Maximizing College Credits: Effective Strategies for Advanced High School Students
Are you an ambitious high school student eager to save time and money while pursuing your education? This guide provides detailed strategies for advancing your academic career by earning college credits through exams such as CLEP and AP, ultimately helping you maximize your overall college experience.
Getting Started: Picking the Right College and Major
The first step in optimizing your college education is to choose the right college and major. It's important to determine what college you are going to and your future major. From there, identify which courses are required and which you can skip by passing AP and CLEP exams.
It's crucial to understand that the scoring range for passing these exams varies between colleges, and not all institutions accept CLEP or AP in lieu of taking the course. For instance, I took two years of French CLEP exams and earned a minor, but I still had to complete 18 additional credit hours at the university, which didn't save me any money.
Understanding Core Curriculum Requirements
Most colleges have core curriculum requirements that all students must fulfill. These courses are foundational to your education and may include subjects like math, English, and social sciences. The best strategy is to find CLEP, DANTES, AP, or IB courses that meet these specific requirements.
Begin by finding the course catalog for a second-tier state school near your location and reviewing the core curriculum requirements. Once you have identified the relevant courses, research the tests that satisfy these requirements and determine how well you need to perform to earn credit.
Strategizing Your Test Taking
With a well-defined plan, you can strategically take and pass the tests that meet core curriculum requirements. Many of these exams can be passed with minimal effort, as they allow for credit even if you don't achieve top scores.
Remember, you can typically earn college credit for a limited number of tests, such as ten CLEP exams. Therefore, it's essential to carefully budget your time and focus on the tests that will yield the most significant benefits.
Advanced College Hacking: Expanding Your Credit Horizons
Once you have mastered the core curriculum requirements, it's time to tackle major requirements. This involves identifying relevant tests and courses for your chosen major, and potentially taking online courses through local community colleges.
In Step A, repeat the process for a number of schools to find the best options for your specific area. Art History, Chemistry, and Spanish are common subjects that often offer credit at multiple institutions. In Step B, consider online college and community college courses for your majors of interest. In Step C, dive into advanced courses by taking online, self-paced courses from reputable institutions like BYU Online.
The culmination of these strategies can result in up to 20 credits being transferred to a college or university, allowing you to focus on upper-division courses and potentially finishing your degree in less than four years.
Conclusion
Earning college credits while still in high school is a large endeavor that requires dedication, research, and strategic planning. It's a unique path that sets you apart as a self-motivated, goal-oriented individual. While the journey may be challenging, the rewards are well worth the effort. If you're still on board, continue to explore the possibilities and embark on this ambitious journey to maximize your college education.
Key Takeaways:
Choose the right college and major based on core curriculum requirements.
Identify and pass relevant CLEP, AP, or IB exams to earn college credit.
Strategically plan your course of action, taking into account the number of tests you can earn credit for.
Explore online courses and articulation agreements for major requirements.
Prepare for upper-division courses by taking advanced online courses.
Keywords: CLEP exams, AP exams, second tier state schools