I am currently a Junior in a program that allows me to take college classes along side my high-school ones. In exchange to enter this program, I have not been able to take any AP classes keeping my weighted GPA to a 4.0. I should gain an associates degree in university studies by my graduating year of 2018 along with my high-school diploma, and have taken plenty of various college classes with A’s in all of them. How competitive will this associates degree make me to colleges even though I have not taken any AP classes?
Depends on what schools you are looking at. Most of the time colleges will see what curricula is offered to you, and see that you have maintained a rigorous course load. One option is taking the AP tests without the courses in subjects that are relative to your major or are familiar with.
Are the college courses’ material lower level, same level, or higher level than the material in AP courses?
For example, college courses in single variable calculus (for math/physics majors) would have material at the same level as AP calculus courses. College courses in precalculus or calculus for business majors would have lower level material, while college courses in multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations would have higher level material.
Note that credits from dual enrollment may or may not be transferred depending on the school, while different schools have different AP credit policy too. You may want to check out the schools you are going to apply to see if it makes sense or not to spend the extra money and time to take the AP exam. I know a student loss all her dual enrollment credits earned from a CC OOS.