<p>I just finished my junior year of high school and am in need of some imput. I do well in school (rank 7/200, 5.1 GPA, and 780 math, 750 reading, and 690 writing) and am looking to get into selective admissions colleges. Which will look better to them, me loading my high school schedule with AP classes, as I have done the past two years, or to replace three core classes at high school with college classes at Ohio University. (I took English at OU last year instead of at high school and have earned 9 credit hours with a 4.0 college GPA.) What gives me a better chance of getting into selective admissions schools?</p>
<p>FYI, selective colleges look only at weighted GPA. Your rank is fantastic but your writing SAT score not so much, especially when compared to your math SAT score. Discrepancies >100 pts are enough to make any admissions officer raise their eyebrows.</p>
<p>But to your question about AP vs. college classes, it's so-so. How many AP classes does your school have, and what type? Is taking too many college courses going to detract from your extracirriculars or community service? Will it be too hard? I'm sure Ohio U has its merits, but it's not exactly a very selective college, and the selective colleges (v. nebulous, btw) may not see your college courses as anything more than a display of personal initiative. </p>
<p>If you are going to take college classes to get some credit for later on, think again. Where I live, in WA, any college credit you receive counts for nothing out-of-state.</p>
<p>Most colleges disregard sat writing so dont worry about it. Grammar is not important as most schools (at least in my area) are incompetent at teaching it. </p>
<p>cheers,
Mike</p>
<p>Interesting predicament...Ohio U maybe a good college, but some of the top tier schools HYPMSJ may or may not look at OU the same way, they may even weigh an AP class over a class at OU. I say just go with the AP's, it should be easier, and you don't have to worry about the top schools maybe looking down upon you.</p>
<p>Now if you took like Biology at Johns Hopkins instead of AP Biology, then it would be a COMPLETELY different story, but...</p>
<p>Good Luck! :)</p>
<p>miktau, I know for a fact that no SAT score is "disregarded." Take it from a former chief admissions officer at Dartmouth that I have spoken to. Grammar is VERY IMPORTANT. If you aren't very grammatical, you should learn. You know, to punctuate your "don't"s.</p>
<p>I think the best use of college classes is to take classes that your high school doesn't offer. For example, you have exhausted all the math or science offerings at your school or you want to take a language not offered at your school.</p>
<p>i agree with dsultemeier in that you should probably only supplement your schedule with osu classes if it is something your school does not offer -- trading ap bio for a basic bio class at osu probably will not make that much of a difference to be honest -- although then again, it is tough to distinguish yourself, so that could be something to set yourself apart...tough choice, but i would stay with the ap courses if they are offered at your high school</p>
<p>Keep in mind, part of the reason to take AP classes is to have credit transfer to your future college. If you go to a top private school, like my college, they might be sticklers about accepting transfer credit from other schools like OSU. My friend had to fight to get a math class transfered from UWisconsin that he got an A in. Another friend of mine took two math classes at Georgetown and UChicago wouldn't accept it for credit. All of these schools do have strict rules about accepting AP credit and if you get a 5 you generally get credit and/or placement.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is if you do poorly in a college class the grade will follow you. If you apply to law school or med school the grade will be calculated in your final GPA. Also, if the class is in your future major it looks better for grad school purposes to have all your major classes at your home college. In that case APing out of the class is a better option than using credit from another school.</p>
<p>Taking a different tack.......</p>
<p>I think you should do what appeals to you more. I wouldn't try to guess how someone else (i.e., an admissions officer) will parse the difference between different, but both challenging, choices.</p>
<p>Follow your passions on as rigorous a level as you can. It will be your willingness to rise to a challenge, and your expression of your unique interests and passions that will matter the most. Be true to the journey of real learning... corny as that sounds.</p>
<p>For my son that led away from the standardized AP curriculum and to the much more focused classes and seminars he could get at the local public univ. He did not take those classes with an expectation of transfering credits, though. He saw it purely as an alternative college-prep education.</p>
<p>Ealgian - why would admissions care if 1 score is 100pts lower than another? It's math versus writing, not the same subject. Also, some schools do not care about writing (a lot do, but not all).</p>
<p>patty - I am actually in the same situation and have similar scores, except I am debating about OSU rather than OU. I will probably do a mixture of APs and college courses.</p>
<p>Hmm, this is an interesting thread as I'm considering taking classes at a university next year. I'm kind of surprised how some people suggested APs over college classes, but I guess it depends on what level the college classes are? Does it look good if the classes are above AP-level?</p>
<p>This is a frequently asked question at college meetings here in Minnesota, where many students do part or all of the last two years of high school at colleges around the state. The answer is that colleges don't have a systematic preference one way or the other. Challenge yourself according to your available academic resources. Make sure you are well prepared for college study. Don't worry about what looks better; just make sure to be well educated in high school.</p>
<p>I would say take an elective course at the college, but not a core class. (I took psychology and sociology.) To me, I think colleges favor a student who can do well around college students and it shows initiative. From my experience I would also say the college courses are more beneficial.</p>
<p>I have done some research into this topic, having assisted my son in making a similar decision. My research has included asking admissions officers and college counselors directly about this topic as well as checking Websites.</p>
<p>With respect to the views of colleges, you should consider three angles:</p>
<p>-- Admissability: Do colleges view AP classes more favorably than post-secondary classes (or vise-versa)? As tokenadult says, it seems that they are given roughly equal regard, although AP courses (with standardized curriculum and tests) are a bit more of a known quantity. Still, true college-level classes (e.g., not pre-calculus mathematics) from respectable institutions are also viewed as challenging and support a strong application.</p>
<p>-- Placement: Here the story is a little rougher -- more schools are set up to slot you into your first college classes based strictly on your AP results. You are more likely to need to take a subject placement test at a school if you wish to accelerate beyond the typical entry-level class, but presumably you will be prepared for it if your post-secondary class has been adequate. It could be you'll have to take a placement exam anyway, regardless of what classes you have had. If you have specific colleges in mind, check on their admissions policies. </p>
<p>-- Credit: If you have very selective colleges in mind, it is much more likely they will extend actual credit toward graduation to you based on AP exam results and unlikely they will do so for post-secondary classes, especially if they have been taken for high school credit in replacement of "regular high school" courses. To some extent the likelihood of receiving credit for post-secondary courses depends on whether or not the schools to which you apply are in your own home state or in a state that has a post-secondary program.</p>
<p>You should, of course, also consider under what conditions you will be learning the subjects in which you are interested. Students often prefer to learn in smaller, more intimate classroom settings rather than in a lecture hall. A high school almost certainly gives you the former, a university more likely the latter (for intro courses). High school students are often frustrated by their high school's bureaucracy, but the bureaucracy at a large college or university is almost certain to be worse. And, as another poster has said, you should reflect on how your social life might change if you move out of the high school environs.</p>
<p>IMO the best reasons for pursuing post-secondary classes over high school AP and advanced IB classes are (1) you want to surpass the AP-level class (say, take linear algebra, multi-variable calculus, or differential equations in mathematics) , (2) you have an intolerable teaching situation in your high school, or (3) there are no AP classes in your high school (or home school!)</p>
<p>RayAllen333, I know for a fact that it matters. The former admissions director at Dartmouth made this very clear when I asked her about it. When you don't know something, I suggest that you do not pretend that you do.</p>
<p>Some colleges view a 1 semester college course as a full year weighted class. You may want to put that into consideration. Also, some APs (such as Psyc, Stats, Calc AB) are a year long AP course that only gives you 1 semester college credit. Colleges like to see that you can do well among high schoolers as well as college students.</p>
<p>I wanted to share our experience although we won't be able to draw any conclusions about taking college classes until this time next year. My D attends a private school attached to a university. The uni highly encourages the high school students to take classes there during their last two years of high school. In my view this is somewhat a marketing and financial move on their part since we have to pay quite a bit extra for the classes and they try hard to get the high school students to attend the university when they graduate. My D's GC is not very enthusiastic about the college classes, saying her students taking them report back that they are very easy. However, in talking to the students it appears to me that the "easy" part is because the college classes don't require much homework and thus don't take up as much of the students' time. (Grades are based more on tests and papers.) Despite all of this my D is going to take Calc II and Physics II at this uni next year since she has taken all of the math and physics classes offered at the high school. We aren't counting on the credits transferring to another university but she is hoping to be more prepared for the classes if she does get into one of the "tech" schools she is aiming for.</p>