Advanced placement program lets students get jump on college education

Dario Gambrell has gotten a jumpstart on his college education while still attending Harold S. Vincent High School.

Thanks to taking Advanced Placement courses at Vincent, Gambrell has earned college credits while working toward his high school diploma.

“My favorite AP class is statistics because it’s very challenging to solve the problems and do the equations,” said Gambrell, a senior at Vincent.

Vincent is one of 20 Milwaukee Public Schools high schools offering Advanced Placement course work.  The program was created by the College Board, which offers college-level curriculum and exams to high school students. 

AP classes are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate college classes.  Participating colleges and universities grant credit to students who earned qualifying scores on AP exams. 

This has put Gambrell a step ahead of other high school seniors applying to colleges who have not taken any AP or equivalent courses.   He plans to apply to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which recently contacted him and encouraged him to consider continuing his education at the school.  

Gambrell said while AP courses are challenging, instructors at Vincent spend time with students to ensure they fully comprehend what they are learning.

“The teachers have gotten to know me and their approach gets me learning,” he said.

Find out more about the Advanced Placement program at MPS.