Im stuck on the decision to either apply for dual enrollment my junior year or take ap classes online. My school is very small and offers zero ap classes. All students in each grade take the same honors level courses so there is no variation in ability. The courses I am taking this junior year at school are:
American Government honors
English Honors 3
Calculus A-B
Advanced Scientific Topics
Advanced Latin 4
Im not really looking for college credit but rather would like to know which is more supplementary to my transcript. Im leaning towards the dual enroll options only because of the many interesting courses offered but still would appreciate a second opinion on what would set me apart from my junior class of 14 and trying to apply to elite or ranked colleges.
If cost and transportation aren’t issues, I would say that college classes on a college campus are better than high-school classes online.
IMO, admissions isn’t going to see a significant difference between dual enroll classes and AP classes.
In my experience, my dual enrolled classes were easier than my AP courses, but just because they usually required more reading/at home work and less projects and such, which I preferred.
I’d say if you find some of the dual enrolled classes more interesting, then it’s no contest- take them!
My rising senior son is a homeschooled student, and has done quite a bit of dual enrollment. We have struggled to do AP classes for logistical reasons (long story).
One thing that I’m noticing, after looking at this issue just this morning, is that the transfer of DE credits to Ivy and the most elite institutions seems more questionable, if not completely non-transferable, than AP credit transfers (even there I’m noticing the need for a very high AP exam score). I’m no expert by any means, so double-check me on that.
It’s not an issue for my son because he leans more toward a solid state university, where most, if not all, of his credits will transfer. He would be “on the bubble” for an Ivy or elite school anyway, though it’s not completely impossible (he has decent test scores and a high GPA). My son just seems to be more practical, and will want to go somewhere that gives him credit for classes he has already taken. He also would like to go a little slower (i.e., 12 hours per semester) so the DE credits help there too.
Anyway, it’s hard to tell what you’re really aiming for so maybe take a look at the admissions pages of the “reach” schools you’re thinking of.
We have loved our dual enrollment experience and I think it’s helped my son prepare for college tremendously. That being said, if you’re looking at Ivies (or other elites) you should definitely consider the AP angle too.
Good luck!
Keep in mind that the OP stated that his school doesn’t offer APs, so that’s not really an option.
OP, you have nothing to lose from taking dual-enrollment classes (apart from time, money). It will certainly show that you’re willing to seek challenges. If you feel as if the benefits outweigh the losses, definitely do it.
I just realized that I misread the first line of the OP’s post.
There are some downsides to taking AP courses online. 1) You’d likely have to pay for the AP exam yourself and 2) You never know how well the course will prep you for the exam. Of course, #2 can apply to dual-enrollment courses as well, but you are guaranteed credit at least at several in-state publics if you pass. Dual-enrollment tends to offer a greater variety of coursework than AP does. How about you do a little bit of both your junior year first semester and decide which works best for you?
I go to a top-40 private university and I didn’t have trouble transferring my university dual-enrollment classes, though I understand that Ivy-League-level schools make it more difficult. If you only care about college credit, then you should take AP exams (regardless of how you learn the material). My high school didn’t have very many AP classes either, and I liked dual enrollment because it allowed me to take a lot of classes that aren’t available through the AP program.
In line with @AnEpicIndian 's second post, definitely check all the details of online AP dual enrollment courses before you sign up, or VERY early in the process.
Here in Florida, if you take AP through FLVS (Florida Virtual School) then FLVS pays for the AP exam. But you’re not done there. Often you have to do some leg work to find a public or private high school that administers the exam, and that will let outside students come in. This is a bit easier said than done. FLVS does help with some of this coordination, so check with your online provider.
My son thought he would self-study AP computer science (i.e., not take it through FLVS), but due to other demands of the year it slipped down his priority list. Nevertheless I went through the process of finding a school that offered the test, and it took some coordination. First I had to call College Board to get a list of schools offering the test, then I had to call the schools.
College Board does not make it easy and matter-of-fact they way they do regular SAT tests. More of the burden is on the student.
That being said, it is entirely do-able; just keep your eye on the details.