On the common app, my counselor said that they have to weight the rigor of our classes. She said they follow this guideline:
Demanding: 1-3 APs
Very demanding: 4-7 APs
Most demanding: 8-12 APs
When senior year comes around, ill have 7 APs, which is just one short from being in the most demanding category. However, im taking 2 college classes this summer at my local community college. Would those two college classes bump me up into the most rigorous category?
Do the classes go on your HS transcript? If yes, they should, but each school gets to make its own rules, so you really need to ask your GC.
It would be pretty unenlightened of them to specifically require AP classes rather than just college-level classes, but you should ask your guidance counselor because it’s possible that they really do mean 8-12 AP classes.
However, I don’t think it would look bad to miss out on “most demanding” if colleges understand that it’s because you took dual-enrollment classes instead of AP all the time. Many students use dual-enrollment programs to take classes above the level of AP, such as multivariable calculus. When you’re comparing two equivalent classes (e.g., Calculus I and AP Calculus AB) that are both available to you, colleges would rather you take the AP class because AP is standardized and they’ll have a better idea of how rigorous the course was. Dual-enrollment courses are less predictable, but not necessarily less challenging.