<p>Are AP classes that hard? I understand compared to regular classes, yes, but compared to say Honors?</p>
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<p>DS took 4 AP sr year (all that was offered after AP USH as a Jr) and really didn’t study much for them that I saw. Got all As except Bs in AP English but that’s SOP for him with English. Didn’t take Eng or Govt exam as no credit offered at College for those, but got 5’s on Stats and Calc BC (took AB in school). And I understand some of the AP classes (Psych?) are not so rigorous as the core ones. So are they really all that hard?</p>
<p>That isn’t my impression.
My daughters high school- taught Marine biology instead of AP bio and many are upset because the district is requiring schools to offer AP geography instead of AP Euro.
I would agree that while the core classes can be strong- other AP classes seem to be so schools can say they offer more AP & the College board can rack up more testing $$$ by giving more tests.</p>
<p>Appreciating the thoughts here but I have to say, when I looked at what my kids AP classes are gaining them in college credits (and saved college tuition)…that was a nice surprise. Should give them a comfortable buffer if they should need to take a lighter semester…or finish early? Well, I am being optimistic!</p>
<p>That is worth considering amandakayak, however as I have learned many schools dont allow you to use AP credits to place out of the division, only to place into a higher level class & some colleges only * rarely* allow you to do even that.</p>
<p>I feel that the best use of AP is to offer a challenging curriculum in high school, where appropriate.
But for a student who needs something other than honors curriculum, and is taking 7 or 8 APs in high school, are they really going to be well served by using those credits to get through college faster?
IMO those students will be better served by considering a university that is able to rise to the academic challenge that they have prepared for.</p>
<p>AP Art - CollegeBoard is notorious for low scores on the AP exam. How hard the class itself is probably depends on the teacher, but by the end of the year the students must have a certain number of works available to submit - for some print items they submit the actual piece, for others they submit photos. The “exam” is actually a review of the portfolio. (The original pieces are mailed back to the student). It is very common for students to get 2s and even 1s on the exam.</p>
<p>Thar sounds like a useful class if you are preparing to apply to art school.
My D1 was originally thinking of applying to art schools ( her prep school didn’t have any AP courses), and while she had taken an art class every semester since 9th grade ( and an * arts* class as well, sometimes you do get what you pay for), the classes didn’t quite prepare her to prepare a portfolio- so we still had a lot of footwork to do that.</p>
<p>She then chose to attend a lib arts school that permitted her to take arts classes even if she wasn’t a major and even ( which is very unusual) to use the studio, even if she wasn’t taking a class.</p>
<p>AP classes are not for everyone. It’s not uncommon for a student to do well in a class and then bomb the test. It’s an expensive gamble, and one that pays off for some students in course credit hours. For others, not so much. It often seems like a tool to get into college, as opposed to a way to waive through coursework for many of the kids I know. </p>
<p>The main issue I have with AP classes is when schools begin substituting their honors curriculum with AP classes. Not only does this add to the student’s workload, but also digs into their parent’s checkbook.</p>
<p>The College Board brings in a lot of money from the AP testing, and think of all those prep books that we buy at $20 or $30 a pop. </p>
<p>It’s wise for students thinking about applying to colleges to look at the AP Credit policy of the colleges they are thinking about applying to, and seeing if they will be granted credit for their work. The policies vary widely by university. What is passing at one, may not be at another. Many colleges won’t allow you to use AP credit for their intro courses - thus, you may take and pass AP Calc and still have to take Calc 1 your first semester on campus. </p>
<p>During my son’s spring semester of senior year after sending his acceptance in, he realized that none of his APs would count towards credit in his major. Made studying for and sitting for those exams less of an incentive, and yet got all A’s in those classes.</p>
<p>Excellent advice! And for students thinking about going on to medical school, keep in mind that med schools want you to take college biology even if you got a 5 on the AP test. That’s what happened to DS. So his AP Biology credit did him no good. What he SHOULD have taken was AP Chemistry, because at his school, the biomedical engineering department expects kids to place out of the first semester of chemistry and start right in on second semester! Sigh.</p>
<p>Now at my D2 school even though she liked regular chem & received an A in it, she didn’t care for the AP chem teacher so much, so she took physics instead.</p>
<p>I still think a lot of it depends on the teacher- whether or not it is an AP/IB designated ( or honors or <gasp> regular!)</gasp></p>
<p>My son is another. He is taking 5 APs, doing very well and has time for other things. He has a few ECs he is very involved with, he has a ton of friends with whom he goes to the movies, birthday parties, and so forth. He occasionally goes for a walk after school, spends plenty of time on Facebook, watches a little TV and he goes to bed at a reasonable hour. The problem is that many kids who should not be taking four or five AP courses feel pressured to do so. But just as no child should take more than he/she can reasonably do, no child should be deprived of the opportunity to learn and perform at his/her own pace.</p>
<p>I just got an email about a screening of this to be shown in our district. I watched the trailer online and I have great reservations about it. It looks like its going to go after the idea of having any standards in education.</p>
<p>I’ve heard this false dichotomy ever since my oldest child was enrolled in an elite private grade school. I thought it was just there, but later found it its everywhere. The false dichotomy is that traditionalists in education want children to become rote programmed automatons who know a lot of facts, formulas, and algorithyms, and that this will make them inferior when it comes to creativity and real world problem solving ability. The modern teachers, with relaxed standards (read none) will allow each child to find his own niche in the world. </p>
<p>I think I’ll go see the film. If anyone has already seen it, you can let me know if my conjecture is on point.</p>
<p>I will be interested in your reactions, dadx. I have not seen the film, either, but I do take the unpopular stand in my field that there should be national standards for education. One cannot guarantee outcomes, as many factors are involved, but at least one can have an objective and common yardstick.</p>
<p>I also agree with your opinion on the ‘false dichotomy.’</p>
<p>Are AP classes that hard? I understand compared to regular classes, yes, but compared to say Honors?****"</p>
<p>This is a harder question to answer than one may think as from what I’ve observed in my younger cousins’ schools, a few college admissions officer acquaintances, and heard from high school classmates who are now teachers at public and private schools, the quality and rigor of AP courses vary widely depending on school district, school, and teacher. </p>
<p>This variability is such that some courses which are supposedly “AP” at my cousins’ high school/private boarding school have the same or even lower levels of rigor than the lowest level regular courses offered at my urban public magnet high school. Moreover, there’s also the factor that even AP courses still tend to have more oversight from teachers, school administrators, and parents than actual college courses, especially at topflight colleges/universities. Students who thrived in this environment who did well in high school even at rigorous schools where they got As in multiple AP courses and scored 5s on the tests may still end up with mediocre to failing grades in college because without that very oversight, it is too easy for them to fall behind as the term progresses. </p>
<p>Conversely, I’ve encountered many college classmates and friends who attended Ivy/topflight undergrads who excelled even in STEM majors despite never having taken an AP/IB course in their lives. Only common factors are they either attended a rigorous high school where even their non-AP courses were highly rigorous and/or they were much more suited to the more “hands-off” college academic environment where they thrived on not having the degree of what they considered stifling “micromanaging” oversight from teachers and/or parents common in high school/boarding school environments.</p>