<p>i was wondering how big of a difference there is between honors classes and AP classes, as colleges see them. i've been hearing that APs are a lot more impressive, but since they aren't necessarily harder, is that always true, or does it depend on the high school? at my school it's basically just the label changing by junior or senior year, and the difficulty just increases because they're at higher grade levels- my one AP class right now (i'm a junior and it's basically the only one available) is fairly difficult but not as hard as 2 of my other classes, both honors. so i was wondering, does the label really make a difference, or will they see honors courses and AP courses as around the same level? i just don't totally get it...
thanks for your input! :)</p>
<p>Take as many AP classes as you can reasonably handle, while still being able to enjoy your senior year. APs are supposed to follow a college board-approved curriculum. A selective college will expect to see a few APs. You learn good habits to handle college level work. At best, you can earn enough credit to significantly reduce your total college and housing expenses. A semester of AP credit can be equal to up to a total of $25K of merit scholarships, in effect.</p>
<p>APs are definitely far more impressive. They almost always cover more difficult material and require more work than an honors course, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are “hard.” Still, AP is muchhh more highly regarded than honors courses by any university (verrry few exceptions)! Plus, AP should be weighted higher than honors (for your GPA), which provides proof that they are more valuable.</p>
<p>It definitely depends on the high school for how hard the course is. Most AP exams and course materials have a reputation for being easy/average/hard, but what’s more important is how difficult the class is, and that will come down to the teacher. I’ve had some AP teachers who make a hard AP course into an easy ride, and others who teach easy AP courses but are slave drivers. You’ll want to talk to older kids around school to get an idea of how hard specific AP teachers are.</p>
<p>thanks for your responses!
pancaked, if my school weights honors and AP courses as the same, will colleges see that and see that our honors courses are as hard as most AP classes?</p>
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<p>That’s odd, are you sure about that?
Anyways, I do not believe (I could be wrong) that colleges will know how each class is weighted. It definitely isn’t on your transcript, and I don’t see it in the report that the school sends to the colleges you apply to. Even if they were given an indication of the weights, AP would still be considered more rigorous and impressive. </p>
<p>Now, if you take an honors course because there is no AP option, there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But given the opportunity to take an AP, it’s in your best interest to take it.</p>
<p>ok, thanks- except for french (which i’m taking AE so that i have one “off” class), i’m taking every AP where i can in the subject (3: English, Euro, and BC Calc, the hardest APs in my school which is part of why i’m only taking 3, though it’s mostly because i can’t fit more in my schedule), the only honors class that i’m taking is International Relations, where there isn’t an AP option, so hopefully that will be ok. As far as the weighting, i’m sure that they’re the same, and it says so in my school’s profile which they say they send to schools, so hopefully colleges will see that my high school considers them the same.</p>
<p>While the actual difficulty difference varies from high school to high school, AP and IB classes are considered by most colleges to be significantly more rigorous (and thus more desirable) by most colleges.</p>
<p>You should definitely take as many APs as you can handle.</p>