<p>Is any one program, such as an Early College, IB programme, or AP, better than another?</p>
<p>I am an Early College student, so I don't have room in my schedule for AP classes. Instead, I do dual enrollment at the community college (liberal arts courses, social sciences, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, statistics), and will have accumulated nearly 50 credit hours by the end of my senior year--far more than any IB or AP score could generate. I am worried, however, that my lack of AP classes will not look very good when I apply to top colleges/universities (UVA, UNC-CH, Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College of the CUNY). Do you think this will be a problem, or will the dual enrollment look just as impressive. </p>
<p>I mean, my home district only offers 5 AP tests (there are 34). That's not a very good ratio. In other words, my school doesn't have a strong AP program. I could have gone to the IB school, but found out too late--after I was accepted to the Early College.</p>
<p>I think Early College would be considered as impressive as AP/IB, if you look at the program as if you were just graduating high school. However, you aren’t just graduating high school–you’re also getting an associate’s degree. This will be what puts you at a disadvantage. You’ll have to apply through transfer admissions (which has a lower acceptance rate than freshman admissions).</p>
<p>Yeah, I did the same thing, and colleges just told me that as long as I was doing the best program offered to me, I’d be fine. I got into several selective schools and will be attending Notre Dame.</p>
<p>They’re looking for the rigor of your program. Since your program seems rather rigorous, you’ll be fine in that category :).</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, AP and IB are not equally impressive. A full load of AP classes is similar to the IB Diploma. Taking a handful of AP classes is far less rigorous than the IB Diploma. The IB Diploma is like taking 6 APs each in your junior and senior year *and then some<a href=“CAS,%20EE,%20TOK,%20internal%20assessments”>/i</a>.</p>
<p>@kin4k2 In my early college program, we have to stay for a 13th year if we want the full associate’s degree all paid for. Otherwise, we leave at the end of senior year, and apply to college as freshman applicants. I plan on leaving at the end of my senior year, so I will not run into that issue.</p>
<p>@dolorousEdd, Exactly! Other than the IB program, which i didn’t know I was eligible for at the time, I am in the most rigorous program offered to me (in my opinion). As you know, early college isn’t easy. Contrary to popular belief, community college classes are a challenge. People have the old time stereotype stuck in their heads; community colleges are no longer like high schools. The majority of my instructors have a PhD or MD, whereas AP teachers usually only have a Master’s at the most. Really, early college is the superior program.</p>
I thought dual enrollment was significantly more challenging (for most classes, not all) than AP, though my school didn’t have IB, so I can’t compare that. It does depend on your school, though, and the college itself, but in general, I got that full time dual enrollment is viewed rather well.</p>
<p>Just don’t expect a lot of your credits to transfer to top private schools.</p>
<p>@RedSeven, Thanks for your input! I have friends in the IB program, and it’s tough. I really don’t get what the big deal about AP is. It’s not even that great. AP is LIKE a college class. Dual enrollment IS a college class. Plus, being in an early college, I have to do extra things like IB. For example, we have to job shadow, complete an intenship, and write a research essay. Similar to the EE. It’s rigorous.</p>