Want to get a head start in college? Take AP courses in high school. By taking AP classes, students show colleges that they’ve challenged themselves, and high enough scores on AP exams may allow students to graduate early and/or take more courses that lead to a minor or even a second major.

Christon Horstman, now 20, took three AP courses in high school. The credits he earned from scoring well on the exams, combined with credits from community college classes he took, allowed him to graduate from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, in just three years. That saved him a whole year’s tuition.

“It was definitely a good thing for me,” says Horstman, who double majored in finance and accounting. “I didn’t have to take those classes [biology, chemistry, and history] my freshman year, and I could jump right into the classes related to my major.”

Every year some students take AP courses but then decide not to lay out the $82 to take the exam in the spring. “I’d say maybe a quarter of the people in my AP classes didn’t take the exam,” says Horstman. “I don’t know why—maybe the pressure?”

Although students may feel pressed to score a perfect 5 on the exams, many colleges offer some kind of credit for lower scores. The money spent on the exam can seem well worth it when your score allows you to opt out of a class costing several hundred dollars.

According to Mike Frantz, dean of enrollment at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, how an AP test score translates into college credit varies according to each academic department. For example, a score of 4-5 on AP Biology is granted eight credits at Wilkes, but a score of 3-5 on AP Psychology is granted three credits. Sometimes the credits earned through the AP exam are enough to meet the entire course requirements. At Wilkes, a score of 4-5 on the AP U.S. History exam can earn you enough credit to skip U.S. History 101 and 102 (six credits). Check out the AP section of www.collegeboard.com to find out the policies at different schools.

What if your high school doesn’t offer AP courses or prep? According to the College Board, each year hundreds of students get ready for the AP exams through their own independent study.

And here’s another alternative: Check with colleges you’re interested in to see if they offer their own methods for “testing out” of required courses. Wilkes University offers “challenge exams” for students who feel they have strong knowledge of a particular subject. If the student performs well enough, he or she may be granted credit.

“I say, more power to the students if they have acquired the knowledge through other coursework or independent study,” says Frantz. “By all means students should be given credit for that work and acquired knowledge.”

—Traci Mosser

Source: http://www.careersandcolleges.com