What state are you in?
In Florida, an A.A. is great because it’s basically fulfillment of the Gen-Ed requirements at the Florida universities. That being said, certain programs may have additional requirements. My son has DE credits (not enough for an AA though) and so far everywhere he has applied he is considered a “first time in college” applicant. I would be careful about taking classes after you have officially graduated from high school.
UA seems to have a generous transfer policy (including DE credits while in high school).
We actually had a student in Florida graduate from high school and college (bachelor’s) within the same week.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-girl-graduates-from-high-school-and-college-in-same-week/
^while the above (graduate from HS and college) sounds impressive and news-worthy, in the real world it’s a problem because many grad schools will not want to admit too young an applicant (for instance, the 16 year old can’t go to Law School and has to “cool her heels” so to speak - she’ll be fine in a Master’s degree program, no problem, but I hope she gets to go elsewhere than FAU at some point…) Med schools and Law Schools in particular want students to be “of age”, Doogie Howser non withstanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrERtikdPus
You should not try to “rush” through college, generally speaking.
In your case, be careful about standardized testing since many big scholarships will depend on your scoring very high on those.
I agree that standardized testing is very important, and I’m not suggesting that the girl in the article is the norm. But she did get a Bachelor’s Degree - paid for! She may not have been able to afford higher education otherwise (think she comes from a large family). But she was a gifted student and could handle it.
FAU is not Harvard but it’s nothing to be ashamed of either. I live about 2 miles from there and drive in and out of there almost every day dropping my son off at his dual enrollment classes and activities.
I think, for the right student in the right situation, DE is a great blessing. But it can be a disaster too, and should not be entered into lightly.
OP is wise to look at all the options, and the positives and negatives (and there are negatives to DE).
And along those lines, one of the biggest downsides of DE is that those grades go with you and factor in to your college GPA.
Also, DE students are expected to function like college students, and parents are not exactly welcome on the scene with professors and administrators.
Nevertheless, we are extremely grateful for DE. It will let our son go a little “slower” in college - i.e, take 12 hours for several semesters vs. 15.
Also, since he was a homeschool student for so long I’ve been thankful that he could get back in a traditional classroom again, yet maintain his homeschool status.
Grades dont necessarily follow you. The credits from the university where my d took mist of her classes didnt follow although we wish they had. I think dual enrollment has its place for those who had it with high school, for those contemplating stem majors to reduce worklod so they can graduate in four years, and for those tight on money. Its definitely not for everyone. However, my d has no regrets. It gave her the opportunity to be a college student while not set totally free where she learned the expectations of college without all the distractions of living on campus. It will also afford her the opportunity not to have to go to summer school, overload and do a coop program, study overseas and the like.
@scubadive - that’s interesting that her DE grades did not factor in to her current college GPA. Every DE seminar I’ve been to, and my DS has DE’d at 3 different colleges (yes this is a little nutty but we do have our reasons - one being that two schools are two miles from our house) - the advisers always warn us that DE grades follow you and factor in to your GPA even if they don’t count for your major. Perhaps they mean in the Florida state university system? Did your D go to a private university?
I know when I looked at a few privates the DE credits would not transfer if they fulfilled high school requirements.
I still think it’s a good idea to be hyper-aware of the downsides of DE, though we love it.
She took took dual enrollment credits at a state university in georgia and is now at georgia tech and the credits transferred but not her grades and trust me she was not happy about that.
Dual-enrollment GPAs don’t usually transfer between colleges unless you’re within a particular state university system. However, graduate schools and other programs may ask for transcripts from every college you’ve ever attended (so it doesn’t matter if the dual-enrollment credits transferred or not).