Your Child Wants to Earn College Credits in High School. What's Next?
There are many reasons why your teenager might want to take college credit courses. Perhaps they want to get out of taking those classes in college. Or, maybe they’re interested in flexing their brains or getting a taste of what college courses might be like. Regardless, taking college credit courses while a student is in high school can be a great opportunity.
Here are some of the best ways for high school students to gain college credit before graduation.
Advanced Placement (AP) Designations
AP courses remain one of the most popular ways for students to gain credit for some of their most basic, early courses taken in college. Typically, AP courses count toward high school credit and core introductory courses in college and are taught by high school teachers your teens know. Having a trusted teacher introduce your teen to more challenging material sometimes makes the transition from high school to college coursework easier.
Some of the College Board AP Courses include:
Art History
Biology
Calculus
Chemistry
English Literature & Composition
Languages: French, Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, Spanish, Japanese
Studio Art
History: World History, US History, European History
Physics
Statistics
There are more available than just these classes. CollegeBoard offers 38 different courses! Not all schools will offer every one of the programs available through CollegeBoard. Therefore, if you see a course on the site that your teen’s school isn’t providing, you can talk to their school counselor or another advisor to see about signing up through an authorized online provider.
Dual-Enrollment Courses
You can also introduce teens to college-level courses by helping them sign up for dual-enrollment classes at their local college or university. Dual enrollment allows students to jumpstart on their college education by enrolling in college early and starting in on their core requirements while finishing out their time at high school. This is an excellent way for students to get a feel for college while still living at home. It also means they spend less time obtaining their college degree in the long-run.
The cons? This is typically a little more expensive -- as enrollment costs per credit hour. The average price of just a single college credit amounts to nearly $600. And while community or in-state colleges can be on the lower end, this can add up to a significant expense for a course that may or may not transfer for college credit, especially if your teen chooses to go to a different school. Additionally, it might be too much stress for your young adult to handle.
Summer and Winter Study At Community Colleges
If your teen is sold on taking college courses before graduating high school, but they might not want to commit to dual enrollment, doing a summer or winter course at a local community college is another way to get college credit while still in high school. The great thing about taking summer and winter courses at community colleges is that there is often less of a time commitment, but they can still save space in your teen’s college schedule further down the line. The downside, of course, is that parents will need to pay for the courses outright.
Technical Credits
One of the many reasons teens might explore high school courses for college credit is to get a feel for their career path. As you may well know (and maybe even experienced yourself!), not all teenagers know 100% what they want to be when they graduate from college. Fewer than half of all students who enroll in college know that they plan to do a long-term career when they enter college. And it’s even more likely that students will change their majors at least once while at college.
Unfortunately, parents don’t always help. A recent report examining college student dropouts said many of the students interviewed were pressured by their parents to attend college. We all want our children to strive for success, but success doesn’t always mean a rigorous college path. If you notice your child interested in a technical career or trade, many trade schools offer interested students courses. Like computer technology and business management, some of these courses provide students core education, which may help them down the line -- in either a college-path or a career path.
In Conclusion
The biggest takeaway from this? It should be left to your teen to decide whether they want to take a high school course that could provide them with college credit.
Remember that success isn’t always judged by the time it takes someone to do something -- rather, it can be judged on the outcome’s quality. Whether your child decides to take all AP courses their senior year, enroll part-time in a trade school, or just wait to take college courses until they get to college, your support will be integral to their success!