What college credit options does MV offer?

by Gao Zhong Thao staff reporter

When registering for classes, many students may wonder whether AP, CIS or ARCC courses will benefit them the most. These courses provide potential college credit to high school students and can help students discover pathways of interest.

AP, or Advanced Placement, courses tend to be the most popular of these challenging course options. All grades can participate in AP classes, and because they are weighted on a five-point scale, taking AP courses can even help students boost their GPAs. However, college credit is not guaranteed. In order to qualify for potential college credit, AP students must pass an exam at the end of the year that tests students on material from throughout the entire school year. An AP test is scored from one to five, with a score of one or two meaning that a student would likely not receive any college credit, and a score of three or above meaning that a student would likely receive college credit at AP-accepting universities, although some only accept scores of four or five on AP exams.

Another option is CIS courses, or College in the Schools, which are University of Minnesota classes taught in high school. “This is a partnership with high schools in the area to take what they call concurrent enrollment. So we have CIS Writing, CIS Lit. sometimes is offered and then CIS Physics, and [these courses are] taught by our high school teachers here,” said Dean Sarah Hatalla. While most juniors and seniors can take CIS, the university recommends that only students in the top 20% of their grade take these courses. CIS classes are similar to ARCC classes in that students can earn college credit from the University of Minnesota if they pass the class, but the classes are more rigorous and demand more.

Each option takes dedication and responsibility. ARCC is challenging in its own way, but these courses often demand less time outside of school and are typically less time consuming for students.

Conversely, AP typically demands more from the student in and out of school. “AP Biology students are very dedicated to reading the material, learning about it, asking questions and finding different ways to learn about biology because they have to - it’s a more challenging, detailed study,” said Mark Johnson, AP Biology teacher.

transfer to any other Minnesota state colleges and universities,” said Hatalla.

Typically, CIS credits transfer to most institutions within Minnesota as well. “There’s a whole umbrella of Minnesota State Colleges, and so when you’re in that umbrella, it transfers really easily,” said Nancy Johnson.

ARCC, which means Anoka Ramsey Community College, can help students receive articulated college certificate credit. These classes are only available to sophomores, juniors with a 3.0 GPA and above and seniors with a GPA of 2.5 and higher. Even though you can earn college credit, not all colleges will accept ARCC.

Money can sometimes interfere with course selection, and AP is the most expensive out of the three. To take an AP exam, students have to pay $71 to $111 to take the test. “They’re expensive. So if you’re taking three AP classes, that’s $200 just to take a test,” said Nancy Johnson, ARCC biology teacher.

The credit that is mostly accepted by college can vary depending on where students want to attend college. “I think [credit acceptance] varies from college to college. Because ARCC is part of the Minnesota State colleges and universities, they are guaranteed to

Students looking to attend college out of state should consider taking AP courses, as AP tends to be a more universal metric of college credit. “But I think if somebody chooses to go to school in Maine, or New Mexico [or] somewhere far away from here, ‘AP anything’ means more consistently challenging courses to a school in another state,” said Mark Johnson. Essentially, ARCC and CIS are great options for students looking to attend in-state colleges, while AP is better for students looking to attend out-of-state- schools. Teachers and deans recommend taking any of these courses as long as the student enjoys the subject and is prepared to challenge themselves. Students will likely find that if they can commit to the challenging workload of these courses, they will be rewarded with stronger work ethic and may even save thousands of dollars on college tuition.