<p>One of the things I'm not liking about Andover is how rigid the courses seem to be. I see kids at some schools taking 6-7 courses which are all APs/Honours in sophomore year yet I'm going into sophomore and out of my 5 courses none are honours/APs except 2</p>
<p>I'm taking as a soph - </p>
<p>Second Year German
English 200 - Its standard English for the entire grade so doubt its AP or Honors
Calculus Based AP C Physics
AP BC Calculus
Art/Music/Gym/History - Only real academic subject there for me is History and thats a standard course for the entire grade so once again doubt its Honors or AP</p>
<p>I haven't been in Andover yet as I'm going this fall so I have no idea what it really is like but is it more rigid and constraining for students who want to take a full courseload of APs and Honors?</p>
<p>Keep in mind Andover doesn't really have honors courses. In some subjects there is AP, but the non-AP classes learn the same material. If you want a full load of APs, it will cut into your electives and make finishing your requirements more difficult. Kids who take more APs usually take 6 classes their whole time at Andover. You might have to do that for a couple terms since most APs are year long courses. It will be much easier to fit in AP classes during upper and senior year when you know more about the requirements, courses, and the way the system works.</p>
<p>That said, you'll find that a lot of kids don't care that much about APs and the school doesn't place much of an emphasis on them. Many kids don't even take the tests after an AP class. They take classes that interest them, not ones that may or may not gain them college credit. There are many courses that are challenging and engaging that aren't designated AP. Some are designated as advanced so colleges know the difficulty. </p>
<p>I felt like Andover forced you to choose areas that you were interested in. I wanted to take more classes in different subjects since there are so many offered. Now that I'm through, I liked going into a lot of depth in one particular subject area. Yes, I miss not being able to take science my senior year, but not taking it opened up so many other fantastic classes. It's possible to take lots of APs, but they may crowd out the classes you really want to take.</p>
<p>One other note: Don't compare Andover students to others on CC too much. We have a different system and colleges know that.</p>
<p>don't worry about taking all AP/honors courses. Colleges know the rigor of courses at Andover and realize that basically ALL courses are taught at an honors level (even Art/Music).</p>
<p>What you want (if you are aiming for top schools) is to make sure that you are "taking the most rigorous courses" at your school. You can check with one of Andover's counselors, but I wouldn't be surprised if every student at Andover has that box checked.</p>
<p>You'd actually be surprised how many students don't have the "most rigorous" box checked. There are easy classes that everyone in the school knows about. A lot of kids take one or two as a sort of break in their schedule. Taking the "most rigorous" load can be overwhelming. Most kids know their limits, and if that is only "rigorous" then that's what they'll take. Take the classes you're genuinely interested in and the work won't seem nearly as bad.</p>
<p>sugarkim -- I hear over and over that in order to be successful in applying to top universities, the student needs to make sure that the "most rigorous" box is checked. Have you heard differently? Just curious.</p>
<p>Yes, the "most rigorous" box is important. It definitely helps when applying to the top 20-30, but I would not call it a necessity. Most kids do just fine with "rigorous," and there are certainly athletes and URMs who might not even have that. I've found that by the time for checking boxes comes around most kids are pretty set on what they want to take. They've found a passion, which is also important to many colleges. Some kids are very college obsessed and will make sure the "most rigorous" box is checked. Others want some breaks in their schedule and be able to enjoy their free time. Colleges know the difficulty of Andover. It's not worth a mental breakdown to have one box checked.</p>
<p>shore -- keep in mind that what I wrote about "all the courses being the honors level" is true for most kids that take the IB diploma track (I know that every class my son took is labeled "IB ...", even gym, art, tech, etc. And the curriculum guide says that all IB classes are at the honors level.</p>
<p>The same if true for many private schools where admission is competitive -- they may not offered a "lower level" of a class. While I can guess that an Honors English class at a small suburban high school in Kansas may not be taught on the same level as the basic, everyone has to take it, English class at Andover (I am guessing that Andover's is more in-depth) -- both classes can certainly be considered "most rigorous".</p>
<p>One more thought -- as far as being "hard", think of it in other terms: intriguing, interesting, more in-depth, more analyzing and less busy work, more challenging, etc. After all -- you decided to attend Andover because you were looking for that kind of academic challenge, right? And for many smart kids, a higher level class can almost seem easier than a lower level class filled with mindless busywork assignments and books to read that you read back in middle school.</p>
<p>You'll definitely notice the difference between your old school and Andover for the first couple weeks. After the first term or two, the difficulty of Andover is completely normal. I'm shocked when I hear kids graduate from high school, even taking honor classes, only writing one or two papers a term. It was normal for me to write at least one every other week. I didn't like it when I was writing them, but now I really appreciate having to go through it.</p>
<p>Shore,
Alot of schools (eg exeter and st paul) are doing away with APs completely - which is supported by the academics (not always the same as the admission committee) at major IVYs, etc.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks guys. I did want to go to Andover to be stimulated and challenged academically for sure. Its just I am a little worried I'll be out of depth and the way people go on about it...I'm just worried. </p>
<p>I did and do want to get challenged but the way people talk about it...</p>
<p>And Princess'Dad the reason I do want to do APs is for the achievement value for Ivies. It reflects badly on my character I understand but I do want to go to MIT and I've heard stories in Newsweek about schools where everyone does like 10 APs and one girl did 16!!!</p>
<p>Whatever happens, I'm sure Andover will be an amazing experience I'm just getting uncomfortable at the prospect of being for the first time labelled 'dumb'...</p>
<p>shore - AP Cal BC for sophomore year ? How you made it? Did you get math credit since middle school ?
You are already much ahead in many course, AP or Honor is just a name, it really doesn't mean that much.</p>
<p>Yeah thanks arling. I'm just good at Maths I guess. I try and compensate for being terrible at a long list of stuff like sport, music, art, drama etc. lol, i wish I was more well rounded! Hence I have to study German 1st year now during summer and am trying to procrastinate doing any arts/musics until my college applications are in!</p>
<p>shore, you were smart enough to get into Andover, so somebody believes you do well there. It will take some adjusting, but as long as you put the effort in and get help when you need it you'll do fine. Taking lots of AP tests doesn't always correlate to college admissions success. There are many advanced courses that do not have corresponding tests. </p>
<p>You might find that your strengths and weaknesses change when you get to Andover. Mine certainly did. Don't worry yourself so much, and enjoy your time before school starts. I wouldn't recommend self studying German. They'll probably put you in a beginning class anyways. You might like the option of the accelerated German course. You'll start in 100, but you'd be able to finish 400 by the time you graduate. Most kids aren't perfectly rounded, and I never felt I should be.</p>
<p>Yeah I guess its just cold feet. btw, sugerkim I'm going to get tutoring for German now because I have the time as I never thought about enrolling for summer courses/summer programs which was a big mistake and I might as well do something worthwhile. Yeah, I'll definitely look into Accelerated First Year German if I am not up to Second Year by the time I come...</p>
<p>Thanks and I guess its just me freaking out, did you sugerkim or anyone else feel this at some stage?</p>
<p>Shore,
As you will see in the link I posted, many of the top schools are going away from APs as they feel you can get a better education (which is the whole purpose) without them. The problem is people like you (no offense) and parents who believe that you need them to get into Ivys. If you look at the link and the schools they matriculate at, you will see that you do not need APs.
Colleges are having big debates now. The Academic departments want to eliminate all APs - while the admission people like them.
Bottom line, if you want APs, you should have gone to a school that offers them.</p>
<p>Alright, tutoring makes more sense. The classes are taught entirely in German, so it can be hard to self study without hearing and speaking it.<br>
Everyone feels some type of cold feet. I was worried about social life, others worry about academics. After a couple weeks at Andover, you'll start to learn the system, and most of your fears will have gone away. It's an entirely new experience and it's natural to have concerns about it.</p>