After having taken four years of high school honors, dual enrollment and AP classes, I expected to come to Elizabethtown College with sophomore standing. I was prepared to move directly into my major and skip several requirements for the Core program. Unfortunately, I learned that my dual enrollment course would not be counted and only one of my AP exam scores met the College’s requirement. The $685 I spent to take these courses was basically wasted. While some of my scores could have better reflected the work that I put into those classes, several of my scores were high enough to be counted at other institutions to which I applied.
As it turns out, it is not only the policy regarding transferring credits from high school to the College that is confusing and seemingly unfair. The transfer credit policy, as a whole, seems that way. Located on the College’s website, the credit transfer policy is broken into eight categories, each explaining a different wing of the policy. However, the explanation of transfer credit policy is not complete on the website. It does not address many of the concerns that students raise about credit transfer, including the rules regarding transfer after sophomore year or the reason for the policy. As one of the debated topics of this policy, the College should have a clear, concise explanation available to all students.
Students who have earned 60 or more credits are not considered eligible to take courses at a community college and then transfer the credit to the College. Any students under the 60 credit limit can apply to transfer credits from a community college of their choosing and, upon the review of the College, use those credits towards graduation. It’s unlikely that a first-year student, who has just finished what is sometimes the most grueling academic year of his or her life, will want to take summer courses. However, a junior, who knows that he or she needs another course in a minor but can’t take it at Etown in the coming year, would be willing to take the class over summer break. According to College policy, this student’s efforts would not be considered for transfer to the College. While the policy may be in place to support the residency requirement (credits one must take on campus), it penalizes students who have the initiative to take extra courses.
Some of the other important policies include the Approval Form, Advanced Placement/College Level Examination Program and International Baccalaureate credits. Students must fill out a transfer credit approval form for every credit that he or she wants to bring to Etown. According to the website, credits can be transferred from “accredited institutions that are judged by the registrar and the appropriate department … to be high quality, involve active delivery methods … and are consistent with the mission and program goals of Elizabethtown College.” All requests are handled on an individual basis, using that vague set of criteria as a guideline. Any two students using credits from different schools to fill the same requirements at Etown can be treated differently. One may even be approved for credit, while the other is rejected. A few hard and fast rules would be appreciated for the sake of clarity and consistency.
In my case, I should have reviewed the AP transfer policy more carefully before submitting my scores. I thought that only scores of five on the exams were accepted, so I submitted those exams on which I received a five. The College explains that both fours and fives are accepted towards the minimum graduation requirement if the scores have been sent directly from the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N. J. These credits cannot count towards the residency requirement, so most of these credits will go towards Core and minor obligations.
Finally, the residence policy requires students to have a minimum of 16 credits in their major, at least eight of which are upper level. At least 30 of the last 60 credits must be completed on campus. This requirement fluctuates based on major, many expecting that all classes taken for that major be completed on campus. Any courses taken while a student is studying abroad are counted as on-campus credits.
My problem with the policy is its fluidity. While flexibility is usually a positive, it creates confusion and may harm a student’s chance of graduating on time. Set rules and transparent reasons to support them need to be made accessible to students so that they can make educated decisions regarding their schooling. Most importantly, first-year students need to be made aware of time-sensitive programs, like transferring credit from community colleges. If I had known this policy existed, I would have taken a course last summer to satisfy a minor requirement because I am no longer eligible as a student with 63 current credits.
