I finished all of the computer science classes my high school had to offer, and I have the option to take more classes at my local community college. Although I am eager to attend these classes, many of my friends told me not take these classes because of GPA.
In my high school, community college classes are in the same weight as honor classes, not AP. So if I get an A in the class, I would get 4.5, not 5.
My UW is 3.85 and W is 4.53. If I take these courses, then it may negatively affect my W GPA, but if I get A’s, then wouldn’t my UW GPA increase?
If that’s the case, would it be worth taking these classes over the summer and possibly in the school year? Does UW or W matter more in college admissions?
Most colleges re-weight the classes according to their own systems, so don’t worry about this. Take the classes if you specifically want to learn the material covered and/or you hope that you will be able to move on to higher level classes once you are in college.
The only real downside to CC classes is that they are college classes. For the rest of your life you will need to request a copy of that transcript whenever you apply to college or grad school, or for a job that requires all of your college-level transcripts. It is a real pain to track all of these loose papers down thirty years later. If you do take classes at the CC make it worth the future record-keeping headaches by getting good grades, and taking the classes at only one CC if at all possible.
If classes at the community college do no transfer automatically or you can decline having grades from the community college sent to the high school, then you could take the classes. You may have to contact the community college to request transferring grades. Calculate the impact of these classes on your gpa. Taking these classes may even enhance your application for college. The trade off may be worth it.cc’d
If the grades don’t transfer, you could take those classes you would enjoy or find useful. Taking classes for the joy of learning is wonderful.