Hey Guys, I’m planning to take AP classes and not sure if I should do summer prep. If I should, then please inform me on the thread. I’m a sophomore and this my schedule. (Currently)
AP Psych- B
Chemistry I Honors- B
AP World History- A
Accel B-A
Latin I- A
Literature and Composition Honors- B
These are my classes next year:
IB Biology
Anatomy
Pre-Calculus
American Literature (Maybe AP)?
AP U.S. History
Latin II
Elective class is Manufacuting
I’m not sure if IB Biology is nearly identical as AP Biology. I understand that you get a diploma from that class, but I am not sure how much rigor is in that class versus AP. I always though both are difficult, just more group work, analysis, and teaches information relevant to what you will learn in college if you continue. My brother is taking AP Biology and says its a struggle for him to maintain a grade above an eighty-five. I’m guessing the massive amount of information you have to learn in the amount of time given. I am planning on going into Georgia State (Maybe UGA, doubt I’ll get in), because, well I’m not the brightest fellow. Later transfer to Oxford Emory or continue the ACE bachelors program. . I don’t know anyone who has taken IB Biology, so I would like to hear from people who have experienced the class. My school is top in academics and has lots of rigor in AP classes.
Elective class is Manufacuting.
Thanks for your help in advance
If it has been a while since you learned about Biology or U.S. History, you may want to do a basic review over the summer. Nothing too special, maybe find and read an article or two. If you have saved old notes, maybe skim over those.
There are two different IB Biology courses, HL (Higher Level) and SL(Standard Level.)
Typically IB Bio SL is less rigorous than AP Bio, while IB Bio HL is more rigorous than AP Bio.
So…
IB Bio SL < AP Bio < IB Bio HL
Thanks @Faultystart , I will do that over the summer. Does anyone recommend any book like Barrons, Princeton, etc.
@IAmNotCreativ , which one do you think is better for the college I want to go to? Like I said, I am not the smartest, so i was thinking SL, but lots of information in HL will be reviewed in university. I have a syllabus for next year, so should I plan on getting ahead, and maybe purchasing a textbook? Have you taken on of the classes @Faultystart @IAmNotCreativ ?
The books are for AP US History. I know AP Biology is Cliff Notes.
lol @APthreepointnine I’m in 8th grade so I haven’t taken any AP classes yet and I know next to nothing about college admissions
I just spend waaaaaay too much time on CC (I’m addicted)
…It’s actually a problem. Save yourself while you can.
LOL! Yeah, I just started, but have been spectating forums since my freshman year. Well good luck to when you get into high school mate @IAmNotCreativ
@APthreepointnine Unfortunately, I haven’t taken any AP classes yet (I’m a sophomore, like you), but next year I will. I’ve heard that AMSCO is great for AP US History, but I can’t tell you how it actually is.
Oh ok thanks @Faultystart . Yeah, I didn’t take any AP classes until this year, because 1. didn’t know our school has higher credit for AP courses, 2. follow what my brother has taken (which was a mistake)
lol
what did your brother do? @APthreepointnine
He did not know that AP and Honors classes count as a higher credit until his Sophmore year, and told me when he started his Junior year. Now he is trying to make up the grades by taking higher level AP classes, which may benefit him. @IAmNotCreativ
Yeah dawg just take like 2 APs your senior year or more and its a wrap. You be in good shape cuh.
@Te4mVygrin Can you suggest a couple or some that you took please? I’m planning on taking AP Computer Science, AP Human Geography and IB Biology SL Year Two. Also AP Environmental Science.
My D is a senior this year. She will have 16 APs when she graduates in June. Our school system doesn’t offer IB courses.
Sophomore Year: AP Psychology, AP Stats, and AP Computer Science
Junior Year: AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP European History, AP Earth and Environmental Science, AP US History, AP Language and Composition, and AP US Government and Politics
Senior Year: AP Literature and Composition, AP Art History, AP World History, AP Human Geography, AP Comparative Government, and AP Physics
Okay, Nerdymathmama’s daughter is either extremely smart or loves to challenge herself A LOT ( or both!). If you can handle that ( and kudos to those who can), go ahead and take it! if not, don’t. A lot of people take around 3 ap’s, it’s nothing to be worried about, and you’ll still get into a great college.
Also good luck! i’m also gonna be a Junior next year, so hopefully things turn out well for us.
I’ll only be taking three AP courses next year: AP Physics 1, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus BC (along with several other AP-equivalents). There’s nothing to be worried about, especially if you go to a challenging high school (which I’m assuming you’re in if it offers an IB program? mine doesn’t, but that’s because of the location and stuff). Actually, it will be difficult, but don’t worry. You’ll do fine.
@nerdymathmama doesn’t your school have required courses or an AP limit? How did your daughter take so many AP courses while still staying sane? I know I wouldn’t, but my school is also extremely challenging (at least 5 people into each top college a year (minus Cal or UCLA, for which we get 30-ish into each year); occasionally more) and I have three-hour ECs after school. How is it possible? How did she stay sane/get enough sleep?
LOL! I’m not so sure she has maintained full sanity through it! However, she still has a 4.0 uw gpa and 5.3 w gpa. She is also a three sport athlete and has many other EC activities. There is no AP limit for our school. We are on a semester block schedule, which allows her to take at least 8 classes each year.
Sleep is something that she definitely doesn’t get enough of!! I could not maintain the schedule she does.
@nerdymathmama I think a girl from my school who got into Stanford, Harvard, and MIT last year only took 9-ish APs through all of high school (APUSH, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1, AP Physics C, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Chinese) and she barely maintained sanity with competitive dance (only got 3-ish hours of sleep a night). Only 3 APs a year, though (+ honors courses–H. English 9-11, H. Bio, H. Chem, H. Algebra II/Trig and college math). She was also crazy smart–self studied for the AP Calc BC test freshman year whilst taking Alg II/Trig and got a 5 on the test; she wasn’t allowed to skip Calc BC, but she was allowed to skip Precalculus, which never happens at my school. Never. My school doesn’t accept anything for prerequisites except courses taken inside an actual high school during the actual school year.
How does one have above a 5.0 weighted GPA? I’ve never understood 6-point scales; my school doesn’t weight GPAs and the only weightage system I know of are the calculations for UC GPA.
Our system gives 6 points for AP, 5 points for Honors, and 4 points for standard. I think that’s why colleges mainly use individuals’ unweighted GPAs, because of the inconsistencies with the scales. My D doubled up every year on math, which allowed her to get in a lot of those courses! She never took an elective class for enjoyment like most kids do. We always let her decide what she wanted to take since she was so driven. She truly just loves learning…weird, I know!
@nerdymathmama wow, that’s truly exceptional. My “elective” junior and senior year will take more work than some of my academic courses xD Even if I had enough time in the day, I’d only change one course (mainly because I really want to keep that elective–Journalism, our award-winning school newspaper–and the other course I want to change doesn’t have an AP alternative): I’d take APUSH next year instead of regular US history. My friends also gawk at the fact that I like learning, actually. They think I’m really strange.