Over the past decade, opportunities for high school students to take college-level coursework have expanded exponentially. From Advanced Placement (AP) courses to International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, to opportunities to earn a Cambridge (AICE) diploma to dual-enrollment classes, high school programs offering college-level course options are now the norm rather than the exception. Many students aspire to take these courses to get a head start on earning college credit, especially with the rapid increases in college tuition costs. And many students like the fact that taking these courses enhances their transcript–showing colleges that they are capable of doing rigorous coursework–while also adding additional weight to their GPA. 

These courses, however, can provide students with much more than a bump to their grade point average or an early start on college. They can help students to better understand all they are capable of and interested in as they make important decisions about their future plans. And they can nurture the development of skills and tools students will need to be successful in future college and career experiences. During course selection and CCR planning, counselors can work with students to understand the meaningful learning that these courses provide and talk with them about how these higher level courses can set them up for success in their first years in college. 

Providing Opportunities for In-Depth Learning 

Higher level coursework often allows students to delve much more deeply into a specific topic than a typical high school course. This allows students to add depth and breadth to topics of interest, adding layers of meaning to the foundational learning from previous coursework. This gives students exposure to potential new interests, helping students to identify topics they are passionate about or may want to explore with their future learning and career plans. 

Additionally, the content of these courses often requires students to think deeply about topics, make connections across subjects, and to debate and question the implications in more nuanced ways. The teachers of these courses are often skilled at setting up students for such experiences through assignments and other group projects. This type of collaboration works to further deepen learning and require students to develop critical thinking and analysis skills they will put to use in college. 

Building Relevant Knowledge and Skills for College

With parallels to the college classroom, advanced coursework often includes college-like learning dynamics and comparable workload demands. Students are expected to put in time in and out of the classroom–reading and studying to prepare for class each day. And there is often an increased expectation for scholarly academic writing as a way to explain thinking and learning. Learning how to navigate a syllabus, manage competing workloads, and work within a limited timeframe to read, study, and write are skills that can only be learned by doing. These types of course structures are more aligned to what students will be required to do in college. Through this practice, students learn how to manage their time, communicate with educators, and collaborate with peers–working to build important skills necessary for success in college, regardless of content area, while the stakes for success are lower than once students are enrolled in college classes. 

Bypassing College Prerequisites

Some colleges do not honor credit from college-level courses taken in high school. This can feel defeating to students who accrue many potential credits through college-level coursework. However, it is important for these students to realize that, even if this is the case, there is still tremendous value in taking these courses and passing associated tests. Many colleges–even those who do not accept these for earned credit–will allow students to use these courses to bypass introductory-level prerequisites. Successful completion of these courses shows colleges that students can handle higher-level coursework immediately, allowing them to enroll in more interesting, in-depth courses as early as freshman year. 

Advanced Coursework as a Catalyst for Decision-Making 

Very often, students either see themselves as a student who is a good fit for advanced coursework or not–and saturate their schedules junior and senior year with these college-level courses or do not take any. Counselors, however, can help students who may be a good fit for even a single college-level course consider taking one to challenge themselves with higher-level academic requirements and build content knowledge in an area of interest. During course selection, counselors can help students who they believe can handle the rigor but may be hesitant to take an advanced course identify an AP or Dual Enrollment course that aligns with a possible area of study. They can encourage students to use these experiences and opportunities to inform their future. Expanding the pool of students who might consider taking a higher-level course ensures that students have access to all of the possible information as they make important decisions about their future college and career plans. 

The goal for all students in high school is to learn about who they are and what they want to do, with postsecondary plans in place to support those goals. Higher level coursework can be incredibly impactful for this type of growth and reflection. Counselors can encourage students to take higher level courses–not just to boost their grades or appeal to college admissions–but to really learn more about themselves and their interests, making informed decisions about their future plans. 

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