As school ends on a Red Day, sophomore Ian Kim runs out of his seventh period class and gets picked up for his tennis practice in San Jose — already 30 minutes behind schedule. Meanwhile, sophomore Jenny Jiang, nearly halfway through her high school journey, finds herself longing for a new environment — one that could better prepare her for college.
Amid their search for solutions to their individual struggles, Kim and Jiang learned of West Valley College’s Middle College program through a mutual friend who is a senior in it, and were officially introduced to the program at the course registration meeting earlier this year.
West Valley College’s Middle College program is a joint program with the Campbell Union and Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School Districts, providing incoming juniors and seniors with an opportunity to pursue a rigorous academic pathway by offering various college-level courses. Currently, a total of eight juniors and seniors are enrolled in the program. Both Kim and Jiang plan to attend Middle College starting next school year.
Kim was drawn in by the chance to customize his schedule and explore a broader range of courses, which will ultimately help him be more prepared for college.
“During my time at Saratoga, I was looking for the ability to prepare myself educationally and mentally for college, which I didn’t receive as much as I hoped to,” Kim said. “Middle College allows me to take college-level courses and earn college credits, allowing me to explore areas and fields that I would like to pursue in college.”
Different course requirements in Middle College also allow students to have more flexibility in their class schedules. Juniors are placed in either an a.m. block or p.m. block on Mondays and Wednesdays to take English 3 and US History, which are the mandatory courses for juniors in the program. Meanwhile, seniors are scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays to take English 4 and American Government & Economics, their only mandatory courses.
Alongside the two mandatory courses, students are able to choose other classes at their own inclination, being required to complete anywhere from six to 11 course units each semester. Most classes are a semester long.
With increased flexibility in scheduling, Kim hopes to concentrate on his extracurricular activities and pursue his dream of becoming a high-level and perhaps even a professional tennis player.
Jiang, on the other hand, wants to grow her ability to excel in college-level courses. In the program, she will take fewer but more fast-paced classes compared to those at SHS.
“Middle College will expose me to more advanced and deeper curriculums since students are in a driven academic setting,” Jiang said. “I think I will gain more maturity and discipline than if I was still at Saratoga High.”
For incoming students like Kim and Jiang, the biggest adjustment of Middle College is likely to be adjusting to a new campus and, more importantly, not being surrounded by their friends. However, both of them decided it was worth going despite setbacks like these.
“One of the hardest parts of Middle College will be getting used to the new environment and resources that both Middle College and West Valley College offer,” Jiang said. “Although it may feel overwhelming to imagine being surrounded by people I don’t know, I’m excited at the same time, and hope to make new friends.”
Although attending Middle College requires much more responsibility and maturity, West Valley College offers a variety of resources to balance those burdens. One helpful feature is the Success Center, where free tutoring and materials are available to help students develop study skills, manage their time, stay organized and learn course material. Middle College students are also paired with multiple academic guidance counselors to assist the transition to a new environment.
Guidance counselor Mary Carol Bernal, who coordinates Middle College for the district, believes the program can be a good fit if a student finds the normal high school environment difficult to navigate.
“For the kids that go to Middle College, they need to be able to study, manage their time and hold themselves accountable,” Bernal said. “It’s a very disciplined setup with a lot more independence, so it’s an environment suited for students that are ready for a more adult experience.”
