I took AP language and comp junior year. I expect to earn a 3 or 4. At the colleges I’m interested in language and comp is…
College A- 3 counts for comp 1
- 5 counts for comp 1 and 2
College B- 3 counts for comp 1
4 and 5 counts for comp 1 and 2
As for literature and comp…
College A- 3 counts for comp 1
- 5 counts for comp 1 and comp 3
College B- 3 counts for comp 1
4 and 5 counts for comp 1 and 3
From what I’ve researched, it seems that literature and comp IS harder then language. So is it practical for me to dedicate a ton of time to literature and comp when I won’t receive College credit for it unless I happen to choose college B AND get at least a 4?
I plan to major in English. So I understand AP English classes can look good, but it’s not like I’m trying to get in to Harvard. Some people that major in English will go into college with no AP credits at all.
Not sure if this impacts anyone’s advice at all, but I’m taking AP government and a couple non-AP college courses senior year already.
Thanks!
(Also, I realize it might sound like I’m leaning towards not taking it, but that wasn’t my intention, haha).
Option 3. Maybe.
If your HS offers senior English electives, i.e. Modern Drama, Shakespeare, Irish Lit, etc., and your target colleges will not give credit for both Lang and Lit, then you have options. If your only option is English IV, then, since you want to major in English, AP Lit is probably a better choice.
I have mixed feelings on this based on my kid’s experience. He likes to read but is an admittedly terrible essay writer. But somehow managed to get an 8/7/7 on his SAT essay by some miracle. And miraculously got a 5 on English Lang. He was already taking 5 other APs and was debating on whether to just take the normal English 12 class. His ego and the chance to skip out of all the Reading/writing/comp classes in college got the best of him.
To him AP English Lit was by far the hardest AP he took out of the 10.5 that he did take. He had a good teacher (from what I can tell from the ratemyteachers website) but the class work analysis and interpretation part of things really ate into his time a lot and this class along with AP Physics C really took a toll on his mental well-being the entire year. Oh, as for the AP test, most likely he got a 4. Outside shot at a 5. Unfortunately he needs a 5 to skip the second semester college RWC class.
In college, at the bigger schools they give you a choice of different subjects for your Reading and Composition classes so even if he has to take the second class in college, the subject won’t be on pre-20th century American fiction or the like, but something more narrow and interesting like East Asian Humanities, Environmental Design, New Media, Endangered Languages, etc.
Having said all this, as a English major candidate you probably want to have the AP English Lit on your resume, as long as your schedule is well balanced.
At my school we have regular, Duel Enrollment. and AP lit for senior year. If you took ap lang you cannot take DE because they cover the same thing. If you don’t take AP lit, you would most likely be in a lower level English class than you had last year which wouldn’t make much since. Even honors english 4 would be below AP Lang. However, if you don’t want to take AP lit that is fine. You probably won’t learn much new in a lower class though.
This depends on your school. In ours, AP Lit is tought by one of the best teachers in the school. Its a hard class, but kids who love reading and thinking about literature love it. My D is definitely NOT going to major in English but took the class for the joy of it and loved it.
If you have the option to study with a great teacher and you want to major in English, I suggest you take it. If you have other more interesting English electives, I would consider them. But as someone stated above, if you want to major in English and you have no more interesting choice, I would take the AP lit.