<p>Has anyone heard of these new courses? I'm very skeptical and I don't know if they are something that I would want to enroll in. <a href="https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-seminar">https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-seminar</a></p>
<p>I looked at those earlier. The problem with those is the skills in those look identical to those people typically gain through AP Lang and actually taking classes at colleges. Otherwise, I really like the research portion but I can’t see how there can be a class solely dedicated to that because there truly is nothing to study for, just skills to learn if you haven’t already. I’m thinking about conducting the project portion and then taking the exam but I’ll see how the practice questions look. </p>
<p>I was also really thinking about doing this, but then someone told me to take the AP seminar test in spring 2015 you have to be registered by January 2014… or 2 months ago. Can anyone verify or disprove that idea?</p>
<p>Being in an urban public school it sounds to us like an amazing opportunity to get the kind of practice and skills we imagine being taught at prep schools. Our district was just chosen and it will be first year. Does anyone know if the teachers are required to get special capstone training and use model curriculum?</p>
<p>How new is this course? I want to take the AP test for it, because it seems interesting but i have no idea what to do for it. </p>
<p>I believe you can’t take the test. My school recently introduced the capstone program. One, it’s not as helpful towards college admission as one might believe (it’s still way too new). From what I heard, even the IB diploma is starting to be acknowledged as something that is worthy of extra appraisal while that program had spent years to improve and develop (ahem, advertise). Two, I believe the Seminar and Research courses involve a class project grade: team projects, research presentations… these involve a classroom scenario for the grading. Don’t let that get you down though, it’s not a boost for those who do have the diploma, colleges understand almost all schools don’t have such a program if they even bother to care about it. Though to be fair, I will be taking a Seminar course, but I’m a rising senior so I wouldn’t receive the diploma even if I wanted it. I suggest that you take it if you have interest in the subject that is the focus of the seminar/research. For example we offer two subjects, one on political science and one on european history (for seminar courses, research comes next year)</p>
I took this course last year, and I would highly highly recommend it to anyone that still is interested in/can sign up!
Although it seems similar to AP Lang, I took the two course simultaneously, and they are a world apart.
As for what you “study,” it’s about practical application of research, collaboration, writing, and presentation. The course focuses primarily on evaluation of other’s arguments and comprising your own.
It’s not a particularly difficult class, especially for those already taking advanced english, but it definitely is remarkable in how it improves writing and argumentation skills. Plus, it’s fun- there’s so much peer work and collaboration that the class itself is suer enjoyable. And you get to choose the topics you research, so why not?