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As a parent, you want your student to thrive during high school and, in many cases, continue their success into college. If you are considering LuHi for your student, you are most likely interested in giving them opportunities to grow in their faith. Learn more about Christian Ed here. This resource will focus on college prep, AP and dual credit course options, and building a solid resume for college applications.

Thanks to college prep courses, the transition from high school to college is smoother than in past decades. In years past, students had little experience with the rigors of college-level coursework, leading to a decline in academic performance. Coupled with other stressors of the college transition, once-promising academic careers could be derailed. While high schools did all they could to prepare students for college, some gaps still affected students. Thankfully, the college prep options available today fill the gaps and, in many cases, mean fewer college courses post-high school. This results in a faster path to graduation and savings on tuition costs.

This guide explores college prep options available to LuHi students. It will also help you understand the best ways to leverage college prep courses to maximize your student's time in high school and put them on a track toward success in college and beyond.

While parents tend to focus solely on college prep courses, many other elements of college prep work prepare your child for success in college. We will also look at some non-academic areas critical to college prep. This guide will include the following:

Table of Contents

Part 1: College preparation courses: An Introduction

High school students back in the 1960s or 1970s would be amazed at the level of work completed by their secondary school contemporaries today! Academic institutions, parents, and students' expectations have evolved. Our nation is part of the global economy, and students are thinking about their place in it, starting at a young age!

Benefits of taking college prep courses

College prep for your son or daughter may seem like an easy decision. Let's look at the benefits:

  • Mitigate the cost of a four-year college degree. Tuition costs continue to rise across the country. The thought of financing a 4-year degree for your student may cause stress. Participating in college prep courses is usually less expensive than completing college coursework as a full-time, matriculated student.
  • Get accepted into better schools. Colleges and universities consider the difficulty of the curriculum completed by prospective students. If your student has a balanced curriculum of coursework that includes significant college prep work, this could lead to acceptance at more competitive schools.
  • Develop better study habits. With increased coursework difficulty, students in college prep courses must refine and develop their study habits to succeed. Students who have completed college prep courses typically have a much smoother transition to college because of better study habits.
  • Dig deeper into areas of interest. Students may wish to dig deeper into subject areas they find interesting. College prep courses dig deeper into subjects than the standard curriculum. Students gain proficiency while boosting their passion.
  • Improve class ranking. College prep and honors classes are graded on a 5.0 instead of a 4.0 scale. Weighted grading scales allow students to boost their GPA beyond the 4.0 grading scale, leading to higher class rank. A high class ranking looks good to any college admissions team.

The most common academic college prep

The first option for college prep courses launched back in the 1950s. We'll dive into AP and Dual Credit options in Part 2, but here's a brief overview:

Advanced Placement ("AP") Courses

Advanced Placement, or AP, courses were created in the 1950s to challenge exceptional students and prepare them for college. The College Board, the creators of the SAT exam, determined the format and grading for AP courses.

Dual Credit Courses

In dual credit courses, students are enrolled in college courses offered by universities. Here's another way to look at them:

  • AP courses prepare students to demonstrate college-level knowledge through the AP exams.
  • When your child completes dual-credit courses, students better understand what it's like in college and earning college credit. Dual credits are more widely accepted as transfer credits than AP test results.

What type(s) of college prep courses make sense for your child?

When considering AP and dual-credit coursework for your student, think about your student's other priorities. Enrolling them in every possible course can be tempting, but remember, your student is still in high school.

Many students thrive in college prep courses and can load up their schedules with dual-credit and AP courses. However, it may mean sacrificing extracurricular activities as a trade-off.

Colleges and universities prioritize academic performance but also emphasize a student's participation in sports, clubs, volunteer work, and more. Balancing college prep courses and extracurricular activities can boost college application strength.

How much do weighted college prep grades matter?

Your specific goals determine the value of college prep grades. To determine the best course of action, consider why you seek to add college prep courses to your student's course load.

Suppose your main priority is to prepare your child for college by exposing them to college-level coursework during later high school years. In that case, the difference between a B and an A (or a 3 or 4 on an AP exam) may not matter as much, as the difference will not impact whether your student receives college credit.

But, if you prioritize AP coursework as part of your child's college prep curriculum, grades matter. Here at LuHi, we are finding that fewer colleges and universities are accepting AP scores below a 4 or even a 5 to grant college equivalency. That means there may be no financial benefit if your student completes their AP coursework and scores a 3 or below (and sometimes a 4 or below).

Also, while some colleges or universities view a B in college prep coursework more positively than a higher grade in standard coursework, that may only be the case in some situations.

Navigating the correct college prep route for your student may seem intimidating. But at LuHi, we have a team of guidance counselors and teachers well-versed in academic options. Our guidance team specializes in helping each individual student find the right path. They've worked with hundreds of students over the years to create balanced, engaging, and challenging 4-year paths, including ample college prep work and extracurriculars to prepare them for college.

Part 2: College Preparation with college coursework: Diving into AP and Dual Credit Options

In the previous section, we touched upon the types of college preparation coursework available for students today. In this section, we will dig deeper. There are two primary types of college preparation courses with college coursework:

AP Courses

Advanced Placement, or AP, courses were created in the 1950s by the College Board to simulate college-level coursework for high schoolers.

In AP courses, students study the coursework taught by their high school teachers. Then, students take a special AP exam. While standard exams are graded on a scale of 0 to 100, AP scores range from 1 to 5. Students will find that some universities will accept certain grades on the AP scale of 1 to 5 as completion of relevant college-level coursework.

Said another way, students who score high enough on the AP exam can skip equivalent classes when they enter college. They will already have gotten credit for the course. Students who achieve the highest grades in AP courses may save on tuition by needing fewer credits to graduate. Depending on the number of AP courses completed and ensuring the exam scores are high enough, that could also mean graduating earlier.

Lutheran High offers the following Advanced Placement (AP) courses:

  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP Calculus BC
  • AP Literature
  • AP Language
  • AP US History

The impact of AP courses on college acceptance has largely gone unchallenged for many years. However, their relevance has recently evolved.

The evolution of AP courses for college preparation

While colleges and universities still consider students' willingness to take on more challenging coursework, such as that found in AP classes, the impact of that coursework has diminished.

In the past, most colleges and universities would accept a score of 3+ on AP exams. Today, however, if colleges accept AP coursework for college credits at all, it most often comes only when a student has received grades of 4+. We have found that some most prestigious schools won't even accept a perfect score of 5.

AP has also become commonplace for high schoolers, no longer acting as a distinguishing factor on college admissions applications. Nearly 40 percent of high school students take AP coursework. As a result, AP coursework is no longer an indicator of the "select few."

In some subjects, AP curriculum can't keep up with the rate of innovation and change. This is especially true for AP science courses. Because of that, at Lutheran High, we no longer offer AP science courses for that reason.

What is it like taking AP courses?

In many ways, taking AP courses is similar to taking honors courses. Students who take AP classes at LuHi attend classes on campus and with our teachers. The material covered in an AP course overlaps with non-AP classes. However, more challenging coursework is added to push students to develop a deeper understanding of the topics. AP students may have additional projects or tests, culminating, of course, in their AP examination.

Dual Credit Courses

As Lutheran High students continue to seek opportunities to get a jump on their college education. We aim to provide the most beneficial coursework and are proud to offer a wide range of dual credit options. These are currently the pinnacle of college preparation with college coursework.

AP's goal of students proving their knowledge by passing an exam contrasts sharply with dual credit courses. The aim of dual credit is for high school students to enroll in college courses at accredited universities.

Dual Credit vs. Concurrent Enrollment Options

Dual Credit: Students receive direct in-person instruction in the classroom from their current high school teachers. Discussions, assessments, and expectations align with the college curriculum but are made accessible by a teacher familiar with high schoolers' needs and learning styles. At LuHi, this is a significant benefit because of our rockstar teaching staff and highly relational environment. Students get the benefit of our culture plus a college-level course for credit. They are exposed to college-level academia and expectations and earn actual college credit in addition to their high school credit.

Concurrent Enrollment: The end result is the same for those taking concurrent enrollment classes. The difference is in the experience; while dual credit classes are taken in person and taught by LuHi teachers, concurrent enrollment courses are online and offered directly through the university.

With concurrent enrollment, course options abound. Any online Gen Ed course available online will be available to our students. Another benefit for students is the freedom of a self-paced class. Many LuHi students take a study hall during the school day to block out time to work on these classes. College professors teach online courses, and students will have college-aged peers in class.

LuHi partner universities

Specifically, LuHi partners with two universities to offer dual credit coursework:

  • Colorado Christian University (CCU): AP Literature, AP US History, and Music Theory. Students pay $200/class (less than $67/hour). CCU also offers an extensive array of online class options not taught in a LuHi classroom but where students can earn college credit just the same. Most students who go this route use their study hall time to work on online college courses.
  • Concordia University Nebraska (CUNE): Spanish 2-5, Mandarin 1-4, and AP Language. Students pay $256.24 for three credit hours (about $85/credit). They must have a 3.0 GPA to apply and pass with a C to earn college credit.

For concurrent enrollment, students have their choice of universities. LuHi partners with:

  • Grand Canyon University (GCU): Students may take general education classes, including Accounting, Psychology, Sociology, College Algebra, Economics, Criminal Justice, and more. Courses taken through GCU usually last 7 to 9 weeks, allowing students to take multiple classes per semester.
  • Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW): CUW online classes include Sociology, Psychology, Accounting, Marketing, Computer Science, and more. These dual credit classes are 15 weeks in duration.
  • Colorado Christian University (CCU): CCU also offers an extensive array of online class options not taught in a LuHi classroom but where students can earn college credit just the same.

A benefit of taking a class through one of our partner schools is tuition discounts. CCU classes are $67/credit, and CUW classes are $75/credit. GCU classes are four credits each at $52.50/credit. The tuition savings can really add up!

Flexible dual credit coursework beyond our partner schools

Students who elect to take dual credit courses from another accredited college or university are encouraged to do so. Students and their families can explore online course catalogs for other schools if the coursework offered at LuHi doesn't include your child's preferred course of study.

How AP and Dual Credit Coursework is Applied to College

With dual credit courses, the process is exceptionally straightforward. Completing coursework and receiving a passing grade means that the student has earned college credit with those schools. In addition, dual credit coursework at our partner universities is typically accepted as transfer credits at nearly 100% of accredited universities across the country, as long as students have achieved a final grade of at least 78%.

For AP courses, students demonstrate their knowledge of college coursework by taking the AP exam. Three is considered a passing grade, but there is no hard and fast rule for colleges accepting AP coursework for college credit.

Comparing AP and Dual Credit Courses

  • Dual credit courses require tuition payments. There is an additional fee for each dual credit course your child takes (at LuHi and any other school). This is because your child will actually be enrolled in college courses. Costs incurred vary from school to school (LuHi guidance counselors can provide more detailed information). There is a fee for AP exams (typically $100). The fee for AP courses generally is much smaller than the cost of dual credit courses.
  • Acceptance of credit will vary. It bears repeating that dual credit courses are accepted at nearly every college or university. Conversely, AP is no longer revered by many colleges today. If the primary goal for you and your child is receiving college credit (and potentially graduating from college early), dual credit courses are likely a better choice.
  • Dual credit courses typically offer more cutting-edge material. As with any large organization, change can come rather slowly. The College Board carefully reviews and considers changes to its curricula and testing, meaning updates can go slow. With dual credit courses, colleges frequently adjust coursework to address advancements and changes. The result is a much more dynamic, engaging learning experience.

The LuHi approach to college prep

Helping our students get accepted into their preferred colleges or universities - and later thriving in them - is one of our primary goals at Lutheran High.

We have dedicated a great deal of effort to building a rigorous curriculum and nurturing environment that challenges students, provides them with continuous support, and opens their eyes to the incredible opportunities available today.

Our formula works:

  • 2022 LuHi Grads were offered $11,034,448 in college scholarships over four years.
  • The 170 LuHi seniors graduating in 2022 averaged $64,900 in scholarship dollars per student.

To prepare our students for college, we nurture and support students through all four years of their high school education. But in addition to AP and dual credit coursework, LuHi prepares students for college in the following ways:

Junior-Year Assistance

During their junior year, LuHi faculty assists juniors as needed via email and one-on-one meetings that help them with:

  • Determining the right college fit
  • Scholarships (finding and applying to them)
  • Application requirements for their preferred schools
  • Time management and organization when applying for college

Advisor Meetings

LuHi seniors are assigned a one-on-one College Advisor. This Advisor acts as a personal guide to walk students through their transition from LuHi to college.

During their senior years, students meet with members of the guidance team and their Advisor three to four times during the first semester alone. More meetings will take place during the second semester to smooth the path toward college and keep everyone on track.

Students discuss college acceptance letters, financial aid packages, transcript needs, and other questions during these meetings.

Test Preparation

Despite Covid changing how some colleges view ACT and SAT, these scores still matter for school acceptance and scholarship money. According to an article from C2education, test scores are making a comeback in college applications. "While the magnitude of the impact of submitting scores varies, all of the schools below show the same overall trend: submitting test scores improves an applicant's odds of admission, in some cases offering more than double the acceptance rate."

To help students prepare for these critical tests, LuHi begins offering test preparation starting their freshman year. Freshmen and sophomores take practice SAT and ACTs. Practice tests will highlight areas of weakness so that students can overcome those weaknesses before taking the actual tests. We also partner with Magoosh to offer additional test prep.

Part 3: College prep through clubs, sports, and other activities

According to the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC), 70% of admissions officers say that a student's character attributes are either "considerably" or "moderately" important in the admissions process. One way students can show their character is by plugging into their local and high school community.

Your student will develop skills while participating in high school clubs, sports, and activities that will make their application stand out to college admissions representatives. Of course, academic performance is essential. But college admissions departments want to know how your child spends their time inside and outside the classroom. Over 90% of LuHi students participate in our extracurricular activities, so we see firsthand the incredible impact they can have on our young men and women as they prepare for college.

Participation in clubs, sports, and activities prepares your child for college through:

Working with different personalities

In extracurriculars at LuHi, students will work with students they may not otherwise encounter. Students of different ages, backgrounds, and academic levels come together to pursue common interests. Participation in these activities helps them develop important social skills.

Presenting challenges (and opportunities to overcome them)

Most obviously, participation in sports requires staring challenges or problems in the face and thinking on the fly. Problem-solving opportunities also exist in most clubs, performing arts, and volunteer roles. To the point above, good teamwork requires working with different personalities and individuals. This is an essential trait to develop in future leaders. This ability, and the ability to talk about it in college essays and interviews, can be a real differentiator when preparing for college.

Requiring dedication and focus

Learning new software for the yearbook, memorizing playbooks and formations for sports, or thinking through the schematics and technical details of building a robot for Robotics - clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities require students to learn new things, with focus and ongoing dedication as requirements for success and participation.

Sports at LuHi

Here at Lutheran High, we have 16 varsity-level sports teams. We are proud that our students find a place to grow as athletes and teammates. Lutheran High varsity sports include:

  • Baseball
  • Boys Basketball
  • Girls Basketball 
  • Boys and Girls Cross Country
  • Football
  • Boys Golf
  • Girls Golf
  • Lacrosse
  • Boys Soccer
  • Girls Soccer
  • Cheer
  • Girls Tennis
  • Track & Field
  • Volleyball
  • Wrestling

Every student can be a leader on a Lutheran High sports team, not just the star quarterback or goalie. The leadership skills developed by participating in athletics at LuHi are tremendously valuable, both for students who participate in college sports and those who apply those skills in other areas of leadership. The number fluctuates yearly, but we typically have about 25 athletes sign to continue playing their sport at the college level.

Clubs at LuHi

Your student's high school years are essential for emotional, spiritual, and physical growth. At LuHi, we carefully select our faculty and staff and develop processes to nurture these elements in our students to prepare them for college and professional life.

Whether it's Student Council planning and implementing spirit days during Homecoming week or Student Ambassadors welcoming and putting prospective students at ease, LuHi clubs prepare our students to become tomorrow's leaders.

The skills honed by participating in our clubs are highly desirable to college admissions departments. LuHi students eagerly discuss memories and lessons learned from their extracurricular experience during college interviews. More than 90% of our student body participates in an extracurricular. It's part of the all-in culture of LuHi!

The list of clubs at LuHi changes yearly as student interests fluctuate. Our administration is always open to new club proposals, so the sky is the limit. Some of our longest-standing clubs are:

  • Robotics
  • Student Council
  • National Honor Society
  • Student Ambassadors

Arts at LuHi

As with sports and clubs, students interested in art have a range of passions. We've been blessed with hard-working students interested in honing their crafts. The results have been astounding. Our artists have beautified Parker with murals around town.

Art Classes

  • Intro to Art
  • Drawing and Painting I & II
  • Ceramics and 3D Sculpture I, II, & III
  • Crafts & Printmaking
  • Photography I & II
  • Intro to Computer Graphics
  • Advanced Computer Graphics
  • Art Academy

Art Academy

Students passionate about art are encouraged to apply for Art Academy. It is a self-directed course where students can explore different mediums, build portfolios to show as they apply to college art programs and learn skills such as critiques. Students also get one on one mentorship and instruction. Art Academy is for junior and senior students.

Performing Arts at LuHi

Music and theatre programs have a rich history at LuHi and draw participation from about half our our student body. Choirs include Jubilate (our honors choir) and men's and women's choir options. We have multiple levels of theatre classes as well as a video production class. Our on-campus jazz club is called BluHi Jazz. Students who play an instrument can join the Wind Ensemble (strings welcome).

Concerts

  • LuHi Christmas celebrates Jesus' birth with music, scripture, and Advent meditations.
  • Jubilate Tour is an annual cross-country tour where Jubilate students travel to churches and schools to share the gift of music.
  • April Concert Series showcases each choir and band in a local venue for our community to enjoy.
  • The LuHi Arts Showcase is another opportunity for the community to hear each choir and band perform. This special end-of-the-year event also includes the work of theatre and fine art students.

Annual school musical

Over 80 students participate in the annual spring musical each year. Thespians gain valuable experience and opportunities to express themselves on stage. Our acting students work with seasoned directors and choreographers to create dynamic characters, dances, and vocals. The show is held at Parker's professional performance art space, the PACE Center.

Our tech crew works alongside the Pace Center staff and parent volunteers to enhance their knowledge of set construction, costume and makeup design, and all aspects of how a show comes together. Band students work alongside professional instrumentalists and parent volunteers in our live orchestra. The result is a thrilling production each year and a valuable experience for our students!

Fall and spring plays

Our fall production is student-directed one-acts. We've even had students write their own original plays! Directing and playwriting are two valuable skills theater students learn before college. The LuHi spring production allows our students to hone their skills and stretch their abilities with deep-seated dramas, complex comedies, ancient Greek tragedies, or classical Shakespeare.

Part 4: Mistakes to avoid when planning college prep for your child

Overloading

As a parent, you always want the best for your child. When it comes to college prep, it's healthy to keep perspective. Your child is still in high school and growing into a young adult. While it's always good to keep an eye on the future and help prepare your student for the next step, it's also imperative to all of us at LuHi that your child enjoys their time as a Lion. We want them to look back to their high school years fondly and appreciate the opportunities they received.

Careful attention should be paid to balance when crafting and revising a college prep plan. An overload of AP or dual-credit work can overwhelm students. Looking ahead to college is smart, but not at the expense of a rewarding, successful high school experience. We want our students to be challenged, reach high, and enjoy the path along the way. Then, once students enter college, enjoy that experience too!

Ultimately, balancing your student's high school curriculum will best prepare them for college. At LuHi, our guidance counselors understand what many universities look for in student transcripts. They can help students choose a path that provides necessary challenges while best preparing them for the future.

Feeling out of control

With significant decisions about college looming on top of the everyday stresses of high school, your child may feel overwhelmed. Adding the stress of college prep to the mix can contribute to additional stress for your child.

To alleviate stress and help your child enjoy high school while simultaneously planning for the future:

  1. Talk to your child regularly about their goals.
  2. Involve your child in decisions and carefully weigh their input.
  3. Encourage your child to ask questions and share feelings of frustration or stress resulting from college prep so that you can handle them together.

Conclusion

At LuHi, our mission is to nurture academic excellence and encourage growth in Christ. We've talked a lot about how college prep can nurture academic excellence. Find other resources on encouraging growth in Christ here. We desire every student to know who Jesus is and that they are a beloved child of God.

While college prep is integral to high school, it's important to remember your student should enjoy high school. At Lutheran High, we take great pride in providing our students with a nurturing, supportive environment. Our culture encourages growth and learning while providing fun, memorable experiences. College prep is an integral part of the LuHi experience, one that we weave organically into the daily lives of our students.

Together with our students and their families, we create custom paths to help students achieve their goals in high school, preparing for college and beyond.

To learn more about opportunities for your child at Lutheran High, contact us today to schedule a tour.

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