AP vs dual enrollment

Eustruria
Thu, 11 Feb 2016 01:58:24 +0000

I am wondering how other colleges (not part of the dual enrollment program) perceives dual enrollment courses (do they think of them as AP, honors, etc.)? In my high school, the administration removed nearly all of the AP options and replaced them with a dual enrollment program know as “AD” (Advanced course), which gives UCONN (the university near us) credit. The only AP courses we have is US history, Stat, and some language courses. Everything else has turned into an “AD” course. Ex. we don’t have Calculus AB/BC (we have AD Calculus) or AP physics (AD physics).

I am a sophomore and I have already took all the available major AP courses offered at my school (4 AD/AP courses in total)! These AD courses technically count as “advanced” in my school and gives a greater weighted GPA than honors, but I am worried that colleges out of state will perceive these dual enrollment courses as lesser than AP courses, when in reality, they are actually equally rigorous. One of my swim captains told me that dual enrollment is looked upon as better than AP courses because they are considered actual courses in college (UCONN).

Is he right? Is this different for each high school/college? Frankly, I don’t care about the credits or anything, but I want colleges to see that I am challenging myself.