"Two! Two! Two Credits in One!"
Would you rather spend your days earning only high school credits, or invest the same time bagging both high school and college points-maybe even finish college sooner?

"Really?" you ask. "I can double my credits and cut college time?"

Yup! Advanced Placement (AP) programs and partnerships between high schools and local colleges provide a virtual alphabet soup of dual-credit courses: Art, Biology, Calculus...and it's all right there at your own high school.

Nationally recognized AP courses cover virtually every field: the arts, math, languages, literature -- the same stuff you'd encounter in real college classrooms. College-level performance is expected. After all, you have the potential to earn regular year-end high school grades, and get college awards and/or credits based on your AP test scores.

College partnerships offer another dual-credit option. Johnson County Community College (JCCC) (Overland Park, KS) is one example of the growing number of schools offering a "College Now" program. Students who participate can earn dual credit for high school-based classes or classes taken on the JCCC campus. Unfortunately, while partnership courses are virtually identical to AP, partnership credits often receive only regional acceptance from schools in your own county or state.

"What's the Catch?
Well -- while you don't have to be the proverbial rocket scientist to enroll in dual-credit classes -- they are more challenging. Academic requirements vary from school to school. Some require a high GPA, as well as parental and counselor approval for admission; others have zero requirements. But practically all require students to take on an intense work load.

Dr. David Hurt, senior counselor at Blue Valley High School, Stilwell, KS, cautions, "Students should realistically assess their ability to handle more advanced material."

"Why Add More Brain Strain?"
Finishing high school and college sooner is one plus. Dual credits also mean a lighter course load during your freshman year. You'll shave tons off college expenses -- possibly as much as a full year's tuition. You'll improve study skills, learn to handle a real college workload, and gain loads of self confidence. And since AP courses are recognized by virtually every college nationwide -- provided that you score sufficiently on your AP exam(s) -- you won't have to worry about taking classes over.

AP students also attract bundles of scholarship bucks and the attention of top recruiters. Sharon Copeland, a Blue Valley senior, will graduate this year with about 20 college credits. "I chose the harder AP programs to save money on college and make it easier to explore different majors," she says.

While Sharon admits the classes are much more difficult, she says, "You feel so great when you're done -- like you're really 'ready' for college." This International Club secretary and member of the school Tennis Club says this to students considering dual credit: "Go for it! But make sure you're willing to work-really hard."

>> Visit http://www.collegeboard.com for more details about AP courses and exams.

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