Community college accelerated program?
Asked by LOLI'm thinking about applying to Georgia Perimeter college. I want to transfer to UGA after I complete 60 credit hours. Do you think that it's a good idea to take their accelerated courses so that I can finish in half the time? Their accelerated courses go twice as fast, so you can complete a course in half a semester. Do you think it's possible to take 18 credit hours per accelerated term?
Favorite Answer
Answered by Higher Ed Professional
No, I don't think that's a good plan, and actually, most community colleges strictly cap the number of credit hours you can take per term, particularly when it comes to accelerated courses. Also, bear in mind that many colleges *will not accept* accelerated courses for transfer credit. You'll want to check on all of that before you make any decisions. If you're new to college, I would strongly urge you to complete one year as a "regular" student -- meaning a course load of four or five courses a semester and no accelerated options -- and then consider changing things in the second year if you really feel the need. The adjustment can be very difficult for many students, even those who were at the top of their class in high school, and you're going to have a lot of new responsibilities to balance, especially as a community college student who won't be living on campus and may also be working. Also, remember that a big part of transfer applications is your cocurricular involvement on campus. That is getting increasingly important as more and more students attend community college and therefore create a more competitive applicant pool for transfer admissions. If you're only there for a brief period of time, you won't be able to build up a cocurricular record, nor will you be able to obtain solid recommendation letters. (That's especially true when you consider the fact that most accelerated courses are taught by part-time, adjunct faculty.) Stick with a general course load and don't try to breeze through at the expense of quality. Good luck.
No, I don't think that's a good plan, and actually, most community colleges strictly cap the number of credit hours you can take per term, particularly when it comes to accelerated courses. Also, bear in mind that many colleges *will not accept* accelerated courses for transfer credit. You'll want to check on all of that before you make any decisions. If you're new to college, I would strongly urge you to complete one year as a "regular" student -- meaning a course load of four or five courses a semester and no accelerated options -- and then consider changing things in the second year if you really feel the need. The adjustment can be very difficult for many students, even those who were at the top of their class in high school, and you're going to have a lot of new responsibilities to balance, especially as a community college student who won't be living on campus and may also be working. Also, remember that a big part of transfer applications is your cocurricular involvement on campus. That is getting increasingly important as more and more students attend community college and therefore create a more competitive applicant pool for transfer admissions. If you're only there for a brief period of time, you won't be able to build up a cocurricular record, nor will you be able to obtain solid recommendation letters. (That's especially true when you consider the fact that most accelerated courses are taught by part-time, adjunct faculty.) Stick with a general course load and don't try to breeze through at the expense of quality. Good luck.
