<p>I have my reservations for posting this because I myself have conformed and joined the massive AP-bandwagon.
After taking the numerous exams I have so far, it really seems as if the AP test doesn't measure too much. It's waay too easy to cram and though I haven't gotten my scores back, it seems as if the test is...too shallow? The curve tells a lot, too. Getting a 60% on chem overall, yet managing a 5 (an equivalence of a full year of college chemistry). I wonder how college courses for these APs are taught because getting college credit for these APs seems too...easy?<br>
Also, the number of AP's taken at my school is blooming near-exponentially, and I hear it is the same nationwide. With each test at $80, collegeboard is certain to make so much revenue out of these APs.<br>
Not only that, too many people call me motivated and smart just because I'm taking a lot of APs (which I know isn't true) when all I've done is conforming. Anywa, APs, i feel, is going to be the next "big thing". Just wait about 5 years. I'm sure sophomores will have 5 AP classes in their schedules to remain competitive within their class.
Well, that's the end of my incoherent ranting. What do YOU think about the AP's?</p>
<p>ummm i dont think u will do well if u cram for AP tests lol.</p>
<p>hey. All i ever do is cram and I do fine (haha, watch when I get my scores back). last year, I crammed in Stat and Euro in 2 days each and came out with 5s on both. It IS a lot of cramming.</p>
<p>The only counter-argument is that taking these classes at colleges are MUCH more expensive. At least $100 per credit - that translates into much more money than you would spend on APs. Depending on what kind of credit you get from the college you're attending (elective at the upper tier schools) APs may or may not be worth it.</p>
<p>It is interesting to note that lots of East coast elite academies (think Exeter) don't do APs cuz the course work is so limited and b/c it doesn't help you learn the subject, but rather the test. Yeah, it does fuel the competition machine, and I think that's bad b/c them you don't learn for liking the subject, but you do it because you must in order to be competitive (i.e. I hate calc but had to take it). I think that totally turns people off of school/subjects/ and learning in general. :p</p>
<p>The cost isn't going to be a problem as more and more school districts will offer to pay the fee.</p>
<p>Well, I'm not so sure that APs are the "next big thing." In fact, I wonder if their time has come and gone. The reason I say this is that if you look at the websites of the top schools (ivies, in particular) I think you'll notice that they seem to be giving less credit and placement than they used to. Several exams have notes after them saying things like "starting with the class of 2009 we will no longer give credit for ..." This seems to be particularly true for the two english ap exams. Why take one or both of them only to find that several colleges no longer give you a single credit or an exemption from freshman English, even with a 5?</p>
<p>Just as ETS reformed the SAT after complaints from UCs, I think ETS will respond similarly to keep APs the 'next big thing.' Even so, most people don't go to Ivies, and A LOT of the state schools do give you credit.</p>
<p>I think it is a scam because it doesnt really help as much as the program asserts in terms of gaining college credit</p>
<p>You can cram for some APs but not others. Obviously, you can't cram for foreign languages. Cramming for calculus, physics, and chemistry would be extremely difficult if you didn't know anything beforehand. However, if you already know the basics, math and science are very "crammable". The easiest ones to cram for are probably the humanities (english, history, geography...). </p>
<p>Overall, though, I agree with danielsjang. While some APs are pretty good, many are not very comprehensive. For example, AP Physics C this year entirely left out HUGE portions of the curriculum. That upset me, because so many of the essential parts of E&M weren't even tested.</p>
<p>I took AP European History a couple years ago, and I barely learned anything in that class. We took it in one semester, and we spent most of the class discussing current events. I crammed for the test a few days before with a Princeton Review book and scored a 3, which is enough for college credit where I'm going. My school is phasing out AP classes in favor of the IB program.</p>
<p>i agree with the cramming thing, which i will prove next year (my senior year) by self-studying psychology in 2 weeks to pull a >4.</p>
<p>yes i DO FEEL I LEARNED A LOT from my AP CHEM class, but the test itself can be summed up into 1 prep book.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's the thing. Well, it's good for us that we can earn college credt, but in terms of educational value, APs seem to be sweeping and rigid.<br>
I assumed that more schools would not take credits, but for both engilsh ones? Whew. Well, I'm assuming that the CB will take measures and reform the AP system. Who knows, the scale might even change to 1~6. THAT would be insane.</p>
<p>you are totally and utterly wrong, this is speaking to the beginner of this thread. Son what you have to remember is that college isn't like super duper hard, lol it's exactly like this, people will get 60% and there will be a curve which makes it an A, its how college runs. Same deal with cramming, in college you have just like 4 tests the whole year, and those tests can be studied for in a week and your good, like theres mainly two sides to this. First, if many of you think the AP tests are easy (which yes they are), that's how college tests WILL BE, and yes you can cram for them and do well, you guys are overestimating college WAYY too much. Second off, if many of you complain about the whole i got a 60% but still got a 5, well, once again, that's how college is lol. The curves are incredible, and you will see it everywhere, it's the system.</p>
<p>well, I guess I'm happy that I'm wrong about the harshnss of college.<br>
Still, this AP craze is...out of proportion.<br>
Btw, you've just gotten me excited about college.</p>
<p>Are you kidding me? I got 32 hours of credit going into college because of APs. College is rough. You'll think that you're just barely going to pass and you'll get an A or a B. Those hours of credit that you get from APs are worth the breathing room that you'll get in college. It's definitely worth it. The exams are quite comparable to college final exams, so don't worry about that.</p>
<p>Well, if you get all 4s and 5s, it would help you get into a college, right?</p>
<p>it really bothers me how students cram (and by cram I mean, claim to be self-studying but then learn the material a week, two weeks max before the test) for AP tests and then pull off a five and get a full year's credit from a few days (hours) of studying. The purpose of the program was NOT to use a test to get college credit. It was to challenge certain smart, hardworking individuals with rigorous, college level courses. I would think the AP tests themselves were added first to standardize the rigor of the classes and only then to provide college credit. In my opinion (and this is completely my own opinion), self-studying or simply cramming for an AP test is a complete misuse of the system. </p>
<p>What I'm also scared about is that colleges may be using APs (scores and number taken) as criteria for admission. Maybe it's just taht I come from a rich preppy school, but people don't seem to care all that much about saving money once they're in. Is it just me or is it becoming a race to see who can get the most 5's in their high school career just to get admitted?</p>
<p>I would love to see a total restructuring of the AP program. I think it would be great if the College Board would create a whole curriculm planned out day-by-day for each AP class, so that it is extremely standardized. Essentially, everybody would be taking the same class no matter where they live in the world. College admissions officers would not have to judge if the A that one student recieved at school 1 was equal to the A that another student recieved at school 2. Also, bad test takers would not be penalized and I believe it would make the classes much more comprehensive because students wouldn't be able to slack off during the year and cram a day or two before.</p>
<p>that way, they can make the AP class online</p>
<p>Yeah, I think it would be really cool if they made the classes universally identical around the world like that because then people could work together online to solve problems if they get confused.</p>
<p>Because when the whole class doesn't understand something and you'd like the teacher to take an extra class day to explain it, you really want her response to be "can't do that or it will violate the AP curriculum guide and invalidate your grade."</p>