Not too long ago, I met with a student from Virginia who was applying to our Conservatory of Dance who had a lot of great questions for me. One of them that was important for all students applying to Purchase was about what kind of credit she can earn for the Advanced Placement (AP) courses that she took in high school. This launched us into a discussion about all sorts of ways for freshman students entering Purchase to earn college credit before they even get here.
Doing well in Advanced Placement courses can not only make an applicant more attractive, it’s also a great way to fulfill some graduation requirements before you even get here. This can then free up space in students’ schedules to take more elective courses they might be interested in later. Here at Purchase, if a newly accepted student has earned a score of 3 or better on most (but not all) AP course tests, then we can grant credit for the courses. So for instance, let’s say you’re an incoming freshman student who has taken AP Math-Calculus BC and you scored 3 on the test – as long as you have College Board send us your official AP test scores, we’ll grant you 6 college credits that for that course, and it will fulfill our Mathematics General Education requirements for graduation.
Other ways for freshman applicants to earn college credit is through the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. In the case of the IB program, students who take Higher Level IB courses and score 5 or better on the tests can earn up to 8 college credits for them at Purchase College and apply some or all of that credit toward graduation requirements. Just keep in mind that with AP and IB we can only grant you a maximum of 30 test credits. Other colleges you are considering might have different policies on this, so check with each school to which you’re applying.
Finally, there is simply taking college courses at a college near you while you’re in high school and having the college submit your official transcripts to us for transfer credit evaluation. You might find you have a couple of different options for taking college courses in your neck of the woods. Some universities, such as SUNY Albany and Syracuse, have programs in which they offer their college courses right in the local high schools. Or you might live near a local community college that allows high school students to take some courses at the campus. Just remember that with any pre-college coursework you are planning on taking it’s important to discuss the decision with your guidance counselor and parents to see if this is the best decision for you. A good rule of thumb is to check with the school you are thinking of applying to and see what their policies are. Remember, we’re not all the same.
Here’s a tip when it comes to the number of AP courses you take: more is not always better. In fact, sometimes, less is more. Some students go crazy trying to squeeze in every AP course for which they can register, and end up spreading themselves too thin. The result can be a transcript with seven or eight AP classes, but with poor performance in several of them. Needless to say, this doesn’t help your case for admission. Better to take two or three AP courses and do outstanding in them, then to take eight courses and do poorly in five of them. Part of being the best applicant you can be is displaying a mature grasp of not only your strengths, but at times, your limitations too.
