<p>As my sophmore daughter and I am making decisions regarding potential AP classes, I began to wonder strategically which classes would most likely be applied as a general requirement in MT BFA programs. I am aware that each school has its individual requirements, but is there a concensus about which AP classes would be the best to take? I would rather her not take classes that would not eventually fulfill the core education classes that are often required. When I have looked at several schools' course requirements it consistently appears that 1-2 English classes are required. What about math, science, or social studies? Anyone have any suggestions?</p>
<p>English definitely, nearly across the board at 99% of schools English Comp. courses are required. </p>
<p>It really depends on the types of schools she's looking at. But any of the History, Math, Science, Languages, etc. can be taken as substitution. If she doesn't know which schools she's considering auditioning/applying to, then perhaps for right now just take the English one for next year and see about taking the others in her senior year.</p>
<p>Also if she's good at music, it may be smart to take the Music Theory exam, if she gets a good enough grade on it she can probably place out of a freshman music theory course at many MT schools.</p>
<p>I started college with sophomore credit from my AP work so I can help here. :)</p>
<p>First off, know that most schools require a score of 4 or 5 for the APs to count although there are a few State U type programs that will accept a 3 for credit. There are also some that put a cap on the amount of AP credit they will accept.</p>
<p>English Language and Composition will satisfy the freshman English/writing requirement at many schools although some have a "Freshman Seminar" or some such that is impossible to escape. Many of those schools, however, will accept it as an elective.</p>
<p>U.S. History counts almost everywhere. Some schools even give a whole year's worth of credit for it.</p>
<p>European History also counts almost everywhere like U.S. and some schools will even count it as a social science for some reason.</p>
<p>Psychology will satisfy a social science requirement at most schools or will at least count as an elective. </p>
<p>Calculus (either AB or BC) will satify the math requirement for almost any BFA school that has one or will at least count as an elective.</p>
<p>Biology will satify the science requirement, if any, at almost any BFA school. Some schools even grant a whole year of credit for it. It will at least count as an elective.</p>
<p>Chemistry - see Biology above.</p>
<p>Languages will count for as much as a year of credit in "Humanities" or will at least count as electives. </p>
<p>For an MT major, I think Music Theory would be good to take although I have no idea how the schools would count it. It couldn't hurt to get ahead on that, though. </p>
<p>I'm not as sure about Economics, Statistics, Physics, World History or whatever other APs might exist since I didn't take them, but I imagine they would at least count as electives at most places. </p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Just remembered ... If you want to get school-specific, Collegeboard has links to the AP policies for many schools ... AP</a> Credit Policy Info - Advanced Placement Program - AP Policy Search</p>
<p>You can also find the information on most schools' Undergraduate Catalogues, Bulletins, etc. off their websites.</p>
<p>In addition to the specifics that fishbowlfreshman offers, another perspective from which to evaluate this is that of strategically selecting AP classes so as to maximize GPA while maintaining a manageable balance of time commitments and responsibilities. Keep in mind that in your daughter's Jr and Sr years, there will be an ever increasing time commitment to voice, dance, school/community shows, audition prep and the audition process. So, for example, if a student excels at Honors English but struggles very much to maintain a B+ in Honors Pre-Calc, taking AP English with regular calc and getting an A in that instead of AP calc and getting a B with a lot of struggle might make sense. Depending on your school, the former may result in a higher GPA while also affording a student with more time to focus on MT related preparation. And in the relative scheme of things, at most BFA programs, taking 3-4 AP courses out of 5 h.s. major classes instead of 4-5 isn't going to impact adversely on the academic side of the admissions process - in fact, if you end up with a higher overall GPA, it can work to your advantage both in that regard and in regard to permitting more time for audition prep. Each student, of course, has different abilities to handle AP classes. I think it important though to keep in mind that there is another aspect to evaluating what AP courses to take than just how to best get credit in college.</p>
<p>That being said, I do think it is important for a student to take the most academically challenging classes in h.s. that they can handle without hurting their GPA and still enabling them to meet the myriad of responsibilities and time commitments required by MT prep. Not only do schools look at the academics for purposes of scholarships but also the development of time management and organizational skills, the writing and analytical tools required by a rigorous academic h.s curriculum are critical to successfully meet the demands of a BFA program.</p>
<p>Wow. What a resource that is (the AP credit info.) Thank you! </p>
<p>I would like to add my two cents to the AP discussion: IMHO, take only what you are good at and enjoy at the AP level. Otherwise, you will squander your GPA and your time, exhaust yourself, and be unable to devote the time and energy to enjoying your Drama/ MT experiences. </p>
<p>Resume building only goes so far. Your talent, love of what you do, and your joy will take you the rest of the way.</p>
<p>Thank you for the insight, it is helpful. Right now she is signed up for AP English & AP Goverment & Politics . I didn't see that anyone mentioned Government/Politics in the listing, so I would be interested in what you thought about that. She has been advised to take AP Statistics next year for a math...do most schools consider that a math or is it better to take calculus? I agree about maintaining the GPA. If things go as planned she should graduate with 4 AP credits. She is very busy with music/dance training outside of school, but thus far has managed to keep it all a float with a good solid A average GPA. We are looking at decreasing a little of her dance commitments next year to also keep her from getting overloaded. It seems that the Jr. year in HS is really the toughest!</p>
<p>By now Jr's should have a fairly good idea of where they intend to apply. Hone in on what it will take to remain academically competitive at the schools on your list. Keep in mind that there is a significant spread on the emphasis put on academic record not only between audition based BFA and and non-audition BA programs, but also between BFA programs themselves. It's important to really understand the academic admissions standards and weight given to academics at each school for applicants to MT. </p>
<p>Don't count on your senior year being less time consuming and pressured than your Jr. If you are applying to audition based programs, the senior year will be more intense and time consuming than you may imagine. Applying and auditioning is exponentially more time consuming and requires a significantly greater degree of preparation than applications to non-audition programs.</p>
<p>Keep all of this in mind, as well as a student's interests, as you think through a line up of AP classes for the senior year.</p>
<p>I also have a D that will be a junior in HS in the fall. She has one AP class (European History) this year and three honors classes. Next year she will have 3 APs - US History, Chemistry and Englist Lit, 1 College class (Calculus) and she will be in honors choir and have computer graphics. My husband and I both thought this was a heavy load (with voice, dance and shows), but she is an excellant student who thrives on being busy and challenged.</p>
<p>I believe she plans on an additional 3 APs in her senior year if all goes well as a junior, although I will encourage her to maybe only take 2 as she will be applying to schools and preparing to audition. </p>
<p>She is planning to take the PSAT in October and then take SATs for the first time this Nov/Dec. She will then retake SATs (as needed) in the spring of next year along with possibly ACTs. She has decided that as a junior she wants to get the testing out of the way and hopefully do well enough she will not have to do any her senior year.</p>
<p>I think that AP classes are a great alternative for kids that like to be challenged and are highly motivated. But what we have learned this year with my D's AP Euro History class is that the reading load is extremely high and if your kids do not like a lot of reading and note taking it may not be the route to go. I know that I certainly would have never taken AP classes when I was in HS!</p>
<p>showmom - is choir mandatory? That would free up a lot of time for audition prep and auditions. 3 AP classes senior year can be tough with the audition schedule. My D - who did vocal performance auditons - dropped back to 2 senior year and stopped chorus to focus on solo work. The chorus was not a school-based one though. She never did school based choral work. Since AP work has less meaning for BFA or BM admissions, GPA should take precedence. The only benefit of AP classes is to hopefully score high enough to get credit for college courses. Of course, going for a BA changes that emphasis.</p>
<p>cartera45 - Choir is not required and junior year will actually be her first year participating in choir at school. Since it was an honors choir that was audition based she decided to give it a try. She has participated in choir before with her last vocal teacher and she has a great time in that. She may decide not to do choir in her senior year if she feels her time is too squeezed. She is taking AP classes now as she is bored in regular classes and as long as they are helping to increase her GPA she says she wants to stay in them. She also wants to do the APs thinking she will do a BA program in college and if she decides to do a BFA instead she knows that the APs won't hurt as long as her GPA remains high.</p>
<p>showmom - makes sense. I forgot for a minute that she was a junior so choir will be fun. It may be tough to do senior year because the choir directors sometimes are not so happy when you miss their practices for auditions and school visits. With BA in the picture, AP classes take on more meaning. The BM is not as competitive as the BFA so we didn't need to include BAs.</p>
<p>I agree that you first need to consider what effect taking APs will have on your GPA. I think most academically adept kids could get away with two APs junior year and two senior year without too much strain. Given that, my recommendation from the college credit perspective would be to get the most bang for your buck which, in my mind, entails taking 1) English Lang and Comp, 2) U.S. History, 3) either European History or Psychology, and 4) Biology (easier than Chemistry). </p>
<p>Another thing ... If you're like I was and your main interest is getting college credit done so you won't have to mess with it while you're actually in college or conservatory where the training demands will be much more intense and time consuming than anything you're likely experiencing now, you should look into whether or not your h/s has a dual enrollment deal with your local community college. You can get a lot of things done that way. Actually, I would recommend taking College Algebra that way instead of AP Calculus. It's a good way to get your social sciences done, too.</p>
<p>Fishbowl: You really seem to have a lot of experience with this. Her plan was to take 2 AP's her Jr. year (Eng./Government) & 2 her Sr. year (Eng & Stats). Any thoughts on taking AP Statistics vs. Calc. for a math in her senior year?</p>
<p>fishbowlfreshman - Thank you for your input on the AP classes. My D is taking a college level Calculus class for college credit through her HS that is actually taught by a college professor. She decided to take this instead of taking AP Calc this coming fall (her junior year). She then thought she would take AP Statistics as a senior as she enjoys math and has always done well in it.</p>
<p>4MTDTR,
I was fairly obsessed with how my APs would count both during my senior year and both times I transferred! LOL I believe only a few BFA programs have a math requirement. Two I know of are Ithaca and U. Miami. It looks like at Ithaca, either Calc or Stats would satisfy the requirement although she would actually get more credit for Calc. As always, though, you might want to call the school to make sure if you really want to strategize accurately. Here are links to the sections of the Ithaca Catalogue with the details ...
Advanced</a> Placement Policy - Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008 - Ithaca College
General</a> Education in Humanities and Sciences - Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008 - Ithaca College
Department</a> of Theatre Arts - Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008 - Ithaca College</p>
<p>Miami is murkier and doesn't even list Stats in their AP policies ...
AP</a> Credit Equivalencies | University of Miami
<a href="http://www6.miami.edu/umbulletin/pdf/CompleteBulletin0708.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www6.miami.edu/umbulletin/pdf/CompleteBulletin0708.pdf</a> (see p.17)</p>
<p>Of the two, I would recommend Calc although that may just be because it's familiar and I know what it can do. But ... I also know what it can do TO you. I took it in 10th grade. It ate up an awful lot of my time, ate my soul, and ended up being the only B I made in h/s. I got a 4 on the exam, but dang ... :( Maybe that's why I'd really recommend maybe looking into the College Algebra thing at your local Community College if possible! LOL</p>
<p>Showmom858,
No prob. I like helping with this kind of thing if I can. Sounds like your D is well on her way to not having to spend time on math when she gets to college. Or, if she really, really, really loves it and wants more, she will have the ability to explore it further with more advanced classes than she would otherwise be able to fit into a BFA schedule. Actually, being more of a History and Anthropology person, that's possibly why I'm so bullish on the History APs. When I spent second semester of my freshman year at my state university, I was able to get into two really interesting upper level history courses for which I wouldn't have met the prereqs if not for my AP work. I was also able to push my way into a fascinating upper level Cultural Anthropology class because of my sophomore standing and the intro course I had taken as an elective at my first BFA. Those classes were worlds better than the freshman level classes I took where I got the feeling the profs would have much rather been doing something else ... leaving me feeling the same ...</p>
<p>fishbowlfreshman - My D is an excellant math student, but it is not a passion of hers. Like you she is a lover of history. I believe that is one of the reasons that a good BA MT program would be a great fit for her as she could also do some higher level history courses. My D also loves computers and taught herself computer code and built her first website at 13! My husband and I are always amazed by how she can do so well in school and have so many outside interests that she also excels at. Besides her love of MT she is a competitive hunter/jumper horseback rider. Many years ago when I was in HS it was all I could do just to get my homework done and keep A's and B's and work part time at the local taco shop!</p>