LASA students interested in saving time during college have several options available to them: they could take Austin Community College (ACC) dual credit classes or AP classes. ACC courses help students gain both high school and college credit, while taking AP courses offered by College Board gives students the opportunity to earn college credits by passing a standardized test.
Both ACC and College Board’s websites explain their benefits, with ACC stating that its dual-credit is an affordable and accessible way to prepare for various career paths and four-year universities. College Board states that its courses give students the chance to tackle college-level work while they’re still in high school and earn college credit and placement. Still, some LASA students struggle to choose which option is best for them.
Most LASA students first have the opportunity to take an ACC course at the end of their sophomore year when choosing between ACC U.S. History and AP U.S. History. One of LASA’s Social Studies teachers, Maricruz Aguayo, believes that there are many benefits to choosing the AP option.
“Community colleges tend to be really focused on local universities,” Aguayo said. “They try to fit their curriculum to what the nearest four-year school will accept, and many of our students don’t stay in Texas for school…that means that the community college credit might not transfer quite as easily, whereas the AP curriculum is national.”
Shaan Chatterjee-Kassam, a junior at LASA, has participated in both LASA’s AP courses and ACC dual credit program. He explains that AP classes have positives and can be enjoyable.
“Working in a group is nice…that [type of] collaborative learning isn’t at ACC, even if you’re doing an in-person class,” Chatterjee-Kasam said. “There’s not a lot of collaboration as there is with AP classes [at LASA]. We just have more of that kind of close-knit culture that you don’t really see at ACC.”
One of LASA’s Academic Counselors, Christina Torres, agrees AP courses can be advantageous. Torres explained the difference in ACC and AP classes on students’ transcripts.
“If you attend a college that accepts that [ACC] class, you have a grade and it’s already on your college transcript. So if you don’t do well on it, that is there on your college transcript,” Torres said. “If you don’t do well in an AP class…[you] still can start over to earn a different grade for the class in college.”
Torres admits AP courses come with downsides. She previously mentioned that she has seen students face stress management issues due to the intense workload and rigor in LASA’s AP curriculum.
“If you don’t feel like you’re strong at taking the AP exam, [ACC dual credit] is definitely a good alternative, though it’s still challenging,” Torres said. “I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that ACC is easier.”
ACC courses can be taken over the summer, allowing students to learn more about a subject they’re passionate about. Torres warned that ACC is not like Garza health–another over-the-summer course available to LASA students–and requires a serious time commitment. According to Chatterjee-Kassam, the time commitment and the class structure may be more beneficial in preparing students for college life.
“I think [ACC dual credit courses] have helped a lot. I think it’s a lot closer to what college will be like,” Chatterjee-Kassam said. “The professor was a lot harder to reach [than LASA teachers], which I feel like a lot of UT professors are [like]. It was more college/university level.”
When deciding which path to take, ultimately, Torres believes it depends on the student to decide what works best for them.
“I think students are generally good about figuring out what is best for themselves – if they’re honest with themselves,” Torres said.