How To Choose Between Honors, AP, IB & Dual Enrollment

Even though it’s only February, many of our students are starting to think about August. Course registration is nearly here, and students are making decisions about the classes they would like to take next year.

We always get a lot of questions about course planning. I’ve written about whether or not to take AP courses and Lindsey has hosted a podcast episode with members of the admissions staff at UNC Chapel Hill tackling this subject. A lot of the questions we hear are subject-based (for example: “Do I have to take more than two years of foreign language?” No, you don’t have to, but you should strongly consider it.), but the majority of questions revolve around those courses that will add extra quality points to a student’s GPA and maybe even gain them some college credit.

“How do I choose between honors, AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment?”

Choosing between honors, AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment courses will vary from student to student and depends a lot on the student’s goals in taking advanced courses. To start, let’s break down each of these course types. Then, we’ll look at how they factor into college planning and admissions.

HONORS

What are honors courses?
Honors courses are more academically challenging courses offered by a student’s high school. There is no standardization for what designates “honors,” and it can vary from school to school. Honors courses can prepare students for higher-level courses (AP/IB) and college work in the future.

Do I get extra GPA points?*
Sometimes, depending on the school. Usually fewer extra quality points than AP or IB classes.

Do I get college credit?*
No.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)

What are AP courses?
AP is a national program overseen by The College Board (yes, the SAT people) to provide students access to college-level coursework while they are still in high school. It is a great way to prepare students for the academic demands of college. Research shows that students who perform well in AP courses tend to go onto perform well at the college level.

AP courses offerings will vary by high school, but they are generally available in the core academic subjects. Students can choose to take as many or as few AP courses as they wish. AP courses do come with AP exams at the end of the school year. A student’s score on their AP exam is what determines college credit.

Do I get extra GPA points?*
Yes.

Do I get college credit?*
If you score high enough on the AP exam, a college may award credit.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)

What are IB courses?
The IB program is an international program with a global focus that also provides students with college-level courses in their later years of high school. The IB program focuses on learning across subjects and “gives students distinct advantages by building their critical thinking skills, nurturing their curiosity and their ability to solve complex problems.”

Not all schools offer IB courses. For those that do, students may be able to choose between taking IB-level courses only in the subjects that they choose (similar to AP) or completing the rigorous IB Diploma which consists of 6 core IB subjects in addition to a Theory of Knowledge course, community service hours, and an extended essay. There is a difference to colleges between a few IB courses and competing the IB Diploma.

Like in the AP program, IB students take IB exams at the end of the year that may award college credit.

Note: I have a complicated history with the IB program. As an IB Diploma graduate, I can confidently say that IB prepares students exceptionally well for college. But the IB diploma program is intense, and diploma students have to keep up that level of intensity across all subjects - not just the ones they perform best in. I often joke that nothing - not college, not graduate school - has ever been harder than my senior year of high school. But do I worry about some students feeling burned out after completing their diploma? Yes. Do I still have nightmares about multiple years of IB Chemistry decades later? Maybe.

Do I get extra GPA points?*
Yes.

Do I get college credit?*
If you score high enough on the IB exam, a college may award credit.

DUAL ENROLLMENT

What are Dual Enrollment courses?
Dual Enrollment courses offer students both high school credit and college credit for taking a single course. Dual Enrollment courses are college courses taken through a local college or community college. A student’s college credit can then be transferred to other colleges when they graduate high school.

Dual Enrollment is a popular option for students who want to finish high school with college credit and perhaps shorten their time and lessen their expenses in college. It is also an option for students who have “maxed out” of certain subjects (for example, they have taken the highest level of math offered at their high school but want to continue taking math classes) or for students interested in taking classes not offered at their high school.

Do I get extra GPA points?*
It will depend on your school.

Do I get college credit?*
Based on your final grade in the dual enrollment course, a college may award credit.

*There will be exceptions to every rule. Always check your high school or college’s policy.*

Even knowing the difference between these courses, many students still wonder what types of courses are best for them to take. Every student is different, and the answer depends on a student’s goals.

For students looking to shave time off college

A student can earn college credit through AP/IB exams or through Dual Enrollment classes. While AP and IB can allow students to place out of certain introductory level classes, if finishing college in less than four years is a priority, Dual Enrollment is probably your best bet. Credit is awarded based on a student’s final grade rather than on an exam score. And through programs like Wake Tech’s Career & College Promise, students can earn quite a bit of college credit while they are in high school.

Be aware that not all credits will transfer to all colleges. Students should do their research to make sure that the credits for courses they want to take are accepted by the colleges they want to ultimately attend.

For students looking for a leg up in the admissions process

Colleges want to see students challenging themselves academically in high school, and each of these course designations indicates that a student is doing more than the minimum requirement.

Because students are reviewed in the context of their school, students who really want to push themselves should consider what their school has to offer. In a school with no AP or IB offerings, Honors or Dual Enrollment are going to be the most rigorous options. In a school that offers AP courses and the IB Diploma, taking a full IB course load is more demanding than taking a handful of AP courses.

That said, AP and IB are standardized while Honors and Dual Enrollment are not. That means that for AP and IB, there is a set curriculum that all students experience and an exam at the end that tests all students on the subject matter. Colleges can know exactly what a student with AP or IB experience should have learned. Honors and Dual Enrollment lack this “quality assurance.” For example, even though Dual Enrollment courses are college courses for college credit, some may be less challenging than an AP or IB course on the same subject.

This is definitely something to consider if a student takes a dual enrollment course in a subject when their high school offers an AP or IB course in that same subject.

A college admissions representative reading a student’s application has no way to know for sure whether a student took the Dual Enrollment course for some other reason, like because the high school course was not offered at a time that fits their schedule, or if they took the Dual Enrollment course because they heard it was the easier option.

Likewise, if a student has a transcript full of high As in all Honors courses at a school that offers AP or IB courses. A college admissions representative may wonder why that student hasn’t tried to push themselves more.

That college admissions representative may make some assumptions about both students, and it may not be an assumption in their favor.

For students with test anxiety

For AP and IB classes, college credit is dependent on exam scores, and these exams feel a little more like a subject-specific SAT/ACT than a chapter test. Those exam scores can also optionally be included on the college application.

If all of that sounds like way too much pressure or if test anxiety is something a student struggles with, AP or IB courses may not be the path for them. Honors or Dual Enrollment may be a better option.

But students with test anxiety shouldn’t feel limited by the test. Unless the high school factors exam scores into a student’s final grade, a student with test anxiety can still benefit from an AP or IB course. It isn’t required to report AP or IB exam scores on a college application, and if a student isn’t concerned with getting college credit, enjoy the course and take the pressure off the test.

For students with unique interests

Some students have unique interests and academic passions that fall outside of basic course offerings. These students should feel free to pursue any avenues available to them!

A student interested in taking American Sign Language as their foreign language may have to look at Dual Enrollment options. A student who fell in love with AP Macroeconomics may want to continue that interest through Dual Enrollment. An IB student interested in literature may take an Honors course on African American literature to go deeper on a subject that interests them. And a student taking mostly Honors courses may choose to push themselves to AP in the subjects they are genuinely passionate about.

There is no right answer or perfect combination of advanced-level courses. Students do not have to take a certain number of APs to be eligible for admission (although IB Diploma students and some Dual Enrollment programs do have to take a certain number of courses to finish their programs).

The important thing is that if students can balance a rigorous curriculum while maintaining grades they are proud of and quality of life outside of school, then they’re setting themselves up for success in college and later life.