What classes should I take at a community college before transferring at an Ivy League?

Question

I am a first year college student. I will be attending Antelope Valley College. Help me find an articulation agreement that can tell me what classes qualify at my junior college. I would like to major in Political Science. I need 36 credits to transfer into my sophomore year. Can you help me to make the right class decision? Thank you :)

Answer 1

Figure out what "Ivy league" school you'll be transfering to, and ask them what course credits would be accepted and transferable from your community college.
You may be very disappointed or suprised, depending on what ranking your CC has.
I live within commuting distance to the nationally ranked number 1 and number 2 CC's. Most credit hours from these two schools transfer to just about any four year university...but not all CC's are alike.

Answer 2

I can't tell you what "36 credits" means because many universities have different credit systems. I went to one school where a one-semester course was three credits, and another school where it was 1.5.

I don't imagine that the Ivy Leagues take a lot of community college graduates. You'll need to prove yourself with exceptional marks. To do this, take general first-year courses that you think you'll succeed at. Don't take courses that are really difficult, because these will lower your GPA. If you were to attend Princeton, your first two years would include these courses:

Writing Seminar—one course
Foreign Language—This requirement can take one to four terms to complete, depending on the language students study and the level at which they start.
Epistemology and Cognition (EC)—one course
Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM)—one course
Historical Analysis (HA)—one course
Literature and the Arts (LA)—two courses
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)—one course
Science and Technology, with laboratory (ST)—two courses
Social Analysis (SA)—two courses

So, look for similar courses offered at your community college. There are descriptions of each area on the website that I'll link to below. You should consult the calendar for the university you want to graduate from, so that you can make your course selections appropriately.

You're coming in with a real disadvantage with this community college thing, so make sure that you beef up your application in other areas. Look for volunteer work AND paid work oppotunities in your field of study, and get reference letters from important people in the field.

Answer 3

Some schools (especially really prestigious ones) won't take community college credits, so before you do anything, you need to double check with the place you want to transfer TO and make sure it's even possible that they accept your credits.

Answer 4

See your advisor then ask, my first advisor burnt my rear!!! Got a new advisor he helped out a lot. Good luck!! Don't always trust "they know best" You best education will be from questioning people and situations!!