During your high school career, you’ve probably been told to take an Advanced Placement (AP) class. You might have heard that they help you stand out when applying to colleges; you might have even heard that you could reduce the cost of your college degree by taking fewer courses. But are AP classes truly delivering what they promise, and should you really take them?

What is an AP class and why do students take them?

AP classes are offered in partnership with the College Board (that’s the same organization that administers the SAT). The classes are academically rigorous, requiring additional coursework beyond a standard high school course. At the end of the school year, students take an exam and earn a score between 1 and 5, 5 being the best score a student can receive.

Students who earn a 3 or higher on the AP exam receive credit for a college course. Sometimes the course satisfies a degree requirement; sometimes it doesn’t.

In general, colleges like to see that you challenged yourself in high school, but they also like to see good grades. This means that you should take AP classes in subjects that come easily to you and take less challenging classes for subjects you struggle with. Cs and Ds in an AP class do not impress college admissions representatives.

What’s bad about getting a D in an AP class?

I used to work in the admissions office for the honors college at a state university. The honors college was competitive in terms of both the standardized test score and the GPA. Many students who applied had taken virtually all of their junior and senior-year courses at the AP level (or the IB level) but didn’t do well in them, and they ended up being rejected.

When these students called to find out what they could have done better, and were told that they had a low GPA, I inevitably heard “But you know AP classes are harder, right?” or sometimes “A C in an AP class is like an A in a regular class.”

While your teachers and counselors may tell you this, the truth is that college admissions counselors have a target GPA for their incoming freshman class. Instead of taking pity on you, they reject you and protect their target average.

What options do I have other than AP?

Remember that what AP classes show is that you challenged yourself academically, and there are multiple ways to show this to college admissions counselors.

• You could take dual enrollment courses offered by your local college. These are courses you take with current college students, taught by current college professors. It’s a great way to show that you have what it takes to do well in college.
• You can also take on leadership positions within your extracurriculars while earning high grades in your courses, even if they aren’t AP.
• You can take advantage of online courses and certifications to show that you’re serious about your career.

AP courses are an easy way to show colleges that you’re willing to take on challenges, since college will be challenging. However, you can demonstrate that you’re able to rise to the occasion through other means without taking an AP course.

Author Bio: Gianna Cifredo is an education and health writer for hire. She uses her experience in higher education and interest in health to create content that provides valuable and actionable information for people. When she’s not writing, she enjoys taking ballroom dance lessons with her husband and trying to teach herself French.