In that case, dual enrollment credits (preferably TAUGHT at the high school with that higher-level cohort of fellow classmates-- these may be labeled "honors" "AP" or something else entirely) seem preferable by far.
Many universities outside of the top tier, even, have policies that are increasingly hostile to AP credits. It can also change without warning-- so if you go that route, there's no assurance whatsoever that Miskatonic U (er-- or whatever college) will
still accept a 5 on the Miscellany Studies AP exam three years hence.
So I wouldn't necessarily assume that a 4 on an AP exam will result in that desirable outcome of not repeating coursework later, even if it is appropriate now (which is why DD took AP courses, to be sure).
CLEP is a much surer thing, but for those, a study guide will be recommended, since there isn't a "course" that serves as preparation for the exam. I'll also warn you that AP coursework comes in several functional varieties-- that which serves as a year of intensive
test prep (ick!), that which
teaches the subject well and at a brisk pace (YAY!!), and that which piles on ENORMOUS amount of work, none of it all that difficult, but enough to make the Tiger families feel smug about that extra GPA point, and justified in whipping their children through 18 hour days...(double ick).
We've seen examples of all three-- and in the same school, no less.
Dual enrollment AP coursework tends to be of the middle variety since students have to pass assessments which are aimed at the COLLEGE COURSE. My DD's exams for her dual enrollment courses are kept on file by the college which issued the credits, and those exams were, similarly, constructed by the college faculty, not by her high school teacher(s) of record. Ergo, I have a fair degree of confidence that those courses were "real" in terms of rigor and depth. The hybridization also meant that there was no
requirement for my DD to sit the AP exam that went with the class (that
is a requirement for some schools, who definitely pressure students to sit those exams-- but it varies in intensity), and that when applying to colleges, they saw "AP" on her transcripts, not "blah-blah course."
In some ways that was a perfect happy medium. I hope that something similar is available for you.
