Advanced Placement (AP) tests are approaching quickly, taking place during the first two weeks of May. Students in these courses are preparing themselves for the test that determines whether they receive college credit for their year of learning. While some decide not to take the AP test, this means they do not earn any college credit for the course they took.
AP tests put a lot of pressure on students, who are expected to show their knowledge from an entire year in one single exam. Especially for students who struggle with tests, even if they understand the topic, AP tests can be very stressful and may not accurately represent what they know.
That being said, the dual credit system is drastically different from that of AP classes. Rather than taking a test at the end of the year, the grade you earn in a dual credit class can transfer directly to college credit, as long as you get a C or above.At IBW, this is especially applicable to Oregon colleges, but out-of-state colleges often accept the credit as well, depending on that school’s policy.
However, even getting a high score on the AP test, which ranges from one to five, doesn’t always give you college credit. For example, you could have gotten a four in AP Language and Composition, but the college you are going to requires a five for credit. This can be disappointing for students who worked hard to score well on the exam but still don’t earn college credit.
Students who are taking multiple AP classes can get quite busy during test season, with three, four or more AP tests all within two weeks. This constant stress and studying often cause student anxiety and burnout, which impacts both their mental and physical health.
Late nights spent studying can cause students to sacrifice sleep, exams back-to-back can cut into social life balance and maintaining information across multiple subjects creates constant stress. All of this concentrated into just a couple weeks only intensifies the effects.
“Dual credit has provided me with the same level of challenge as AP without the overwhelming stress of a final test at the end,” says Cassidy Goodwin, a senior at IBW. “I have found dual credit emphasizes learning and conceptual understanding, and AP focuses much more on how to take the test.”
Despite the added stress of these tests, some students still prefer AP classes to dual credit because of the GPA boost they provide.
Unlike dual credit classes, an “A” in an AP class goes into your weighted GPA as 5, making it a crucial way to boost your GPA for college admissions. The way AP curricula and tests are standardized makes it easier for colleges to assess a class’s difficulty and how students have chosen to challenge themselves, both of which are crucial for colleges to see during the admission process.
Unfortunately, this can mean that students often take AP classes because they think it will make their GPA look impressive for college admissions, not because they are actually passionate about the topic.
The pressure of having a competitive GPA for college applications can push students to prioritize grades over enjoying their learning.
“They [AP and dual credit classes] are always good to take, no matter what grade you get in them, honestly, because they’re exercising your brain in different ways,” says Hillary Brown, a Physics and dual credit Geology teacher at IBW. “Taking a diversity of challenging classes makes us all smarter.”
“I love a challenge, and I have found that AP and dual credit classes have pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me how to struggle,” says Goodwin.
IBW offers dual credit classes through Portland Community College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University (PSU) and others.
In terms of credits through PSU for Geology, Brown says, “For my students, the vast majority of them have gotten those [college credits] to transfer and help them get ahead of their peers even when they go to sign up for classes.”
With this, she is referring to how many colleges will prioritize class registration for those who already have eligible credits towards graduation. This means that college freshmen who enter with preexisting credits can have an easier time getting the classes they want than their peers because they are further down the path towards graduation.
For example, many public universities will take Geology as a science credit and lab credit, but private universities often only take it as an elective.
Either way you go, both dual credit and AP classes provide the opportunity to learn more and become accustomed to classes more similar to college classes. “What we want is [for] young people to challenge themselves and be okay with taking risks,” says Brown.
