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Weighing your options….
Dual
Enrollment vs. AP Courses
Frequently Asked
Questions
Q: How do Dual Enrollment and AP differ?
- Dual enrollment is not a test-based
program. Your ability to
earn college credits is not based on a single high-stakes test, but rather
on the entirety of work completed over the course of a semester.
- Dual enrollment typically allows
students to accumulate more college credit than AP. Students who attend DEHP full-time may
complete their entire freshman year of college before graduating from high
school. Students who begin DEHP as
juniors may complete nearly two years of college coursework.
- Dual enrollment allows students to
experience college life and academics by spending time on a college
campus. DEHP eases the
transition to college, allowing students to experience college while still living at home with the
support system of family and friends.
- AP courses are like a college course; DEHP courses are college courses.
Q: Are Dual Enrollment and AP courses mutually exclusive?
- No! Many part-time DEHP students also take
AP courses at their high schools. Taking
an AP course at your high school and college courses at KSU that aren’t
available through the AP program demonstrates to admissions offices that
you are choosing the most rigorous path to college. Some students come to DEHP already
having completed AP courses at their high schools, and have scored a 3 or
higher to exempt an introductory college course. These students can continue their
progression to more advanced college courses through DEHP. Students without AP experience can
demonstrate that they are ready for college-level work through DEHP. Both AP and DEHP help students build a
track record of advanced aptitude and ability.
Q: What can I expect a college honors class to be like, compared to a high
school honors or AP course?
- DEHP students
have the option of taking regular college courses or Honors college
courses. The Honors Program at
Kennesaw
State
is built around small class-size
environments of DEHP and undergraduate honors students who are similarly
motivated and academically focused. Honors classes are taught by Honors Faculty members who are selected
for their outstanding teaching and expertise in their disciplines. Honors classes often emphasize in-depth
classroom discussion following the Socratic method. Students tell us they find the pace of
college honors courses more relaxed than AP courses, with fewer, but more
heavily weighted assignments and tests spread throughout the semester,
rather than in-class daily work and frequent quizzes. Increased expectations for quality work
are balanced by pacing that allows more time to complete major assignments
and prepare for tests. A typical
college course grading formula might be based on three to four tests and
two major papers, projects or presentations. Honors English courses require four
papers. There are no “daily work”
grades in college. Cherokee and
Fulton counties award extra GPA quality points for college honors
classes. Check with your school
system for its policy.
Q: What kind of student is a good fit for DEHP?
There
are many different reasons why students choose DEHP. DEHP is a great option for:
- Highly advanced
students who have exhausted the curriculum in a particular subject at
their high schools or home school programs. Students can continue in more advanced
coursework at KSU.
- Students wishing
to study a subject not available in the high school, such as Arabic,
Japanese, Russian, philosophy, anthropology, political science or public
speaking
- Students wishing
to get a head start in the courses they’ll need for college rather than
taking non-academic high school electives
- Students wishing
to shorten their amount of time in college before med school, law school, or
other graduate programs.
- Students who feel
overwhelmed by the nightly workload of advanced high school courses.
- Solid “B”
students looking to distinguish their academic profiles.
- Students who
would like to get a fresh start in an academically-focused environment
free of cliques and high school drama
- Students
planning to attend an out-of-state or private college who want to save
money by shaving a year or semester off of college tuition and room and
board expenses.
- Students who
want to “dip their toes” in the college environment and just take a course
or two to see what college is like.
Q: What kind of student might be better off sticking with AP?
- Students planning
to attend a college that will not accept college courses taken while in
high school. While the vast
majority of public colleges and universities in the
U.S.
(and all public institutions in
Georgia
)
accept dual enrollment credits, some private colleges do not. Some private colleges also do not accept
AP credits. It is each student’s
responsibility to contact their schools of choice to ascertain their
policy on dual enrollment and AP credits.
- Students without
reliable transportation to campus
- Students without
the maturity to attend class and complete assignments without the close
level of supervision provided by the high school environment.
Q: What do college admissions offices prefer – AP or Dual Enrollment?
- It is always
best for students to ask this question directly of their colleges of
choice, because there is no “blanket” answer adopted by all colleges. In general, admissions offices weigh
grades and the level of rigor of courses most heavily. Students seeking
admission to highly selective colleges and universities should have
transcripts that demonstrate that they have pursued a rigorous path to
college. As the only
non-residential honors dual
enrollment program in the state, and one of few in the nation, KSU’s DEHP
provides students with opportunities to demonstrate success in challenging
academic coursework by selecting honors classes, completing courses more
advanced than what is available in the high school, taking college courses
rather than P.E. or other non-academic electives at the high school, and
earning superior grades in college classes. In admissions calculations, some colleges,
including UGA, do not add extra quality points to dual enrollment course
grades. Other colleges, including
Georgia Tech, add .5 quality points to dual enrollment grades. Inquire with your college of choice
about its policy.
Q: How do AP and DEHP credits transfer to other colleges?
- In the case of
AP, colleges award students college credit for AP exams which meet their
minimum score requirements, which may vary between institutions. The grade earned in high school AP
courses is not transferred; just the credits are awarded. In the case of DEHP, most colleges
transfer the grade earned in the college course. Some colleges, including
UGA, treat dual enrollment courses like AP courses and transfer the
credit, but not the grade. Students
should contact their college of choice if they have questions about its
policy.
Q: How does KSU coordinate with my high school?
- KSU‘s DEHP
program enjoys long-standing relationships with many high schools and
their counseling staffs in Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding and Bartow counties. We find that those high schools that
have the most students in DEHP are also the most active in promoting it,
because they have come to know the quality of KSU’s program and the
positive outcomes for their students. KSU will automatically send your grades to your high school each
semester so that they can be incorporated into your high school
transcript. We also provide
certificates to high schools to distribute to DEHP students at honors
nights or year-end events. Each
year, DEHP provides informational handouts to every high school and offers
to send a representative to their campus to speak to students and
counselors. Many high schools are
now posting this information on their guidance websites. DEHP is a partnership between the high
school and KSU, and we encourage you to contact both KSU’s Dual Enrollment
program and your counselor if you have questions.
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