Did your kid use AP credit to reduce their time in college?

Anonymous
My son entered college with 62 credits and was able to earn two degrees in four years (a B.S. and a B.A.).
If this is true, that's great for your son, but wow, what a different HS experience. My kid's taking quite a few AP classes, but also wants to have time with friends and participate in her activities so will use AP's just for admission. I want her to enjoy the 4 yr college experience. They have the rest of their lives to work and earn money.
Anonymous
Our family friends have 3 kids who all graduated from UW-Madison in 3 years and double-majored thanks to AP credit. For that family, it helped with expenses and now the two oldest ones are already working. I don't know if it affected them having a typical college experience.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
My son entered college with 62 credits and was able to earn two degrees in four years (a B.S. and a B.A.).
If this is true, that's great for your son, but wow, what a different HS experience. My kid's taking quite a few AP classes, but also wants to have time with friends and participate in her activities so will use AP's just for admission. I want her to enjoy the 4 yr college experience. They have the rest of their lives to work and earn money.


Our DS has 54 dual enrollment credits and has not taken more than the usual 7 courses/year and a couple over the summer - but has had a completely fun and "normal" high school experience including clubs, etc... - it just depends on the courses your school allows you to take and make sure all the electives are also dual enrollment of one type or another. He can start at as a junior at most state flagships or public universities and could do the multi-major or combined bachelors/masters track if he wanted to or just do more study abroad without having to worry about losing the chance to get his core course done in the home department.
Anonymous
keep in mind the "typical college experience" isn't all wonderful for many of us. Nor is the high school experience. For some people, focusing on classes and school work IS the fun part of it. I'm pretty sure my son is going to have more "fun" as an adult than he's had in high school. He's just preternaturally focused. It's important for parents to be supportive but also to support kids on their unique path.
Anonymous
I agree- most students opt to stay at college for 4 years even if the AP credits can be used.

When I was in college, I graduated in 3 years but I did not have AP credits. I went to NYU, and it was cheaper (very affordable actually) to stay in the dorms over the summer (which I wanted to do for internships) if you were taking classes. So I did, and going into my third year I realized that I only had to do a little bit extra (5 classes) each semester to graduate a full year early. I think a lot of kids could take this route if desired, with a little planning in research.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:It seems like a lot of kids take a bunch of AP classes, but then do the regular four years of college. I know the AP classes can better your chances of getting into a good college, but does anyone have experience with a kid also using them to reduce the amount of time spent in college? Or a kid who took fewer credits per semester? If they did either of those things, did they feel they missed any of the college experience?


Yes, my kid will graduate Cornell in 3 years (from the College of Arts and Sciences) due to combination of several good AP scores and taking community college classes during HS. She is receiving credits in math, chemistry, English and a foreign language. Will save us $80k.

She is probably heading to medical school and shaving a year off the "college experience" does not bother her at all.
Anonymous
My son is at UMD and entered with with 34 AP credits. He is an accounting major and will graduate in 4 years with a BS and MS in Accounting and will be able to sit for the CPA.
Anonymous
My son had 48 AP credits coming into UMD. He didn't use them to graduate early, but it did allow him to get a lot of gen eds out of the way and study abroad, which can be really difficult for students on the pre-med track.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
My son entered college with 62 credits and was able to earn two degrees in four years (a B.S. and a B.A.).
If this is true, that's great for your son, but wow, what a different HS experience. My kid's taking quite a few AP classes, but also wants to have time with friends and participate in her activities so will use AP's just for admission. I want her to enjoy the 4 yr college experience. They have the rest of their lives to work and earn money.


What an idiotic, rude, and judgmental post.

PP's son achieved something great. Good for him. I have absolutely no doubt he has many friends and lots of fun.

Also I love the implication that if only your daughter chose this inferior route, she would no doubt have accomplished the same.
Anonymous
My son is going into college with about 23 credits from DE and AP - didn't take all of the AP tests but took about 9 AP and 1 DE class. He likes a full plate of 17 credits per semester so he is probably on track to graduate at least by December before his normal graduation. I do not think he has any intention of doing so, unless he happens to have a job lined up, and I have no intention of encouraging him to. The reason he and his sibling didn't take all the AP tests is that I don't think either one wants to do less than four years of the college experience. I certainly wasn't going to require it of them.

Who knows what will happen as we get closer to senior year, but as of now, I highly doubt he will actually graduate early. Who knows though!
Anonymous
My child did not because we thought that the college level version of the course would probably be better, and the worst that would happen is that the material would come easily to her.

Many of her friends however did graduate either a semester or year early due to AP credits (this was at a small LAC/CTCL). They planned to go to grad school, so wanted to save money.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
My son entered college with 62 credits and was able to earn two degrees in four years (a B.S. and a B.A.).
If this is true, that's great for your son, but wow, what a different HS experience. My kid's taking quite a few AP classes, but also wants to have time with friends and participate in her activities so will use AP's just for admission. I want her to enjoy the 4 yr college experience. They have the rest of their lives to work and earn money.


What an idiotic, rude, and judgmental post.

PP's son achieved something great. Good for him. I have absolutely no doubt he has many friends and lots of fun.

Also I love the implication that if only your daughter chose this inferior route, she would no doubt have accomplished the same.


It is not rude to think that taking mostly high school courses in high school, and getting one undergraduate degree in 4 years of college is healthier than the alternative.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:The AP credits allowed my kid to register earlier in the queue at their state flagship. So where most freshman maybe were registering on a Thursday starting at noon, they were able to start on a Wednesday at 2 in the afternoon. When there are required classes that fill up, that extra time is really important.


this is another advantage.
Anonymous
I did, sort of. I had gone into college planning to finish my bachelor's a year early , then work for a year or two before law school. But I did undergrad from 06-09, so noone was hiring when I graduated and I had not taken the LSATs/applied to law school. So I stayed an extra year and got a master's. So in effect, like many above posters I stayed four years and got two degrees.
Anonymous
No, for both. Mine are at Brown and MIT.
post reply Forum Index » College and University Discussion
Message Quick Reply
Go to: