JC classes for high school students. Help me out parents....

[masha]

<p>How colleges, secifically UC's and even more specifically UC berkeley (lol) feel about high school students taking transferable courses at junior college's instead of AP's at ones high school? </p>

<p>My sophomore year i took one semester of poli scie and one semester of US history in Lou of AP US history at my school (since I knew that AP US history would not fit into my junior year schedule), and junior year is when students at my school are generally designated to take AP or Ac us history. I did this because I knew I wanted to be in AP Biology junior year and can't have more than 6 periods at school. </p>

<p>Also, Junior year (this year) I'm taking psychology this semester (our school doesn't offer AP psych) as an elective at a junior college. And next semester will probably take macro (or micro) economics and astronomy. Oh, and I will be taking AP physics as a senior, I'm not taking astronomy as a way out of taking physics as some people do. It just seems like an interesting class and I want 5 years of science. Also, I'm planning on taking econ next semester, then poli scie 2 during the first semester of my senior year to make room for AP euro history. So, my reasons for taking JC classes instead of AP classes at school are justified (they just dont fit in with my schedule and all the other classes I want to take).
The JC I'm taking the classes at is actually pretty reputable and provides challenging coursework, basically he equivalent of what an AP class would be like with lots of essay's and tons of tests. </p>

<p>Is this OK? Do any of your kids or their friends do this..? (becuase it's quite common at my school to be concurrently enrolled in JC while in high school..)
What do u guys think of this? For those of you from Cali, will these JC classes give me extra points in my UC GPA? Is it viewd as somewhat "slacker-ish" to take JC instead of AP classes?</p>

[mini]

<p>The issue is "transferable". Most of the best private colleges do not transfer "credits earned as part of a high school program". Mine took 66 credits at both two- and four-year colleges and threw them all away. I can't answer the "transferable" part for Berkeley, and suggest you just get on the phone and call them.</p>

<p>Putting that aside, the admissions officers we spoke with said they valued the college courses signficantly more than they did the AP ones. Remember that, in many states (especially in the west), where admissions into flagship state universities (like Berkeley adn UCLA and UCSD) have become stiffer, and costs have escalated, more and more fine students are attending community colleges for their first two years, and curricula have received significant upgrades.</p>

[masha]

<p>Thanks. My mom wants me to attend JC for at least a year before transferring to Berkeley or another UC to save money (cuz we're poor lol). And, as for transferrabilty of those coureses... they're all CSU and UC transferable.</p>

[voronwe]

<p>"...the admissions officers we spoke with said they valued the college courses signficantly more than they did the AP ones."</p>

<p>Mini, I am not in California, but the courses at the regional U here are FAR EASIER than high school courses - and I am not even talking about AP! So I guess it depends on the school! (Really and truly - if I posted any of the A papers students have shown me - I volunteer - you would be shocked beyond belief. Here is a cut-and-paste of the into and conclusion of an "A" history paper:</p>

<p>"History is something that is a part of us all. Without history we would not be able to recount the events and people that occurred in our past. History is something that needs to be recorded without a biased view in order to get a fair glance at what really occurred....</p>

<p>People’s view of history has changed over the course of time and will continue to do so until the end of humankind. History is always going to change as the people start to. It is a part of us all and we all contribute in one way or another to it. "</p>

<p>I wish I were joking.</p>

[masha]

<p>LOL. that's awful. I'm sure there were people like that in the classes I've taken but I can assure you that none of them got A's. All the classes I've taken have been challenging, no lax grading or anything. The test's were very comprehensive and included essay and multiple choice.
The history class I took was by far the hardest. Our midterm was an essay which had to be at minimum 4 pages long (in class). I got a B on it and I worked my butt off. Our final was the same thing, with extra credit I ended up getting an in that class. most people I believe got B's.</p>

[voronwe]

<p>Well, this was one of those schools where you only have to be breathing to get in! It's a state school, but not a flagship.....and it's a 4-year U!</p>

<p>PS I deliberately posted paragraphs from one of the BETTER papers!</p>

[masha]

<p>WOW. ..... that's sad</p>

[mini]

<p>"Mini, I am not in California, but the courses at the regional U here are FAR EASIER than high school courses - and I am not even talking about AP! So I guess it depends on the school! (Really and truly - if I posted any of the A papers students have shown me - I volunteer - you would be shocked beyond belief. Here is a cut-and-paste of the into and conclusion of an "A" history paper:"</p>

<p>Wouldn't surprise me in the least. (Used to teach writing at both the cc and university level.) And, honestly, 35 years ago, my high school (Stuy.) was much more difficult...and more competitive than my college (Williams) was.</p>

<p>Among the jobs I once held was English placement reader at the Community College of Philadelphia. We had open admissions for all Philly high school grads (which was only 30% of high schoolers), but stiff exit requirements (so that one could attend a four-year.) My job was to read all 5,000 writing samples (per year), and figure out how many years or decades of remedial work might be necessary before passing folks on. We averaged "7th grade" - we had them as low as 2nd grade (these were high school graduates.) The quality of student writing at the college level reflected what was going on inside the public school system.</p>

<p>There is a flipside, too, as I've written elsewhere. My wife is now in our local community college nursing program. Last year it was stiffer and more selective to get into than Harvard (and there were no legacies, athletes, or developmental admits, or ECs.) Prior to admission, applicants had to take 8 required college courses. Admission was based solely on achievement in these 8 courses. To get in this year, the top 32 applicants had at least 7 As, and 1 A-minus. No APs allowed. If you had 2 A-minuses, or one B+, you were rejected automatically. Even if you took the pre-requisites at Harvard. (I have a friend who took the pre-reqs at Mount Holyoke, and barely squeaked in.)</p>

[masha]

<p>I'd like to add that California has a pretty good JC system. It was designed so that students who intended to attend a four year university (a CSU or a UC) coudl do so by first attending a JC then transferring so all the course are supposed to be taught at the same level.
The one I got o is open enrollment (like most) but I've heard from that schools like Berkeley know what it is when they see the abbreviated name since 1). Its close to Berkeley, and 2.) it was actually built to be an extension school for bekeley (or so I've heard) but then that whole thign fell apart.</p>

[midwesterner]

<p>Masha, as you can see, junior colleges can be good, bad or mediocre. It sounds as though you have a good plan, but please talk it over with your HS counselor, and e-mail Berkeley's admission office to get a complete picture of how your particular JC measures up. Good luck.
One more thing: the phrase is not in "Lou" of but "in lieu of."</p>

[masha]

<p>he he. sorry. I'm horrible at spelling.... How should I about the JC classes? same way i asked you guys but more formal?</p>

[midwesterner]

<p>Since you are so familiar with your schedule, you wrote off the top of your head without organizing the information. It is hard to follow your thoughts as written. Try putting your classes in list form, separated by year. Pose your questions near the relevant information. You might want to number the questions so the reader is sure they've answered everything. Be sure to proofread your work.</p>

<p>I know I sound picky, but this is a valuable skill to learn. I hope your plan works out.</p>