Colleges view on AP Stats?

I’ve encountered several posts in the past where people assure that AP Statistics is seen as a joke because it is “the easiest AP class”, especially compared to AP Calculus. Will taking AP Stats hurt my chances of getting in a good university? I know this isn’t as impressive as AP calculus( funny story i had both Ap stats and calculus but dropped out because i was stuck at a D) but only 2 girls (some other girl and i) are taking two math classes out of the whole senior class. Will this make up for having “such an easy class”. The other class is Calculus btw. What are your views on AP Statistics? Was this course difficult for you or too easy? Very intrigued.

It doesn’t look bad. Calculus would have looked better, but you tried that and it didn’t work out. (For what it’s worth, though, I did better on the AP Calculus BC exam than on the AP Statistics exam. Maybe it was a joke, but I didn’t get it.)

One doesn’t necessarily look better than the other depending on your major. Some majors require calculus, Some require stats. If you’re going into Engineering, Calc looks better. If you’re going into certain humanities majors, Stats looks better.

What you need to realize is what the rules are around getting credit or placement. If you’re in a physical science and take AP stats and get a 5, you’ll still likely have to take calc and may only get elective credit for stats. Same thing in reverse if you pass AP calc yet your major requires stats.

If your major doesn’t require either math, and you’re just looking to get credit for a course, then take whichever one you feel is best for you. Some people’s minds are more naturally inclined to one type of math than another.

Generally speaking I’d be surprised if too many others viewed AP Stats as a “joke”. There are certain APs that many do consider kind of “light” versions of AP courses - but stats is not one of them. There are many challenging, rewarding, and high-paying careers that require a mastery of statistics.

Personally, I have a degree in math but have always struggled with statistics. I enjoyed Differential Equations much more. That’s just how my mind works.

If you’re going into engineering it will look odd.

If you’re going into psychology it won’t.

Also depends on your version of a “good” university, as the definition seems to vary vastly amongst this board.

No AP classes are a joke. There is quite a lot of snobbery about certain APs. Take the classes you are interested in. Stats is a very useful class and will be required at some point for many different types of majors.

Agree with the above - unless you are going into a STEM field, AP Stat should be fine for most colleges. In any event it sounds like your decision has already been made.

If engineering, it’s very important to have calc because most applicants will. At schools like Georgia Tech, the majority of admitted students take it. If not, check the school and major requirements.

I applied with Finance as my major! Thank you for all your replies! Much appreciated

Business / finance typically needs both calculus and statistics. Some may require calculus based statistics and therefore not allow AP statistics to fulfill it.

I think AP Stats gets an undeservedly bad rap on CC. My D is an Econ major at a top LAC. She recently took Economic Statistics (a requirement for her major) and found herself very well prepared for the class because of her AP Stats class in high school. In fact, she emailed her high school teacher to tell him and thank him. AP Psychology is another one that I think gets disrespected a little too much. My D was able to use her 5 in AP Psych to satisfy prerequisites for classes in the social sciences like Behavioral Economics. When looking at AP classes, people on CC tend to focus almost exclusively on assumptions of what adcoms think of them. But AP classes should also be considered in the context of whether credit is available and separately on whether they either satisfy a prerequisite or better prepare you for a college class, even if credit is unavailable. AP Stats and AP Psych have been more worthwhile to my D in college than AP Lit or AP Lang/Comp. I should add that D had a 5 in AP Calc BC so the AP Stats was in addition to and not in place of AP Calc.

Personally, AP Stat was far harder than AP Calc. I am not sure why some people say AP Stat is a “joke,” but it is a really tough class. I’m sure most of those who say “AP Stat is a joke” are those who haven’t taken that course or are lying when they in truth performed poorly in the class.

Its not a JOKE if your college gives you credit for the class. Lots of students gain over a semester of credit from AP tests. You can lighten your load during the school year of graduate sooner. AP can be a great money saver!