It’s always important for underclassmen to look ahead and plan out their next steps on scheduling. Making sure you take the right classes is vital for both your high school experience, along with what you’ll face after. AP and Dual Credit classes are great classes to take if you are looking to challenge yourself and also receive college credit for your efforts. 

First you have AP classes, or advanced placement classes. These classes introduce students to college-level coursework. These courses end with a test at the end of the year over all the content learned, and if the student passes they can earn a college credit for that class. 

Dual credit classes are very similar. They also give students the opportunity to earn college credit by enrolling them in actual college courses. GRC partners with Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College to make this possible. The only big difference with dual credit is the fact you don’t have a test at the end of the year that decides whether or not you get your credit. 

Both of these options, AP and dual credit classes, are viable options to help you in the future. As for which one is better, that’s a loaded question. Both have their perks that make them “better” than the other, and it’s up to the student to decide which one is a better fit for them. 

First of all, AP classes have more variety. With almost double the classes available on AP courses, there’s a bigger pool to pick from to make sure the class works for you. Another pro is the fact that you learn more content. These courses are twice as long as dual credit, so if you are truly trying to learn and not just breeze through school, AP is for you. 

As for dual credit, the obvious advantage is that you don’t have to take a test at the end of the year to pass the class and get your credit. All you have to do is maintain your grades.

Also, compared to AP, the dual credit work load seems much more manageable. The work is still college level, just not as rigorous. For students that just want to test the waters of college work, check out dual credit.

The great thing about GRC is that we’re able to take both at the same time. If you’re debating which kind of class to sign up for, do both. That way you don’t have to second guess yourself and you are seeing firsthand which one is better for you. 

AP and dual credit classes both have their perks that make them attractive, but they aren’t for everybody. If you get in one of those classes and hate it, there’s always an option to drop the class and take something more suitable for you.

This is why I encourage everyone who’s on the fence about these classes to take a leap of faith and go for it. The worst that can happen is you don’t like the class and your grades are bad, but guess what, you can drop the course it if it comes to that.  

However, if you don’t drop these classes, you are being afforded a great opportunity to jumpstart your career. If you’re going to college and not even considering one of these classes, you’re doing yourself a disservice. I strongly encourage students to check out both AP and dual credit classes and see where they take you!