Concurrent enrollment: A hidden gem

Eddy Yeretnov

As the school year comes to a close, many of you will be thinking about your activities this summer or potentially something for the following year. If you are looking for a productive summer, one option is to sign up for one-to-three concurrent enrollment classes at a local community college.

Concurrent enrollment is a program that allows California high school stuEmma O’Connor dents to sign up for classes at a community college for no cost (below a certain unit threshold) and receive both high school credit and transferable college credit. Through this program, you will be signing up for actual college classes with no distinction as to whether or not you are a high school student.

Concurrent enrollment classes can have all forms of scheduling. While you can take courses at all of the 116 California community college classes for free, many Carlmont students prefer the local colleges. For the sake of this article, we will specifically look at the San Mateo Community College District (SMCCD) and its three campuses, Cañada College, College of San Mateo(CSM), and Skyline College.

At SMCCD (and many other districts), an asynchronous form of online classes is offered. These asynchronous classes include recorded lectures, canvas discussions, and assignments, all running along through the semester with due dates and interaction with your professor. While these asynchronous classes seem easier on the surface, much of the time, you end up doing a bit more work than you would during a traditional synchronous course. Nevertheless, these classes help when you have school in session or are trying to have an enjoyable and spontaneous summer.

Community college classes are based on semesters and quarters, depending on the college. The SMCCD colleges run on a semester system. This means that you complete one set of classes in the fall and do a completely different set in the spring and summer, of course, with the option to drop classes any given semester. The quarter system includes the fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters, all about ten weeks long. A rough conversion for a quarter to semester unit is multiplication by 1.5.

gives you a guarantee. When it comes time to apply to college, concurrent enrollment courses can be a boost to your GPA. While Carlmont does not GPA-weight classes taken at community colleges, the University of California will award honors points to your GPA for “UC-transferable college courses.”

From a technical standpoint, these Another difference with AP courses classes aren’t much different from APs. is that taking the straight college course On the UC application, community col- will not leave you at the mercy of the lege courses are considered equivalent college board’s grading tactics or your to a UC-approved honors course or an performance on one test. Instead, your AP course. Much of the difference lies credit will be awarded in a traditional in how credit is awarded and the length college grading scheme where the total of the course. of your work will be taken into account.

While not accepting all AP credit, the Keep in mind that tests may still be UC/CSU schools are required to take worth a bunch, depending on your all transferable courses for credit. When professor. For example, my macroecosigning up for a class, it will be clear nomics midterm and final this semester whether or not it is transferable, and if account for 50% of the total class grade. in doubt, it is always helpful to reach out to the professor. Where do I sign up?

Knowing what type of credit a given Signing up for concurrent enrollclass transfers into is instrumental. A ment classes is a fairly straightforward website called assist.org allows you to process. Many community college webaccess articulation agreements between sites include instructions and resources your community college and any UC/ for signing up. While the process may CSU you could plan on attending. differ among the colleges and districts, Articulation agreements highlight the there is a universal basic standard equivalent course credit awarded upon followed. First of all, you must speak entering that four-year college with the to your counselor and receive approval credit earned. to take the selected courses. Then there

Much of the time, these community would be two sets of forms, one set for college courses can be used to satis- Carlmont and the other for the comfy both major and general education munity colleges. Both documents must requirements, helping you graduate col- be signed by you, your counselor, and a lege earlier and explore more interests. parent/legal guardian. California community college courses Taking community college classes as can also be applied to your Carlmont a high school student through concurtranscript and can potentially take the rent enrollment is an excellent way to place of graduation requirements. The add more rigor or explore something same can not always be said about AP not offered at Carlmont. While the enunits, which often only offer general tire process and all the intricate details unit credit, some possible course credit, may seem overwhelming at first, all the This is a caption bhdsa uv ahvuia hvyi savi suvi sgcis gvysial Audrey Lueyor even nothing at all. It is simply an unreliable path to college credit, while actually receiving transcripts with credit articulation agreements and transferability lists are there to make the process transparent and straightforward.