With prospective members of the Class of 2018 on campus for Dimensions, we are more conscious than ever of what may deter admitted students from attending Dartmouth. The College’s new AP credit policy, which will no longer allow students to receive credit toward graduation for AP or IB scores, may discourage them. According to its website, although the College will grant course credit on entrance for AP or IB examinations and offer exemptions and placement in some subject areas, the credits will not count toward the 35 required to graduate. The faculty passed this motion in November 2012, even though many other Ivy League and highly selective liberal arts institutions still accept AP or IB pre-matriculation credits for graduation. Articles in outlets ranging from the Washington Post to the Chronicle of High Education questioned whether the College made a smart decision.
Harvard University, for instance, dispenses credit toward graduation through an “advanced standing,” which allows eligible students to graduate form Harvard after six or seven semesters of enrollment. Yale University, likewise, awards “acceleration credit” for certain AP and IB scores, allowing students to complete the bachelor’s degree in fewer than eight semesters. Princeton University students can use AP credits to take an off-term during sophomore year. Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University also award some credits for AP and IB scores. In fact, among the Ivies, only Brown University does not provide course credit for AP or IB scores. Brown, it should be noted, has an extremely flexible major and graduation policy. Given the policies at our peer institutions, Dartmouth’s decision is a clear outlier that will not fare well under scrutiny from future applicants.
According to Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael Mastanduno, up to 20 percent of Dartmouth students are eligible to take a term off due to their AP and IB credits. Short of taking multiple four-term courses, virtually all Dartmouth students will have to graduate in 12 terms. This is unfortunate because off-terms gained by using AP and IB credits can provide important experiences beyond what is taught in the Dartmouth curriculum. Students graduating early have more time to find a job or to think about what they want to do. And although Dartmouth is quick to tout the benefits of a liberal arts education, there are many things to learn in the outside world that classes alone cannot teach us. I know members of the Class of 2014 who are currently using their spring terms to conduct research, study for standardized tests and travel around the world. Considering the high cost of a college degree and the flexibility in academic planning afforded by credits, the College should not deny students the option of putting their work before matriculation to use.
The new policy is especially disadvantageous to middle and upper-middle class Dartmouth students whose families do not qualify for financial aid. They often must take out large loans or dip into their parents’ retirement savings to pay the cost of tuition. Considering that cost of attendance for members of the Class of 2018 is $65,133 and it takes 35 credits to graduate, a high school senior who paid around $180 for two eligible AP tests and skipped her senior spring could have saved around $20,000. One must wonder whether the faculty considered the full economic implications of the new AP-IB policy on the families of future College students.
The faculty should seriously reconsider the policy. Meanwhile, this could be the type of concrete crisis that could allow the newest iteration of the Student Assembly to shine, especially if it wants to move away from the viewpoint that the Assembly is unnecessary. Members of the Assembly could organize a respectful campaign calling for the revocation of the new policy by reaching out to prospective students and their parents — especially those who were accepted through early decision — via Facebook or other social media. While the new policy will not affect currently enrolled students, reversing it will demonstrate Student Assembly’s utility and allow future students, who have demonstrated foresight in choosing to invest in their education in high school, the option of pursuing their ambitions earlier.