Definitely when doing dual enrollment, if you want to keep those credits you need to shop for colleges with that in mind. Of the five schools on my own daughter’s list, only two will take a large number of advanced standing credits earned in high school.
The accepted students at the most elite colleges have the grades and course rigor as well as substantial extracurricular commitments and accomplishments. Because these types of dream schools take so few students, it’s important to have considered your backup schools carefully.
Admissions counselors who are not familiar with a high school will read the school profile provided in the counselor section. That information is available to all families. If your profile does not reflect your school well, you should work with your school to update it. Most schools include typical GPAs, number of AP and other advanced course opportunities, number of kids going on to college, etc. This gives the counselor an idea of how competitive and rigorous the environment is.