The AP classes my daughter was taking in her jr year (2000), were tougher than some of my college classes from the late 80s. And that was at a fairly low rated public school. She put in a lot of time, to the point where I told her that her health was more important than getting an A in AP History. She didn't listen.I have a problem with schools pushing AP classes like they do. They are not college classes nor are they taught in the same manner. The parent can still inquire about the grade and conference with the teacher, they still meet every day and the work outside of class is still very much like a high school course is.
While I agree with you about community college being a short cut, many of the universities don't really teach the required liberal arts classes they way they teach the core classes. They become after thoughts and that can make them on level or even worse than the community college route. Again, not all universities are like this, but many are and it becomes a disservice to those kids taking those courses.
The AP classes my daughter was taking in her jr year (2000), were tougher than some of my college classes from the late 80s. And that was at a fairly low rated public school. She put in a lot of time, to the point where I told her that her health was more important than getting an A in AP History. She didn't listen.
That seems an anomaly to me. Just because that price point ($37k) is on the lower end for a private. And if it is maintaining need-blind admissions as you point out, then the only thing that can give is the expenditure-per-student. When I send my kids to college, I will be looking at expenditures per student as a big factor to determine the strength of the academics. Not the biggest factor, but one of them. The problem of course is that private budgets aren't available. For public schools, you need to look at a budget that is $20k+ per student (instruction/# of students).