How exactly does getting college credit from AP/Dual classes help me in college?

Answered

Firstly completing advanced courses show the college that you are a rigorous student and it increases your odds of getting into the college you want to attend. Secondly by completing college credit you can knock out many of the standard requirements at the college you go too. For example you wouldn't have to take general math, us history, or english in college because you already have credit for those.

One thing you can do is to look up the course catalogs for the majors you are applying to. They will list the classes you will take in college. Next, on https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies, you can check the classes at various universities corresponding to your AP exams along with the required AP score to get credits.

For some universities(for example UT Austin), you will see the equivalent courses at the university and the required AP scores but will not see the amount of credits awarded. In that case, you will need to directly contact the university. However, it is advisable to check the above website first instead of directly jumping to contacting the university because asking for information that you can figure out yourself doesn't leave a good impression on the university.

I hope this answers your question unambiguously.

Hi @Moksh191. I'm a senior right now (yeah I finished all of my applications just waiting) and I want to major in chemical engineering. I thought that taking a bunch of AP classes would help me but really think about do the universities that you apply to accept AP scores. Also some universities don't accept scores of 3, so it won't count as college credit. All in all it depends on the university its self and what they do with your score. You should ask them first before taking and paying for all of these AP classes. Also, AP Psych might not really matter, but like I said ask the universities first, but Psychology and engineering don't really mesh, unless you might want to minor in it.Hopefully this makes sense :)

I would like to suggest, going off of what @EricB said, that you limit classes to interests and intended major.

For example, I, a junior, am going into business/entrepreneurship. By the time I graduate, I plan on having taken my school's course that incorporates both AP Micro and Macroeconomics, AP Statistics, and AP Calc BC - these are all relevant to classes I will need to take to earn my degree. I also will have taken several other APs based on my interests and to just strengthen my coursework, but that shouldn't be a priority to you unless you can handle it.

Courses you should take - AP Calc AB and BC or just BC, AP Comp Sci Principles and A, AP Stats, and any sciences, especially the Physics courses. That could still total to 8 if not more courses. The rest is up to you.

If your school has any non-AP courses or electives related to engineering or the STEM field, you should take them as well. Good luck!