Student Opinion: AP vs. TCC Classes

After the four year adventure called high school, college starts for many students, and the cost for tuition is no small price. Two choices are provided to help gain credit for college while still in high school: Advanced Placement (AP) classes or Tarrant County College (TCC) Dual Credit. AP classes require the student to take an AP test in May and receive a score of 3 or higher to gain college credit, while TCC transfers credit as long as the student passes the class with a 70 or higher.

“For TCC, pretty much the only benefit is having Friday off and a short semester. The class is a little bit easier, but you don’t learn very much in there; it’s so easy to fake your way through it,” senior Jack Sparkman said. “AP actually requires some kind of knowledge and of course you have the test at the end of the year that actually shows if you know what you’re doing or not.”

While numerous students enjoy the rigor of AP classes, some students are occupied with sports, and looking for a scholarship through their activity.

“I prefer TCC. First off, I’m in golf and I have extracurricular activities, so it’s harder for me to be able to do good in AP classes because there’s a lot more work and there’s a lot more effort that you have to put in,” junior Maddi Fee said. “Yes, you probably get a little bit more benefit out of it, but I don’t have time to do six AP classes, keep up my grades, and keep up with golf and stuff.”

The overall consensus is TCC offers a more relaxed environment than the more tense AP curriculum.

“The [TCC] workload is a lot less and it almost seems easier than AP classes. You automatically get the credit as long as you pass the class without having passed the AP test,” junior Kenzie Rodgers said.

The challenge of AP classes does attract students craving an enriching learning experience.

“I prefer AP classes because they’re more college based while TCC is a blowoff,” senior Jayson Seaton said.

Students hoping to gain college credit during high school have to decide what works best for them- TCC, AP, or both.

“I prefer AP because from what I’ve heard TCC is a gamble- it’s too easy, or you’ll get a bad teacher, or maybe you’ll get a good teacher but you can fake your way through the class and I actually like challenging myself and learning,” junior Dannie Lohse said. “AP just seems more beneficial to me even if I don’t pass the test, at least I know I have some knowledge on what I’m doing.”

TCC classes are offered to juniors and seniors, while AP classes are available to all grades,but with stipulations.