Pre-College Credit?

Question

I've added UPenn to my college list, but I'm disappointed to report that in order for any pre-college credits to be considered, said credits must be earned through a program in which I'm seeded with other college students. I'm in a program that awards University of DE credits for UofD courses, but the classes are taught exclusively to high schoolers (that's how the program works.) Additionally, these courses substitute my high school courses in math and English, which is another disqualification by UPenn standards.

Is it possible to negotiate this kind of thing? Would the UD credits I earn (or non-credits, possibly) still help my application, or would I be better off taking the standard AP courses/exams? It's a really great program, but I would hate for it to cause problems when I start applying to colleges. Would a college-level program be regarded as highly as an AP course?

I'd appreciate any feedback, esp. from students who've been in similar situations. Thanks~

Answer 1

It doesn't sound to me like this will be a disadvantage for you, just that it won't be a specific advantage. What they are saying is that if your high school classes are taken through a university, they are still high school classes, not college classes. I'm not a huge fan of AP classes; I think that students often escape taking college classes when they really didn't get the equivalent in high school. My guess is that you will be okay, as long as you did well in the courses.

Answer 2

It sounds like theyre just trying to squeeze some money out of you.
Id stick with the AP classes. They tend to be easier then most college level courses (despite usually being ALOT more work). Pretty much all colleges will give AP credit if you get a 4 (or probably in your case) 5.