Dual Credit v. AP/PAP

Registration for the 2011-2012 school year has been completed. Students always struggle with what courses should they take in order to be prepared for life beyond high school. As a parent I always tried to encourage both my daughter and son to consider dual credit, mainly because it would save us money. I also believed it would give them a leg up on credits needed to complete their college degree plan.

After watching both of them we learned there were some advantages and disadvantages we had not considered. First, some of the disadvantages not considered were that dual credit courses taken in high school will not be used by their college to calculate their college GPA. Additionally, as a result of taking dual credit courses, the next level college course to be taken has a higher degree of difficulty in rigor.
The advantages of credits earned in high school include going into college a semester ahead of most students and the amount of money saved in tuition and housing by having to attend college longer is reduced. Further, courses taken give the student a taste of what to expect in college.

In conclusion: what is best for each student often varies depending on what their college plans and course of study include. Dual credit courses typically are not on par with AP or PAP courses since they are taught by community colleges and their target audience often times are adult learners or students who chose a community college over a Tier 1 university for various reasons. The preparation a student receives academically by taking a College Board approved AP/PAP course in most cases will better prepare a student to meet the rigors of  the college curriculum. The GPA hit has the potential to be a significant disadvantage especially if you are pursuing a degree plan that relies on your GPA for entrance. Ultimately, it becomes what is best for your son or daughter.

I think this is a very important decision because the implications are far reaching. Please consider the AP/PAP curriculum because the rigor and preparation far out weigh the short term concerns over ones high school GPA. If you have questions, please contact your student's counselor. It is not too late to change into a AP or PAP course.