How much less rigorous are online AP Classes than the real thing?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I am taking APUSH and AP Chem online this summer and during Freshman year instead of during them in-school Junior year </p>

<p>If online AP Classes are easier online and I do well (because my Freshman year will be rather easy, a lot of free time) , this will boost me WAY ahead for Valedictorian (I think I am the only one doing this kind of thing at my school, where they only offer two honors courses Freshman year)</p>

<p>So are online classes easier? I mean I have heard it is easy to cheat on the tests ( not that I would :p )</p>

<p>And should I risk another Honors English to be even more ahead, not to mention lessen the workload A TON during the Junior-Senior years</p>

2

<p>I imagine it’s probably easier to get through an online class without learning anything, so the level at which you challenge yourself is more of a choice. I don’t think they’re intrinsically less rigorous, but I tried online classes once and I didn’t like them because the online environment is even more impersonal and weird than regular school. </p>

3

<p>Mhm, I understand, was the workload easier?</p>

4

<p>They gave me pretty much the same assignments as I would have gotten in a regular class, but it didn’t seem like they graded them as carefully, so I didn’t have to try as hard. But in a way they were harder because I had to learn more things on my own and it was a lot easier to procrastinate, which is why I didn’t end up finishing them. </p>

5

<p>Is the course shorter?
Thanks so much btw!</p>

6

<p>It depends on the course. I think they usually last as long as a regular high school course without block scheduling (nine months), but you can sometimes take them over the summer, which involves doing the same amount of work in a third of the time. </p>

7

<p>@halcyonheather‌ That is what I am planning >:D</p>

8

<p>How can you take AP chem online? It’s a lab course. I don’t see the point of doing something like that unless your school doesn’t offer the class at all and it’s an area of particular interest for you with no other way to learn it.</p>

<p>You really should talk to anyone you can find who has taken those particular online classes and see what they thought. I don’t think most online classes are going to give you the same experience that you get in a regular class and considering the regular classes are available to you I don’t see the point of this.</p>

9

<p>Well the point is that my freshman year is very easy (no hard classes offered,) so I figured I should do the hard AP classes now so:

  1. I could easily get a good grade, hence boost my class rank
  2. Do not have to worry about them during Junior year, which is really hard
  3. Take fun classes Senior year</p>