So basically the title is my question. It’s my understanding that schools often look at AP classes and GPAs. But I’m taking rigorous dual credit college classes that don’t reflex on my high school GPA like getting an extra 1.0 like AP. Is it hurting my chances more for Ivy League or places like Duke?
Depends on which courses. College or dual credit courses may be higher, same, or lower level material than AP courses.
Agree that it depends on the courses, but it also depends on where you’re taking them. One admissions officer I spoke with told me they only considered DE classes taught on campus at a real state school to be rigorous. They would prefer AP courses over CC classes.
my son did a mix of AP and DE. yes, it lowered his potential GPA – but i don’t think the 5.1 he got vs the 5.5 he could have gotten made any difference at all.
on the other hand DE enabled him to continue in Math after running out in HS. AP Calc AB + BC in Soph year enabled him to get credit and take DE Calc 3, Diff Eq, and Linear Algebra as a junior and senior.
online AP classes plus DE enabled him to basically attend CC for last 2 years of HS, without having him set foot in his HS again. this was a huge plus for him and kept him highly motivated. YMMV depending on the quality of your HS.
DE enabled him to take higher-level Physics and engineering classes that would not have been available in HS. Plus he was able to earn Associates in Engineering degree by end of Fall term in Senior year. I would have to think the degree + the class rigor he was able to pursue in CC was far more helpful getting into Duke than a few extra GPA decimal points over 5.
I don’t know the secret formula for college admissions but IMO the mix of some AP plus heavy use of DE worked best for him.
Is DE taught at a college or taught at your HS?
DE=dual enrollment. Classes are taken on campus at the college.
Not always. I don’t think any of my school’s dual enrollment was taught elsewhere – either the university sent materials/exams for us, or they just specified what we had to cover and considered that equivalent enough to get credit for it.
DE classes can be taught at the HS by a HS teacher. They work in conjunction with a local university who grants the credit. Our school even gives the GPA bump for DE classes.
I agree with those above who said it just depends on the course. Taking DE Psychology at a CC instead of the AP Psychology at your school may not look as good as taking a DE Linear Algebra class at the local state Univ because you have completed the highest level math offered at your HS.
^above…same for us. The dual enrollment classes (credit is from a local CC) are taught at the highschool with some project/labs scheduled at the CC (this is only for some courses where the relevant lab is not available in the school).
However, in other cases, high school students taking college courses do so at the college. For example, here is a high school whose campus is adjacent to the campus of a community college, so high school students can and do take college courses at the community college:
https://www.santarosahighschool.net/index.php/counseling/college-planning
If your school offers the AP, you should take the AP. Take a look at what Ivies accept for example. Princeton will accept many AP scores of 4/5 but they will not give you credit for Dual Credit. But, if your school does not offer APs, then you should take Dual Credit as it is more rigorous than a regular class.