Value of AP Classes/Tests

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I know that college admissions offices praise the taking of AP Classes.</p>

<p>I understand that many parents and children like the idea of getting credit at college for AP classes and thereby shortening the 4 years to 3 or 3 1/2 years and thereby save tuition and other expenses.</p>

<p>My D is taking three AP classes in her Senior year, has taken none previously.</p>

<p>She has been accepted at 6 schools and is awaiting hearing from 6 others in the next week or so.</p>

<p>The benefits of the AP class IMO is the class itself. It does require D to apply herself to college level intensity and pace. </p>

<p>However, the AP test itself has no value whatsoever to D or her plans at college. Why, because:</p>

<p>1: the test results will not be available until July and therefore have no impact on her graduation of transcript.</p>

<p>2: She has no desire to skip ahead at college by getting credit for a freshman level class and go straight to a Sophomore class. </p>

<p>She has two reasons for this: </p>

<p>A. she would rather take the Freshman level class and get an A or (worst case) a B - as this would help her maintain the GPA required for D’s scholarship/merit aid.</p>

<p>B. She wants to understand at the Freshman level what the Professors in her major/minor subjects are seeking etc.</p>

<p>Meanwhile D is getting these benefits:</p>

<li> Getting the vigorous teaching to help prepare her for college.</li>
</ol>

<p>2… Getting approvals of the Admissions Office for taking three AP classes.</p>

<li><p>Not having to take the three AP tests in the first week of May.</p></li>
<li><p>Her Teachers (in the past) have not given rigorous tests for the school grade, relying on the AP Test only and not wanting to have the students take two huge exams in the same subject.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>So D is getting all the benefits and none of the pain of these AP classes. Are any others taking the same path?</p>

2

<p>At my kids' HS, kids who enroll in AP courses HAVE to take the AP exam. They do very well on it & most get 4s & 5s. Kids have the option when they go to college of deciding whether they want to just take the credit or retake the course--depending on the student & subject, different choices are made. Some use the AP to fulfill general course requirements while others use it to skip ahead in their major. A friend's son used it to shave off a year & get his bachelor's degee in engineering in 3 years & the master's in the 4th year.
Son hasn't found the AP exams all that onerous because he's in it with his friends, has excellent teachers & small classes (largest has 20 kids & smallest has 4). At least one of the schools he applied to wants to know the AP results rushed as soon as they're available, so they can help schedule which courses he should take in the fall. He took 4 APs as a junior & will likely accept any credits for those courses--english comp, physics, US history & computers, but we'll work with whatever school he attends to figure out what will work best for him.</p>

3

<p>One advantage you have overlooked is that with AP test credit a college student can simply avoid taking one or two classes they do want to take at the college level, and substitute others that intrigue them more. It is not necessary to plan to shorten the 4 years, to want to get additional control of the college schedule. some kids want to avoid the gigantic freshman introductory classes and take smaller, more targeted classes instead.</p>

<p>Another benefit comes if the student wants to pursue a minor in college which requires more courses than can be conveniently completed in 4 years...again the credits from the AP tests can be helpful.</p>

<p>Another benefit comes from taking AP tests in 10th and 11th grade, and getting good scores, which can significantly help an applicant at some schools in terms of admission (not relevant to your D, apparently, but to some).</p>

<p>Another benefit of having some credits in your back pocket when you go to college is the potential to take a couple of graduate classes (hopefully a couple of carefully selected grad classes) during senior year of college. If the student can get A's this will help their grad school applications. But they might need some AP credits to have the space in the schedule to take the grad classes.</p>

4

<p>Our school system also requires that the exams be taken. If a student does not take them they lose one letter grade for that class for the year!
In my S's case, he is doing the ROTC program which requires 3 extra semester class hours every semester. If not for his AP credits this would put him taking 20 hours or more per semester. You never know what situation might arise during the college years when it would be helpful to have some "wiggle room".</p>

<p>Also due to is AP credits, he had sophomore standing after the 1st semester which gives you higher priority in registration and the pursuit of the coveted on-campus parking sticker!</p>

5

<p>There was an article yesterday in USA Today about AP courses & tests. It was very interesting.</p>

6

<p>To OP:</p>

<p>Is your daughter not planning to take the AP tests because she has already been accepted?</p>

<p>Also, since she has only taken 3 AP classes, even if she took the tests and got credit for them, she wouldn't be skipping her entire freshman year -- maybe just one semester and that would only be "on paper"; she would still be a freshman. </p>

<p>I agree with what the others have responded with. Taking the tests and getting the credits gives a student many options.</p>

7

<p>One AP benefit we found was to omit "elective" classes that satisfy a required distribution, as opposed to skipping ahead in classes required for the major. Just frees up a little more time.</p>

8

<p>Some colleges don't accept AP credits, while others accept them only for some courses. No doubt, some seniors decide not to take AP exams if their chosen college won't accept the credits.</p>

9

<p>At our school, kids are supposed to decide in March which AP exams they're taking. S & many friends still haven't even heard back from many of the schools they've applied to, so S hasn't decided where he'll be attending in the fall, much less whether the particular school will accept any of the 5-9 AP exam scores he'll be getting this spring, plus the 4 he got as a junior.</p>

10

<p>Son's ED college will only provide credit (class or distribution) for one AP, that is the only test he is taking even tho he is particularly strong in one of the other subjects and would likely do well; we have to pay $90/test.</p>

<p>OTOH, GC recommends that kids consider taking all tests, just in case they end up transferring later (shudder the thought, but it does happen). (Many publics give credit for a 3 or better.)</p>

<p>Final comment: definitely consider taking the foreign language AP's since they will typically fulfill any language requirement at college. It then enables a student to go further in that language and become fluent, or take another language of interest, particularly something not offered in HS (greek, russsian, arabic?).</p>

11

<p>It seems like pretty good "insurance" to have student take the AP exam if he's been taking the course all year & knows the subject well (& the family can afford the test fees, of course). $90 for possible 3 college credits at possible transfer school is a better deal than you'll find even at many community colleges (the course my son took at local private college was $650 for a 6 week summer school course where he didn't learn a fraction of what he learns in the AP courses). Actually, transferring isn't all that uncommon & might as well have the kid take the test while the material is fresh & with his friends/peers.</p>

12

<p>agreed, HImom -- S told the teacher he'd take the test (and boost the teacher's scores) if the school paid for it. LOL</p>

<p>But, the AP class in question is Government (civics is a Calif HS grad requirement), which many private colleges don't offer nor recognize. Since son will be a humanities major, he'll have plenty of other history/poli sci classes.</p>

13

<p>Funny, that's one of the courses with environmental science my son wants to self study for & take the test in because he feels they would be an easy 5. Maybe I'll mention to him that most schools will not recognize it & he may change his mind. S will probably be majoring in engineering, so it may help him with a distribution requirement, will try to have him ask HS GC & registrar & grade level counselor.
Wow, I thought our school was charging a lot @ $82/exam, but your school wins @ $90 apiece!</p>

14

<p>check the websites (under AP credit) for the colleges to which your S applied. Gov does count for a University distribution requirement at the UC's for example, but, then they give credit for every AP course with a 3 or better.</p>

15

<p>We told son we'd support him with whatever tests he chooses to take & he's not sure where he'll end up. One of the schools who want him no longer posts their AP credit policy & say they evaluate cases individually (Santa Clara). Will let son take the exams he wants & we'll see what happens.
Have warned him not to over-extend, as he already will be taking exams for the 5 AP courses he's taking as well, but he just laughs.</p>

16

<p>Have heard of kids learning right about now during their senior year of college that due to some bureaucratic mess-up, they are a few credits shy of graduating-- some distribution requirement which was missed, a class which they thought counted in one area but turns out not to count, etc. Neighbors kid retrieved his AP score report from his very Type A mom who never throws anything away....college advisor agreed that the AP class would "count" even though kid never tried to get advanced standing or placement for the class, crises averted. Kid did have to pay for an official score report to be sent to the Registrar, but that pales in comparison to having to take a summer school class to graduate!</p>

<p>My thought to the OP- if you can afford the test fee, take the test. You never know....</p>

17

<p>I would also recommend that your daughter take the AP exams because of the options it will provider her in developing her collegiate academic program.</p>

<p>One of the real joys of college is the once in a lifetime opportunity to explore in depth areas of learning which in diverse areas. During my undergrad days as an engineering student I took courses in urban planning, Serbo-Croatian lit, cybernetics, metallurgy, medieval music among a number of others. AP credit could free up your daughter's schedule to do similar things.</p>

18

<p>Some good comments and naturally each individual situation merits consideration. Will respond to some of these comments.</p>

<p>Naturally had D taken AP classes in Soph/Junior years - then she would have taken the test, however she is intending to study Creative Writing and Japanese Language in college, and the Ap classes in Soph/Junior years at her HS were primarily Science and Math classes, which she is not interested in pursuing, (M is a Scientist at Princeton and D teaches Math - go figure!).</p>

<p>Her AP classes are in French V, US History and English Composition.</p>

<p>Since she will be studying a foreign language in college as a minor/major getting credit for a French class would be ok but would not remove a rqd course. She definitely wants to take the English/writing courses at college from the Freshman classes. She has scholarship offers that require maintaining a GPA level for all 4 years. So, should she select a school with such a scholarship, she wants to begin with A's (if possible) in her strength classes (English and Language), as for the US History, the point that others have made about the diversity of courses is another reason she does not want to have a waiver of a basic rqd type class that will serve to broaden her areas of interest (possibly).</p>

<p>I certainly agree that getting AP credit is very adventageous for many and go to it, but in our D case, the benefits are limited as regards the credit at college.</p>

<p>Naturally, the fact that D has 6 schools (at present) seeking her and four offering scholarships based on D's HS activities/grades/etc. has some influence. The primary motivation (besides reasons noted above) is that the grades on the tests themselves (issued in July) have no effect on her HS grades and no effect on her admission to colleges.</p>

<p>So paying $90 each for three tests just to be able to take a test seems a waste to D and us. The tests are not mandated in her HS, it is a highly competitive HS in NJ with multiple AP classes and many of her friends have taken AP classes (Chemistry/Biology) in Sophomore year, so D has had many discussions with her friends and understands the reasoning.</p>

<p>The primary fact is that she is taking the classes, enjoys the intensity and is currrently getting 2 A's and a B in these classes, so she will have the experience to aid her transition to college, just not the stress of the test.</p>

19

<p>Sounds like you have all thought this through thoroughly & discussed it with your D. My son says he enjoys tests (& we believe him as he has signed up for two self-study APs in addition to the ones he's obligated by the school to take because he's taking the courses. We support him in chosing to do this.</p>

20

<p>my daughter isn't taking the AP test
she is a soph taking Euro History
I would like her to take it- however- her school doesnt require the test to receive credit for the class ( she is currently passing the class with a B)
She has learning disabilties that affect her performance in test situations particulary those tests which last over several hours- as she is currently taking the state required WASL test and will be taking a practice PSAT test as well as a practice AP test, I see no need to spend that much money just to make her more stressed.
She isn't going to major in history, she isn't going to be signed up to take any AP classes junior year and I would rather her take courses at her college.
I understand the reasoning some give, but i don't think it is necessary in every situation</p>