Students searching for college credit and bumped up GPAs are faced with an important decision: should they choose AP or dual enrollment classes? In recent years, dual enrollment has become a more popular option. Especially for freshmen and sophomores, assistant principal Kristi Draus says she has noticed an immense increase in interest for dual enrollment courses.

Senior Avis Shaw first looked to dual enroll due to recommendations from upperclassmen — she decided that starting her college credits was something she was committed to do. After comparing AP and DE courses, Shaw believed dual enrollment would look good on college applications and was sure the experience she gained through those classes would allow her to get into a good college. 

“I think dual enrollment is an amazing choice if you are committed to it,” Shaw said. “It wasn’t that difficult. I was able to understand the same things I would’ve learned in high school while only going to class once a week.”

For senior Carsyn Stephenson, her main reason to choose dual enrollment was due to the assured possibility of getting college credits for free. She is taking both College Algebra and Environmental Science.

“I feel as if I barely have any school work at all, and the workload for the classes is pretty light, making it less time-consuming than regular classes,” Stephenson said.

Taking just one on-campus class, Stephenson says dual enrollment has given her more free time. 

“I took AP Lang last year and it was just more complicated than any DE class I’ve taken, I would have rather been dual enrolled,” Stephenson said. “There is way less work and I feel as if I get more out of it by not having to take certain classes in college.”

Junior Amari Patel has had a similarly positive experience with dual enrollment. She enrolled in the English course (ENC11010) and has so far enjoyed her experience. She likes that she does not have to go in person for the course, has the class off campus and that there was an option to choose a college course without it having to be an AP.

“I enjoy dual enrollment because of the ease of it. It is flexible and takes half the time to complete [than regular classes],” Patel said.

Students who have taken dual enrollment courses have been extremely pleased by the outcome, but counselors make sure to warn students about this option. Although dual enrollment assures students college credit if they pass the class, there are factors that students might not take into account. 

“Students in the community have heard these classes be described as ‘easy,’” school counselor Nick Maby said. “I tend to warn that if our 9th-10th graders have already discovered that dual enrollment is an easier option, they can be sure that college admissions are also aware of this. Be selective in the classes you take. Only sign up if you are confident you will earn an ‘A’ as anything else will negatively impact the college GPA.”

Aside from these warnings, DE has other limitations. At Seminole State College, the classes that students are able to take for dual enrollment are limited to required courses only, and students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, along with other restrictions. Seminole State College has started enforcing requirements to pass all subjects of the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test in order to Dual Enroll, meaning students who want to take an English course will need to pass the math section as well.

Even though dual enrollment classes continue to rise in popularity, AP courses have kept their high enrollment. Senior Mac Anderson has taken a total of seven APs throughout his high school career. Anderson decided to take AP classes to challenge himself and take the highest level possible. 

“I was planning on dual enrolling for english but I ended up missing the deadline,” Anderson said. “Still, I am actually glad that I ended up taking AP Lit instead of DE because of the great teacher and the super fun class.”

Over the years he has been able to figure out which classes are his strong suit and which are not. He took AP U.S. History and although he passed the class and exam, Anderson believed he could have done better in the class.

“I had to play it by ear, but over time I was able to understand which classes I could take AP for and I enjoyed it,” Anderson said.

For junior Ivy Victoria AP classes seemed to be the best option for her. She decided to take AP classes because of the simplicity and availability of the classes.

“Dual enrollment is a long process so you don’t know what you’ll be able to take until a few weeks before you have to start,” Victoria said. “You are only allowed to take something like six credits at a time which only covers two to three classes so it’s just not as convenient.”

Victoria wants to graduate early with the highest credit she can get, so AP classes were a no brainer. The resources she has available have made the transition for early college admission easier for her and helped her understand college-level work. 

“AP was the easiest option and there are a lot of resources and great AP teachers at Hagerty,” Victoria said. “I feel more comfortable in starting the college application process early because the [AP classes] really helped my GPA and showed me that I am ready for college level courses.”

Junior Alena Pezzoli has taken both AP and dual enrollment classes and plans to do so next year as well. Pezzoli says she asked herself which classes she wanted college credit for and those would be the ones she would choose to Dual Enroll in. Her APs would be classes she will retake in college.

“I decided I would only take AP classes for the practice with rigorous classwork and the GPA boost. I took classes that people recommended, my friends were taking, and classes that interested me and would be easy to study for,” Pezzoli said. “I normally don’t study much for AP exams because I’m not taking these classes for the credit, which makes the classes less stressful and pressuring.”

With plans to major in chemistry and pursue a healthcare career after college, Pezzoli took AP chemistry as her foundation before the actual deal in college. She plans to retake the basic chemistry course, even if she does well in the AP exam to strengthen her understanding.

“I recommend doing research and asking previous students on what they suggest,” Pezzoli said, “Not only are certain curriculums much easier to understand, but certain teachers, and their ways of teaching are important to know when choosing classes.”