<p>I'm a high school junior trying to work out my senior schedule, and I'm trying to decide between Peer Mentoring and AP Psychology.</p>
<p>AP Psych would definitely be a fun class and I'm pretty sure it would look pretty good to colleges. I was planning on taking it next year, but I recently started thinking about the Peer Mentoring program at our school. I would go to a lower level freshman class every day and basically be a teaching assistant, leading small groups, answering questions, helping students study, etc. I think it sounds amazing and I think I'd like to drop Psych to make room for it since I can just take it in college (I'll also be taking AP Euro and International Relations, so it's not like I'm dropping my only course in the social sciences to make room for this), but I'm a little concerned about dropping an AP class to make room for a course where I'm not sure how it'll be perceived. Without Psych I'll be taking 4 APs, so I'm not sure if there's a big difference between 4 and 5.</p>
<p>Which do you think would be a better choice? I think that mentoring would be a more meaningful experience but I'm not totally sure, and I'm wondering how colleges will see Peer Mentoring vs. another academic class.
Thanks so much for your feedback!! :)</p>
<p>Honestly Psych is a pretty lame AP. Interesting class, but very easy exam. At most schools, the material is so weak that it’s only a one semester course. Unless you have plans to major in Psychology, I feel like this “Peer Mentoring” course would be more beneficial both to you and to your application. I can’t imagine any university would rather see an easy AP like psych over a program like peer mentoring, particularly if you can find a way to explain what exactly that class involves. Four APs is already a decent amount of rigor; adding Psych really would make that look much more rigorous. This peer mentoring will make you look more well rounded, add a little leadership edge, etc.</p>
<p>Anyways, that’s my two cents. If the debate was Peer Mentoring vs. AP Calculus, it’d be a different story, but AP Psych? Psh.</p>
<p>thanks for your advice i hadn’t really thought about psych not really being an advantage since it’s an easy AP. i’m pretty sure i’m going to go with peer mentoring; it just seems like more of an opportunity right now.</p>
<p>but you said ‘adding psych really would make that look much more rigorous’. so do you think that it’s still worth it to drop it to make room for this? i’m applying to uber-selective schools (my reaches are swarthmore, brown, and georgetown) and i’m not sure what they would weight more…</p>
<p>In life (high school, college, and later), why not choose the thing you really want to do? Sure, if it’s a case of really wanting to lie around playing video games vs. working at a job, there are other considerations. But here you have two worthwhile pursuits, and you have an obvious preference for one over the other. Now is the time to find out about your interests, likes and dislikes. Try the peer mentoring. It won’t look bad to colleges, and it may help you discover skills and talents beyond the academic – stuff that might help you choose a career later.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, too, that when you follow your own interests and are yourself in your application, the college that chooses YOU is likely to be a good fit for you.</p>
<p>AP psych is a joke and a very easy A. I got a 99 in it just by reading the book. If your school weights both classes the same, go with peer mentoring, but if AP psych is the only weighted class, go with that.</p>
<p>^oh, that makes more sense- i was wondering why you were saying that when your main point was that i should take mentoring. thanks for explaining that’s a good point, so i’ll talk to my school counselor to make sure she agrees my schedule is rigorous enough but i’m pretty sure i’m going to go with mentoring.</p>
<p>I think the Peer Mentoring program would look better on your college resume, and it’d be a great thing for you to experience.
I never took it myself, but I hear the AP Psych exam is ridiculously easy; even if you started now, you could probably still make a 5 with self-study.
In my opinion, you should do the Peer Mentoring program, and self-study for the AP Psych exam. :)</p>
i hadn’t really thought about psych not really being an advantage since it’s an easy AP. i’m pretty sure i’m going to go with peer mentoring; it just seems like more of an opportunity right now.</p>