Advice Needed: NOVA Credits vs Reaching for MIT / Ivies / Georgia Tech / Purdue / Vanderbilt / Top Schools

[Anonymous]

The problem with DE classes is that they do not require an AP test at the end of the year to validate the grade. This is exactly why many kids prefer DE classes. Top colleges (yes, this includes UVA) prefer students to take AP classed and like to see the AP scores listed on the Common App. Not for credit, but to validate the GPA just like an ACT or SAT score. If your school doesn’t offer the AP version of the class, this is a different conversation.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op can your kid drop some of these de classes and replace ap classes.

+1000 This is the best advice for OP. Good that DC had some DE under their belt. But moving forward focus 100% on AP, DE is only useful if used [b]on top of a full load AP exams (as opposed as AP substitute or 50-50 DE-AP)[/b]

+1

OP there are a number of different posters who are all saying similar. Please listen. Some of us work in this field. We see it every year with disappointed parents who do not understand why their kid did not get in to VT, UVA despite high scores. Top public colleges know the high schools in the state and they care about various course tracks.

My DD will be attending UVA. She took mostly AP but took DE Gov due to a scheduling conflict with AP Gov.

Also wanted to add that at the UVA prospective student info session last year, a parent asked if UVA had a preference for DE vs AP and got a resounding “no it does not make a difference.” Just thought that was interesting.

I gather from this board that in NOVA schools DE is an easier version of the same AP classes. I don’t think that holds true in all geographies. The AO might want to ensure kids from other areas aren’t getting a very NOVA specific response.

Same thing everywhere. Nova CC is very strong.

[Anonymous]

All these poor kids still thinking about CS and engineering...

[Anonymous]

The truth is that the math classes that are beyond what the HS offers will help. The other de courses will not hurt unless:

-hs counselor won’t check off kid took most rigorous path
- the ap courses kid took at school were largely easy ones
- de courses were thru hs not the college directly
- de courses were thru hs and online and hs transcript will say they were taken online
- kid’s major is related to the higher level math classes he took (Which you said it is)
- he was taking periods off from hs (more than 1)

I think your kid has a good chance at uva ed…but if he wants beyond that, he needs to completely drop the idea that the credits will transfer. They likely will not.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:What’s the point of even offering DE if colleges don’t look at it the same? Especially if those same colleges accept community college transfer students? How is that any different?

Probably for the kids from schools with very limited AP course offerings?

yes. DE is only ok when there is no AP equivalent.
Top colleges that accept CC transfers do it to get help expand diversity on campus because CC transfers are higher likely to be: very rural or very urban, URM without specifically looking at URM, FGLI, veterans.
For anyone applying from above average to top publics or privates that offer AP, DE is a big mistake. Our kid's public magnet pointedly steers the middle of the pack students to DE calc instead of AP. The DE track never gets in to UVA and most do not get into VT. In state.

Our FCPS HS counselors tell all the students DE and AP are considered equivalent by colleges. Why do they lie?

This may well be true for mid-tier or lower-ranking colleges.

It also depends on the student and their goals. If you are trying to go to JMU and you aren’t likely to get a 4/5 on the AP exam anyway, you will have a lot more credits going into college with the DE program. Older parents tried to push us into the DE track saying “oh my kid started JMU with 30 credits!” but in terms of rigor it was quite clear to us the kids going to top schools took AP.

[Anonymous]

OP: What are his ECs? It’s hard to say if he has a chance to some of the reach schools without knowing his ECs. The career he aspires to seems pretty popular among MOPers. But academically alone, he doesn’t seem to be in the league of MIT/Princeton admits for his intended major(s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: What are his ECs? It’s hard to say if he has a chance to some of the reach schools without knowing his ECs. The career he aspires to seems pretty popular among MOPers. But academically alone, he doesn’t seem to be in the league of MIT/Princeton admits for his intended major(s).

To add, the fact that he worries so much about getting his DE credits while planning to apply to some (ultra) reach schools tells us he’s quite uninformed.

[Anonymous]

OP, what is his goal of getting so much DE credit?

Depending on the college, some schools may accept the DE for credit towards a specific class or overall graduation requirement, but depending on the number of credits, may also consider him a transfer and not a freshman which can limit the scholarship opportunities so double check that.

Also, for engineering, some schools have engineering specific requirements that will span all 4 years so students can't graduate in under 4 years if that was his goal.

It's all so school specific, there may not be a class that counts everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these poor kids still thinking about CS and engineering...

Sorry for the rejection not everyone has the aptitude for engineering and CS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these poor kids still thinking about CS and engineering...

Sorry for the rejection not everyone has the aptitude for engineering and CS

Hoping you are a child whose empathy and kindness is still undeveloped…

NP