When regarding higher-level high school classes, students are shown two options. Those options are AP and DC. While both of these classes are college-level, bringing college expectations and more challenges, DC classes are superior to their AP counterparts.
With DC classes, students have to sign up for the course an additional time through IU to be able to get the college credit, while in AP classes, students sign up on AP Classroom.
Some students may have chosen to take their first AP or DC class recently, such as last year, when AP precalc was offered for the first time. Some more common choices are between AP or DC U.S. history or English.
AP courses are typically seen as “more work for less gain” considering that the college credit isn’t guaranteed, while DC courses are “more work for more gain” since students earn the college credit simultaneously with their high school credit.
For AP classes, college credit is determined by one’s score on the AP exam. These exams are graded on a scale from one to five, with one being a fail and a five being a perfect score. In order to get college credit, a student must score at least a three.
According to College Board, the AP program results of the class of 2023 state that of these students, only 62.7% scored a three or higher on at least one AP exam.
The AP exams are long, to say the least. Students spend hours of their day in one room and stay there until they’re told they can leave, regardless of whether all the students are done or not. And some of these exams can last even after the school day has already ended.
In comparison, DC courses simply reward students with college credit if they pass the class. There is no long exam that pulls students out of their classes and no keeping kids after school hours because of an exam. Simply, if you pass, you get the credit.
While both courses are beneficial to one’s academics, AP courses just overall feel like an end-of-the-year gamble for one’s college credit while DC courses feel more straightforward with less hassle, making them the better choice between the two.