Written by Jennifer To (PEACE Advisor)
Taking classes at community colleges alongside normal school classes are now becoming more popular among high school students. If you were ever one of those students who had to juggle high school work with college-level work, then you might often think, “Is it worth it to put myself through all this?
When I was in high school, I took many classes at a community college on top of all my school work, and often found myself overwhelmed with endless papers and exams. However, the great news about taking these courses while in high school is that many of the units can be transferred to UC schools! A very useful website to checking what courses are transferrable to UC schools is www.assist.org, which has a very comprehensive list of community college courses that are equivalent to UC school courses. This is a very helpful website to check what courses you have already fulfilled through community college, so that you can use that time to take other classes in which you are interested! This is also incredibly helpful for transfer students who want to see what credits can transfer to the school that they are planning to attend. One important reminder is that only 70 units of community college coursework can be applied towards your graduation requirement.
However, a question that comes up a lot is whether the grade that students received in the community college course can be accounted for in their 4-year university GPA as well. While the credits can be added to the 120-unit graduation requirement, the grade from the community college cannot be accounted into your overall GPA in a four-year university. Although this is the case, I still have positive opinions about taking community college courses while in high school. While it is a lot of work, I honestly think that is an excellent way to push yourself to thinking in a more mature, and developed mindset. Attending a college level course, you are often surrounded by students much older than you, and this allows you to hear ideas from peers that you may never have thought of on your own. Additionally, the professors at these colleges still treat you as if you were a college student, and still have the same expectations. For undergraduate students who are interested in taking community college courses while attending a 4-year university, it is also a good way to expose yourself to new material that you may not be comfortable with, without having the pressure the grade affecting your GPA.
When I was in high school, I took many classes at a community college on top of all my school work, and often found myself overwhelmed with endless papers and exams. However, the great news about taking these courses while in high school is that many of the units can be transferred to UC schools! A very useful website to checking what courses are transferrable to UC schools is www.assist.org, which has a very comprehensive list of community college courses that are equivalent to UC school courses. This is a very helpful website to check what courses you have already fulfilled through community college, so that you can use that time to take other classes in which you are interested! This is also incredibly helpful for transfer students who want to see what credits can transfer to the school that they are planning to attend. One important reminder is that only 70 units of community college coursework can be applied towards your graduation requirement.
However, a question that comes up a lot is whether the grade that students received in the community college course can be accounted for in their 4-year university GPA as well. While the credits can be added to the 120-unit graduation requirement, the grade from the community college cannot be accounted into your overall GPA in a four-year university. Although this is the case, I still have positive opinions about taking community college courses while in high school. While it is a lot of work, I honestly think that is an excellent way to push yourself to thinking in a more mature, and developed mindset. Attending a college level course, you are often surrounded by students much older than you, and this allows you to hear ideas from peers that you may never have thought of on your own. Additionally, the professors at these colleges still treat you as if you were a college student, and still have the same expectations. For undergraduate students who are interested in taking community college courses while attending a 4-year university, it is also a good way to expose yourself to new material that you may not be comfortable with, without having the pressure the grade affecting your GPA.