<p>Hi. I am new here and I am looking for some advice. My oldest is homeschooled and in 8th grade. This semester he is taking 2 classes (Music Theory and Spanish) at our local CC. He is doing the rest of his school work at home. I think he should prepare for the AP American History exam and try to take the test in May but he would rather take American History at the CC next semester. Is the CC class equivalent to the AP exam in the eyes of colleges? Which would look better, lots of CC college classes or lots of AP tests?</p>
<p>If he takes the CC class, there is no need for the AP class. College classes are always better than AP classes as far as how they are preceived. </p>
<p>But how did you get an 8th grader accepted at the community college in the first place? Our state has age requirements for college.</p>
<p>I think that CC courses are perceived as being for average to below average high school graduates. Admissions officers are in the business of selecting one person rather than another, and are more used to comparing AP scores. Very impressive taking CC courses at a young age. I would consider taking the course, then preparing for the AP test and taking it if your child feels very well prepared.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I had no trouble getting him in to the classes. He had to take the Accuplacer test and interview with the director of admissions. I believe that the minimum age for CC here is 11 but I could be wrong. My son is 13 and since he did very well on the test and he is a very serious boy, they were happy to have him. So far, he is loving his classes. I just need to figure out the right mix for him.</p>
<p>College admissions officers look for evidence that a prospective student can do college-level work and succeed. AP exams were designed to show that high school students could handle the rigors of college level work, however, admissions officers at some schools are questioning whether that is true. Community college courses, on the other hand, offer very clear evidence that a student can handle the rigors of college work. Particularly because your son is so young, I think if he chooses the college courses over AP, he should be able to do it.</p>
<p>That's just my two cents. Either is probably fine.</p>
<p>I know a lot of parents post that they feel AP exam is better than community college, but after ds has finished years of distance high school courses, he is so darn happy to be learning in a real live classroom, and I am seeing all of the great benefits there that just weren't available when distance learning, or self studying for an AP exam. Interesting to note on the MIT Blog just posted, the gentleman indicated MIT looks for classwork such as EPGY or community college courses. So I think that community college courses will be looked at favorably when taken by homeschooled high school students as part of their high school coursework. Your miles may vary. I agree either is probably fine, and the student should pick what they are most excited about.</p>
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<p>I think that CC courses are perceived as being for average to below average high school graduates.></p>
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<p>This is true for high school GRADUATES who THEN enroll at a cc, but not so for high school students taking cc classes. It's an entirely different situation. </p>
<p>I think for homeschooled students the cc is more impressive because the classes are offered at the college, not at the high school. College admissions officers are used to seeing tons of AP courses listed on applications. Not so common to see actual college courses taken at an actual college, cc or not. I definitely think that cc classes would look more impressive, especially for a 13-yo! Wow! Make sure he lists the age in which he took the classes on his application when it comes time to transfer.</p>
<p>See my post (today) in the 'Homeschooling\Texas' thread for more about cc classes and transferring. Also some relevant info about the max # of hours taken thru dual-credit and how that all works in the transfer process.</p>
<p>My post said that it was impressive that the homeschooler was taking community college courses.
I think I offended everyone who has taken or seriously considered taking courses at community colleges! Sorry about that!
A big benefit from reading the posts on this home schooling site is that those of us who are feeling our way (most of us) can see that there are multiple ways of going about learning. What is wonderful is that almost all of them work out well in the end, without sacrificing what works for the individual.
My sympathy is with those who feel unhappy in school and can't see any alternatives.</p>
<p><multiple ways="" of="" going="" about="" learning.="" what="" is="" wonderful="" that="" almost="" all="" them="" work="" out="" well="" in="" the="" end,="" without="" sacrificing="" works="" for="" individual.="" my="" sympathy="" with="" those="" who="" feel="" unhappy="" school="" and="" can't="" see="" any="" alternatives.=""></multiple></p>
<p>Well said! And no prob - no offense taken on my part. I was just trying to make my own points. I agree that with homeschooled students, there are many possibilities. And, the cc vs ap debate is really a moot point for some. I didn't even know about ap until recently, and I don't think that would even have been an option here in Texas, since homeschooled students can't take classes at teh public schools anyway.</p>
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I didn't even know about ap until recently, and I don't think that would even have been an option here in Texas, since homeschooled students can't take classes at teh public schools anyway.
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<p>Homeschooled students can do AP without taking classes in their local public schools.</p>
<p>In regards to whether you should do CC or AP, I decided to do both. Last year I took two CC courses and 1 AP, and this year i am taking 2 cc courses(Econ and USGov) and I will also take the AP exam at the end of the year. I am also doing Calc BC and Physics AP through EPGY at Stanford.</p>
<p><homeschooled students="" can="" do="" ap="" without="" taking="" classes="" in="" their="" local="" public="" schools.=""></homeschooled></p>
<p>How?</p>
<p>In order to register for the AP test, homeschoolers need to contact their local schools and register to test. this has never been an issue for my son, but I know that others have had some trouble. The College Board will also give you a list of places in your area where you can register.</p>
<p>As far as "taking the course" rather than just the test, you can sign up for online courses, do a local course or self-study. There are many, many places that offer online AP courses and many kids "self-study" for them. The biggest problem that comes up is that the AP tests are designed in such a way that not all curriculums can be used. There are certain textbooks and materials and study methods that are recommended over others in order to score well. If you sign up on the College Board site as a teacher and subscribe to the AP list for the test your child is taking, you can get all kinds of info!</p>
<p>My son is taking US History at the CC and taking the AP test. He wanted a few AP tests on his transcript to validate the rigorousness of his classes and his abilities. If you weren't thinking of applying to highly selective colleges, I don't think you have to worry about doing both -- I would just stick with the CC course.</p>
<p>My son has already graduated h.s. so it's no longer relevant for him, but I was just curious. I wish I had known that (and about this forum!) a few years ago. Thanks for the info!</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible to take an AP test regardless of how the course content was learned. So the OP can get a "both-and" result by the child taking the community college class, and then taking the AP test in May. Many colleges will regard AP tests for advanced standing or for class placement even if they give absolutely no credit toward graduation for previous dual-enrollment (college courses for high school study) courses.</p>
<p>first you have to decide on your goal. </p>
<p>1) Is it to "look good" or provide documentation for admissions? AP scores and CC grades will both do that. </p>
<p>2) Is it to have a learning experience? CC classes come in good, bad, and indifferent just like anything else. You will need to look at your options for specific subjects and make very individualized decisions. A self-studier may choose to cover a subject in much greater depth or more quickly than a typical CC course. Or a CC course may provide a lab experience that would be difficult to obtain on one's own. Or perhaps there are auditing options at a local university that would be better than either CC or self-study, but which are unofficial.</p>
<p>3) Is it placement? Most colleges are no more interested than students are in forcing students to sit through classes in subjects they have already mastered. They may use AP, CC courses, SAT II scores, or their own internal placement exams to decide which course at their college is most appropriate for a particular student.</p>
<p>4) Is the goal to get college credit? Some 4 year colleges will give credit more readily for AP exams and some for CC courses. You need to look at the policies of particular 4 year colleges your child might want to attend. State colleges frequently accept all credits from CC's, particularly the local ones that routinely feed into them. Other colleges (Harvard, for one) will not give credit for any college courses taken as a high school student, even if they are taken at that college. But they do give AP credit. As someone else mentioned, you child can also take the AP exam (if there is one) at the end of a CC course, which will maximize the odds of getting credit if you have no idea what sort of college they may end up attending.</p>