Dual Credit & AP classes

[Caia]

Anyone have any actual BTDT stories?

 

I was talking to a local high school teacher about Dual Enrollment, AP, etc.

 

She told me that she does not recommend doing any of it. She then proceded to explain that colleges, even the local state universities, do not actually give you credit for the classes. She said that the child still has to take the exact same class again in college. When I questioned her statement, she stated that some colleges will give credit, but that it is just an elective type credit and actually doesn't count towards the core requirements.

 

She even gave me an example of a local private university that offers on campus courses to high school junior and seniors. She said that if you end up attending college there, none of those credits count for college credit even if they have nothing to do with your major. The student has to take the exact same class again in college.

 

Does this make sense? Is this true? Can someone explain this to me?

 

Thanks!

[Gwen in VA]

The teacher is plain mistaken. Many schools do accept AP and CC classes for credit.

 

What a college does with CC or AP credits is entirely up to the college. Different colleges handle them differently.

 

Before making any decisions about what route you are going to take with your student, investigate some potential colleges. What are THEIR policies about transferring credit?

 

My older kids only took one CC class between the two of them simply because the majority of the colleges they were looking at did not accept CC classes for credit although it did accept certain AP scores in certain subjects. But other students I know have managed to graduate from college in two years because of all the CC classes they took in high school. So it depends.....

 

Our experience with AP classes -- the college my kids both go to only gives credit for 5's in certain subjects. For example, a 5 in microeconomics will give you 3 credits and fulfill any requirements that that class would fulfill. However, a 5 on the AP physics B will only give you 3 credits; it will not let the student pass out of physics 101. Finally, a 5 on the chemistry exam will fulfill the science requirement for non-chemistry majors, but if you are going to major in chemistry you still receive the credits but you need to still take chemistry 101. Both my kids are both graduating in four years while double-majoring and minoring in another subject. They can only do this because of all of the credits they received because of their AP exams.

 

It's complicated. Talk to the schools you are interested in. But yes, AP and CC classes can transfer, depending on the college.

[AngieW in Texas]

Most community college districts have agreements with the public universities in that state so that the public universities will accept all core classes (except for those in the major usually). Most of the state schools that I have looked up in Texas list exactly which community college courses they will accept and what they count for.

[Ellie]

Poppycock. Balderdash.

 

It may have to do with which state and which college and who knows what else, but there are way too many hsers who report that their dc took classes at the c.c. and transferred those credits to colleges, public and private.

[dhudson]

My advice is to call the colleges and universities or look it up on their websites. Based on my research, this teacher is mistaken. We are planning on my son taking CLEP tests as well as doing some dual enrollment and most colleges and universities accept them as long as they are not in their major. This could help them by having their first two years of General Ed classes done before they even get to college.

 

Admission officers are happy to talk to parents in my experience.

Edited February 1, 2010 by dhudson
Should not try and type while grading papers

[Barb_]

Agreeing with Gwen. Go to a college fair and ask this question and you will receive a variety of answers. Some schools transferred any and all credit, no questions asked. Others left it up to the individual department within the college or Uni (ie: English 101 may transfer, but Bio 181 might not). Sometimes it depends on the major. Biology might transfer for an English major but not for any major in the natural sciences. Other colleges (usually the ivies and some second tiers) refuse categorically to transfer anything but will use the courses taken to place the student in a higher course. Or not depending on the major. Some schools (including ivies) who won't transfer credit for a class *will* give credit for AP scores, so if your student is going to one of those schools, you can have him or her take the coordinating AP test after completing the course.

 

In general, the more selective the college or University the less likely they are to award credit. Really, it's at least partially about money because these same colleges will allow transfers from the same community colleges as long as the classes were taken after graduation. Also, there are some dual enrollment courses given at the high school instead of at the college that often have a reputation of lower quality. In my state, they call classes taken at the college before hs graduation, concurrent, not duel, enrollment.

 

If your student is planning to attend the state Uni, then concurrent enrollment is likely an excellent plan. If not, check with the colleges your family is interested in.

 

Barb

[Miss Marple]

LOL! Well, in our case she would be mistaken. The most generous thinking I would have about her statement is that she has heard only 1 or 2 cases where this *might* be true. And she may be right in a specific case, but she is not right in most cases I know.

 

My ds transfered 35 credit hours from a local university as well as a few credits from a community college. With one exception, he was given credit for all courses (not as general elective credit, but as specific to major credits). The only course that did not transfer (but did get elective credit) was Calculus 1 taken at the CC. The university he chose to attend used the same text, but took it more slowly and went deeper into the topics than the CC. With the exceptions noted below, his credits would have been accepted at all the others schools he looked at.

 

The only cases in which his credits would not transfer were The University of Dallas and one other school. Both of these are more classical in nature and the students study things using original sources rather than textbooks.

 

 

So, yes, she's right in one instance, but wrong in others. Each school will have its own policy. The best thing to do is research any school your student is interested in attending.

[Corraleno]

Our state universities accept ALL "core" courses from ALL state CCs for full credit. They accept APs and CLEPs for credit, as long as the course is not required by the major. A homeschooler here could easily complete 2 years worth of transferable credits before graduating high school. I would definitely check with your state uni's, as well as any private or out-of-state colleges you might consider.

 

Jackie

[outtamyshell]

This teacher is confusing dual-enrolled students with high school students taking supplemental courses offered by some universities. I know Duke is one private univeristy that offers courses specifically designed for high school students. They are not full-blown college classes, but are designed and marketed to high school students.

 

Dual enrolled students are taking the college course with college students and do get a real transcript with real credit.

[LoriM]

I'll chime in...my older dd graduated from our local university this fall at age 20. She finished an AA while still in high school, all dual-enrolled. We bought books, and paid about $20 per semester for a student fee (that included her parking sticker and access to the library and gym). She completed 66 hours to fill that requirement. Then she transferred at age 18 to the university, where she took another 60 hours over five semesters and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in mathematics and a minor in art.

 

EVERY course she took in high school counted toward her degree, and because we were careful about her choices, she finished school with exactly the credits required to graduate, and not a single course was "wasted." :)

 

Dual-enrolled high school students are also COLLEGE students, and get a college transcript. Then depending on the state, those courses transfer. Here in NC, we have a college transfer course agreement with the university system, so it's a breeze to transfer credit.

 

Lori

[debbiec]

Admissions said they do not accept any duel enrollment credits from a community college since it counted for high school. No exceptions.

 

However, they do accept AP courses if the score was a 4 or higher and it only counts as an elective, and not to fulfill core requirements.

 

She was very positive about home schoolers with some tips about applying and what to submit (and not to submit).

 

But, Sewanee is a private university. I think most state universities are a little more generous in awarding credits.

Edited February 1, 2010 by debbiec

[TravelingChris]

SO far my dd has taken one dual enrollment class in Florida. It was free unlike here in VA. I didn't have her take it in order to get out of a class. In fact, if she does major in Psych, I think they may require her to take Intro again. But the class was helpful in that as a homeschooler, it shows she can do honors college work. SHe will also probably take an AP test again to show that she can do advanced work. I am not looking for acceleration. THat said, I know many kids who have taken their dual enrollment credits and put them to good use.

[Brigid in NC]

I was talking to a local high school teacher about Dual Enrollment, AP, etc.

 

She told me that she does not recommend doing any of it. She then proceded to explain that colleges, even the local state universities, do not actually give you credit for the classes.

 

I just cannot believe the misinformation coming from this teacher! I hope that outtamyshell has the reason for this, otherwise it is just plain academic malpractice! OK, I'll calm down now. :001_smile: I just hate to hear information like this thrown around and confusing homeschoolers. I know that some private schools are very picky about credits, and every school is different, but there are lots and lots of schools that offer college credit for dual enrollment classes taken in high school. My ds is a freshman at a state school, and entered as a freshman (not a transfer student) with oodles of science and math credits.

 

Yes, every school is different, and lots of schools limit credits offered, but there is a heck of a lot of opportunity for homeschooled kids to get credit for the CC classes they've taken.

 

Every college expects to get AP/CC credit questions -- and they are all prepared with ready answers. So if you don't see the AP credit breakdowns and CC credit policies on their webpage, you can certainly get the facts by calling them. It could be a significant factor in choosing a school.

 

Best of luck!

~Brigid

Edited February 2, 2010 by Brigid in NC

[mcconnellboys]

I think granting of credit varies widely by schools and how the credit is applied also may vary. You need to consult with the university you are interested in your children attending to see what their policy is regarding granting of credits.

 

My older son did some dual credit courses. I didn't have him take them, really, in order to earn credits that would apply to his future college course load. If whatever school he applies to accepts them, that will be fine, but I'm also fine if they don't count. Because of this, I did not think too long and hard about what he would take. I have a nephew in Iowa who entered college with a maximum number of college credits under his belt. He did not have to retake any of those classes he had already taken, to my knowledge (but I can ask my sister, to make sure). For chemistry, for instance, I believe that he got a first semester course credit and started with a second semester course, etc.

[tex-mex]

Always ASK the college you are applying to. Every college differs in policy over AP/Dual Credit. Generally, it is transferable in many cases that I personally know of from my hs support group families. The high school teacher is gravely mistaken.

[K-FL]

Here in Florida there's matriculation between all the state schools--cc or U--so any classes taken at one are equal to the other. And you can't take dual-enrollment except for college level classes (no remedials.) A parent even told me that U of FL (selective admissions) even prefers kids to start at the cc. I imagine to help crowding in the pre-req courses & to lower potential drop-out rates on their numbers.