With the admissions rates of top colleges only decreasing each year, many students opt to take AP and dual credit courses. Their efforts hope to demonstrate their academic rigor and challenge themselves to the best of their abilities. Although both options serve to give students college credit they differ in various ways.
To preface, one of the most prevalent differences between the two is the way in which the students earn credit. In AP courses students take the AP exam at the end of the school year in hopes of earning credit with a score of 3 and above. On the other hand, dual credit students earn credit by simply passing the class.
However, their differences aren’t limited to the methods in which they earn credit as dual credit and AP also vary in other ways. One of which being the courseload students face in the class.
“The dual credit course load consists of a lot of less busy work and tends to be more spread out,” senior Marisa Naraine said. “There’s a reason behind every assignment you’re doing as it counts for your grade.”
This factor of dual credit may be beneficial for many high school students as they are often busy with other extracurricular activities or even part time jobs. This would make it harder for students to squeeze busy work into their schedule. In addition, the efficient nature of the course load ensures that students don’t learn inessential information but only the knowledge they need to know.
Moreover, the responsibility of AP students differs from that of dual credit students as well.
¨Even though dual credit is sometimes easier than AP, you do have to think about the fact that for your exams you can’t retest meaning you have to actually study for them,” Naraine said. ¨A lot of students don’t study for their AP tests and rely on the retest however with dual credit that’s not the case.¨
While students may view the inability to retest as an inherent negative it prepares them for the reality of college. Privileges such as retest only apply to high school and do not pertain to colleges whatsoever. By not accepting retest, dual credit equips students with the skills they need to succeed in university.
In conclusion, both AP and dual credit courses are great opportunities for students to gain college credit. However, there are notable differences between the two including how they earn college credit, its lifestyle, and responsibility. When selecting courses students should accommodate their own needs and choose what suits them the best. In doing so students can remain future ready and propel their academic success.
