Some students need a boost in their admissions profile. They need the community college courses with great grades because their high school grades were not as stellar as they might have hoped. So…they attend a CC where they have the chance to prove they can get outstanding grades in college level courses, and then transfer to a four year college to complete their bachelors degree.
Both of these are excellent reasons for choosing the community college to four year college route.
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I believe some posters were a bit confused by the term “middle college”. I confess I was not familiar with it and based on posts here it means different things in different states. I think we understand now. 
If after getting answers here you decide you want suggestions on colleges, you can complete a Chance/Match template by going to that forum and choosing [New Thread]. The template will automatically populate for you to complete.
Best of luck!
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To answer your question, middle college is not necessarily a bad idea. We have them in SC. The schools are rigorous, but don’t offer AP classes. They have an optional 13th year, as you said, and complete high school with an associate degree or transfer to 4 year college.
None of the families that I know are going this route for entrance into an Ivy, but none had trouble getting into competitive in-state schools from middle college. I would definitely have a discussion with your school guidance counselor for some direction.
Best of luck!
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so i can have an example of what ecs and stats i should achieve to be just as successful. but u dont have to
I’m a bit confused. Are you a NC resident?
‘Middle College’ and 'Dual Enrollment" are both terms used here in NC. Neither are looked upon as options for underachieving students. Many students in NC who choose these routes end up having great success on their college journeys. Depending on how many of the MC or DE credits a college accepts, it can be a cost-effective way to earn a 4-year degree in less time.
I worked with a student this past year who attended a Middle College program and was accepted (and now attends) UNC-CH. This student’s high school was an underperforming one that was way below this student’s potential. Middle College allowed them to take challenging classes at our community college with others who were similarly focused on academics and moving on to a four-year college.
I was matched with this student through a mentor program in my community that supports high stat/underrepresented students from low performing high schools in my area. Many of these students participate in MC or DE, and each year there are one or two from the program who are accepted into an Ivy, but they definitely have the stats to support it, and the program (which starts in their freshman year of high school), matches them with excellent EC opportunities to include on their resumes.
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yeah im an nc resident. do you have any general tips for going from middle college to ivy? are there research opportunities, programs, clubs in middle college? and what middle college did he go to.
Ivy League schools typically admit very high achieving students…those with 4.0 GPAs and very high SAT (1550 or above) or ACT (34 or above). These are students who have taken the strongest rigor in terms of high school courses.
One thing you need to consider…some Ivy League schools, should you get admitted, might not even apply your CC courses to your degree requirements. This is something you very much need to check.
The CC to NC publics route is probably cleaner because some CCs have articulation agreements whereby you will be accepted and your courses will transfer for the most part.
I don’t think the Ivy League schools have articulation agreements with any community colleges, but I could be wrong.
I would recommend this as well.
For some of the NC publics that may be true, but UNC-CH can be finicky about accepting credits for courses taken outside of its doors. My student was well aware that not all of their MC credits may transfer. UNC was not able to give them a definitive answer on this before they accepted admission (likely course specific and major dependent).
The students in the program that I worked with had several other hooks that would be of interest to Ivy League schools in addition to having high stats, so I don’t think being in a NC/DE program played a significant part - but nonetheless I don’t have inside info on the nature of the college decision process, especially Ivys.
For your stated purposes, you do not need to graduate from an Ivy League school, or even a very elite school. You can achieve a successful, stable career in the tech/STEM areas you mentioned with any solid accredited program (ABET-accredited for engineering).
Some community-college classes will be fine. But some of the associate degree courses in community colleges focus on applied skills that will enable students to get immediate jobs as technicians in a variety of fields without a four-year-degree. Some of these classes won’t go very deep into the theoretical understanding of the material that you’d need in order to get to the advanced levels that you speak about. Some of the coursework may not be transferable. In contrast, some of the first and second-year classes that you’d take in a sequence in a four-year program might go deeper into the math and physics underpinning practical applications than some courses in a two-year sequence mostly focused on getting grads out the door quickly with some job skills.
I would think that many educational paths might be better for your particular goals than the Ivy League, which is really just a very wealthy and well-known sport league. If money really is no object (your parents might disagree….do you know just how expensive college really is these days?) then at the elite end, something like Georgia Tech might be better to aspire to than anything in the Ivy League. Virginia Tech, NC State, Purdue and a whole host of schools less- well known than those can give you a fine start to career.
Finally, I am going to say that I’m annoyed that you continue to use all lower-case lettering and incorrect punctuation here. A few typos are understandable. I tend to make a lot of mistakes when I type because of poor eye-hand coordination, and texting on a phone is even worse. But that does not seem to be your issue. I get it. You’re young. But even my daughter in college texts me with appropriate caps and punctuation most of the time. The very experienced adults on this site have helped untold numbers of students to successfully pursue their goals, including some students in very dire situations. We’ve asked you to communicate with us in a certain manner and you really haven’t respected that in your replies. It’s really the only price we ask for our otherwise free, valuable advice. If you feel that it’s too steep a price to pay, I don’t think you are ready, motivated or deserving of more advice; much less, an elite education…and this is all I’m willing to add to this thread.
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These are questions that your guidance counselor should be able to answer, or a counselor at the middle college. No one here knows what the middle college you are thinking of attending offers. Have you looked at their website to see what clubs and activities students can be involved in? Start there.
Let’s be clear though: You don’t seem to understand what an Ivy league college is looking for. You many not want your grades to affect you, but it’s too late, because they are on your transcript. There will be many students with perhaps only 1 B, or all A’s, and they will not get into any Ivy League school. NYU is extremely selective now and a reach for all. Are you hooked? If not, it will be very difficult to get into the schools you are interested in. We know nothing about the activities you are involved in.
It’s important to understand that the adults you will be dealing with as you begin the college process (especially for a college that accepts 4% of applicants) have basic expectations of communication skills from applicants. Text speak is fine when you are texting a friend. It isn’t fine when you are seeking advice, because it is full of errors that make it difficult to understand what you are asking.
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Could you please complete the chance me template…which includes things like your GPA, SAT and/or ACT scores, class rank, ECs, and budget! Please please complete that for the folks here. Right now we are throwing darts at a blank dartboard because you haven’t given us sufficient information.
Maybe this community college plan is a terrific one. And maybe it’s not.
But either way, I would not assume it’s going to make you a shoe in for elite colleges.
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When is community college ever a bad idea?
When it interferes with you getting the best possible grades at the courses your high school requires you to take.
Or when it costs money (it does in many places, and some students can’t afford it).
When your grades don’t end up being as good as you thought they would be, and the CC college courses are forever part of your college record.
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As a student attending a Middle College I feel as if they are better for saving money (doing college courses in high school means less time spent in college so paying less) rather than getting into a top 20 school. I personally attend one with good students and good grades and I enjoy it, but I find that there are less things available for me outside of community college courses. I’m California-based so how it is perceived may be different in other states, but they may also take your circumstances into consideration as well.
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