Hello guys, I have a concern about being the valedictorian/salutatorian of my class. I am currently in rank #20 but in summer I will take some dual enrollment classes which will help my GPA. Moreover, in my senior year I will be a dual enrollment student full-time, this means that I will only take classes at College but at the same time I am considered a HS student. My question is the following: Can I be valedictorian/salutatorian of my class if I am not directly attending HS? Btw all the classes at College count as AP credit for my school. Thanks for your time!
I am aware that Dual Enrolling can greatly inflate your GPA, however I’ve not sure if a summer class and being full-time enrolled will be enough to push you to #1. If your weighted GPA is similar to my school you could possibly get bumped to the top 10, and most likely in the 10-15 range. I wouldn’t count on being valedictorian though, in my school there was a girl who did the same thing and her rank only changed by a number or two nothing major at all.
That’s a question specific to your school, so you need to ask your GC. That said, if you’re currently ranked 20, even with taking DE classes, unless everyone in front of you tanks their GPA, I don’t see you jumping to #1 or 2. And really, being val/sal is only important to the val/sal and maybe the parents. Nobody else will really care.
There is another factor to consider though it is very school dependent. If your high school gives A plus as grades and the dual enrollment college doesn’t (most colleges do not have a grade higher than an A) even if you get straight As as in 100 the kids getting an A plus in a high school AP class would still do better. There is no reason to think the kids above you rank wise won’t continue to do just as well, won’t also take a summer course etc.
There are valid reasons to take dual enrollment if your interested in it. However taking dual enrollment to become val/sal isn’t one. My daughter is in her second year of full time dual enrollment. They only got their class rank on naviance this year for college apps so no idea if it changed nor was it a factor in why my daughter chose dual enrollment.
Thanks, I’ll ask my GC. Also, do you guys think that DE as full time would be better than stay in HS taking a full-load of AP’s and AICE?
@hispanicdude My guidance counselor told me that if I was planning on attending an OOS university to take APs instead of Dual enrollment because some colleges may not accept my credits from DE because they came from a local CC. In the end DE didn’t fit into my schedule do to my ECs and job so I ended up just taking APs. I’ve also heard many teachers say taking APs is better because colleges know that APs are more rigorous than DE. I’m not sure how true this statement is (in fact it could’ve just been a way teachers convinced us to take their AP) but I just thought I would share what I heard/ have been told.
I agree with @skieurope – being Val/Sal isn’t very important compared to other things you could do. Be solidly in the top 10% of your class, then turn your attention to other things. You could likely do much more interesting things this summer than take classes.
What was the point of you asking us, if you’re just not going to accept what you hear and go and talk to your GC. No, I don’t think DE is better. Do you take the AP exam in these classes? Otherwise, it’s not AP credit, considering AP is by the College Board and not your local college. If it’s not actual AP credit, then expect a lot of OOS schools / top schools to not take your credits from DE.
@ab2002 Actually, that was the advice that @skieurope gave me. And I am not taking DE only for the credit, I like the experience of a “college student” even if it’s partial.But I agree with you AP’s are more rigorous and they are accepted nationwide
@hispanicdude No one said you were taking it only for the credit. You literally said, “all classes at college count as AP credit.” You’re completely taking what I said out of context. You made the statement that I mentioned and I simply corrected you, because there is a difference. I also never said that APs were more rigorous. You are shoving words in my mouth. I would not waste your GC’s time, because there is absolutely no way you’re going to jump 20 spaces just by taking DE. I can assure you that the valedictorian’s or even the salutatorian’s course rigor is the same as yours, if not higher. How else would they have gotten that place?
I trhink he means they’re weighted like AP classes in his GPA.