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@Gealach
0 answers, 6 votes
 • 3 years ago •
Admissions Advice

Dual Credit or Advanced Placement?
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Is advanced placement viewed more favorably than dual credit? I have an opportunity to attend a collegiate high school, wherein I would earn an Associates Degree while in high school. Though this is appealing, I do not want it to negatively impact my admittance into a top tier school.

AdvancedPlacement
DualCredit
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@deanobeano3 years ago

It really depends on what your goals are for college. If you are planning on staying in state then dual enrollment is a fantastic option. It can knock out some GenEds and save you money all whilst giving you a college class experiance, making the transition a little bit easier. However, if you planning to go to an out of state or top 25 school, my suggestion would be to focus more on APs. Although I don't think you should completely avoid dual enrollment, do it if you want

[🎤 AUTHOR]@Gealach3 years ago

Thank you for your answer. With college being about 4.5 years away, I struggle with limiting myself to only in-state colleges. We do have colleges that I would be very excited to attend in-state, though. I appreciate you insight, because I love the idea of entering college with most of the basics completed.

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@CameronBameron
2,264 answers, 8,654 votes
 • 3 years ago[edited]

Entering this program would adversely affect your ability to compete effectively with other high achievers applying to elite colleges. Why? These programs are designed to incentivize you to stay in-State and apply to the in-State colleges that will give you full credit for your DE classes.

Most elite college applicants have course rigor which are a mix of honors classes and healthy serving of APs and IBs. It's easier for admissions officers to compare "apples" to "apples" files. If you apply to Williams or Brown with an AA degree, first of all the will not recognize any of those credits toward your undergraduate degree and may pass on you because some of the DE course work may not map in the course rigor they are used to evaluating. If you do score 5s on your AP exam, better than 1/2 of Ivy's, Elites and Top liberal arts colleges will recognize the achievement and give you college credit for them

These programs are fantastic for students who want to reduce their college experience by 1 or 2 years and get into the workforce or grad school as soon as possible. But the opportunity loss is very high because you are at a disadvantage when it comes to applying to say T25 colleges.

Good luck.

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[🎤 AUTHOR]@Gealach3 years ago

Thank you for this very thorough answer. The thought of moving out of state for college is a bit overwhelming, but in 4.5 years I’ll probably welcome the idea. I see how AP will positively reflect my course work regardless of a school’s location.

@CameronBameron3 years ago

Remember that a State border is an imaginary line bound by perception not so much distance. My hometown Portland is about 10 miles from the Washington border. Whenever we drive across the Columbia River into Washington, very little changes in terms of scenery, architecture, infrastructure, retail stores. I'm going to a school 2500 miles away and the Starbucks is still a Starbucks and the Shack Shack is a Shake Shake but people walk and talk a little faster and have little patience.

@CameronBameron3 years ago

What I recommend is that during your Junior year you travel to attend a summer program either in another faraway state or another country. That will help inform you if you want to apply to colleges out of state.

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