<p>People take Calc BC in junior year because they want to put it on their applications. If more advanced AP maths were offered, people would be pushed to take those in junior year instead and the competition would just get stiffer… as if kids these days don’t have enough pressure.</p>
<p>Korean lanugage ftw! We already have a subject test for it anyway!</p>
<p>@ UCbalumnus: The point of AP is not necessarily to replicate a college class experience, it’s to gain the same knowledge as a class in college. No matter what you think of AP, it’s a much better stepping stone that going from refular classes to college. And colleges vary wildly on difficulty (just like HS, maybe certain AP classes seem like a joke to you but at other HSs they may be a very worthy equal to a college class), I have a couple friends who have told me how some of their college classes are a joke compared to their AP classes in HS.</p>
<p>“Based on their common presence in “easy self study” lists, would it be reasonable to assume that these three are basically high school level material (maybe honors, maybe not), not college freshman level material that the AP courses and tests are supposed to replicate?”
You can easily self study certain courses in college also… Usually all you need is the will and a good memory. </p>
<p>Could you please stop ranting about the AP program and the validity of classes so that we can actually talk about the topic? It’s an interesting discussion</p>
<p>As for actual classes that I would like to see:
AP Sociology
AP Cultural Anthropology
AP Zoology
AP German Lit (Really want it back…)
AP Earth Science
AP Creative Writing
AP Religion
AP Philosophy</p>
<p>Wouldnt ap earth science just be the same as environmental science?</p>
<p>No, there would be much less of an emphasis on the biological and a larger emphasis on the physical (e.g. weather, plate tectonics, rocks&minerals)</p>
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<p>I didn’t say that any major required/recommended linear algebra and not calculus. I simply meant that, were a linear algebra AP course offered, some kids might take it instead of AP calculus, especially those not planning on becoming math and science majors, but who wanted to take an AP math course anyway, and preferred algebra to calculus for whatever reason. Yes, universities place calc 3 before linear algebra, but calc is not required for linear algebra, at least not at the introductory level of linear algebra. It’s the same way with geometry and algebra 2: most schools place geometry first, but a few don’t and they do fine because a geometry course isn’t actually required for algebra 2 (of course, a cursory knowledge of geometry is, but that’s usually in elementary + middle school anyway). If a school wanted to have students take calculus BC before being able to take “AP algebra,” they could make that a school policy, just as some schools require AP Physics B before AP Physics C, or AP Calculus AB before AP Calculus BC, or AP Computer Science A before AB (before AB was axed).</p>
<p>Also, the Algebra 3 AP course could include some of the harder topics in precalculus that are not covered in AP Calc - for example the kinds of problems on SAT Math 2. Or not, I’m not sure if those subjects those would be relevant; just a suggestion.</p>
<p>AP Earth science would be pretty useless since AP Environmental exists. AP Geology would be a better name for the course you describe. But then it should be devoted solely to geology.</p>
<p>@Robo I think AP Religion would cause a lot of controversy…</p>
<p>^An AP religion course could be like a study of the major world religions, without painting any as better than another.</p>
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<p>There are some practical reasons why AP linear algebra would not work out.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Students who complete precalculus but do not want to major in anything that needs math probably won’t take any math or will choose AP statistics, not (more difficult) AP linear algebra. A student who has not already completed calculus but is going into a major that needs math will choose calculus over linear algebra, since calculus is needed by more majors, and is needed sooner, than linear algebra.</p></li>
<li><p>Universities often combine linear algebra with differential equations in a one semester course; AP credit for just linear algebra would not allow a student to skip the course.</p></li>
<li><p>Linear algebra, although it does not need actual calculus, is often considered more difficult than calculus; a student who fears taking calculus probably would not do that well in linear algebra (at least the universities and community colleges appear to see it that way).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>AP Portuguese would be interesting.</p>
<p>Yeah I know that it’s never gonna happen but I’m probably gonna go to a Christian college and would love to get out of some of the classes ie. world religions, knowledge of the bible, etc.</p>
<p>bump
10char</p>
<p>This is probably the stupidest idea for an AP course but AP Engineering. I feel like such a class is necessary so people can learn what an engineering class truly is. However, I feel like such a class would be to easy and dumbed down for people.</p>
<p>CSmath, not stupid at all. Most engineering programs require an “intro to engineering” anyway. If this was offered in HS, it would allow the possibility of that course being covered, AND it may introduce some students to engineering that may not have considered it their niche. Engineering is tough, so any headstart is a good thing. Also, this is probably a course that can be taught by tech ed teachers, and that is a good thing too!
Linear Algebra is used in computer science. Some colleges prefer it over Calc 3, actually (for CS majors).</p>
<p>I really like the idea of Sociology and World Religions. Many schools require a cultural diversity component to their curriculum, and that is met with sociology/religion courses. However, I would wonder how the “religious” colleges would accept this into their curriculum.</p>
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<p>It would be a good idea to have an intro to engineering course (and similar courses for other career paths) in high school, but it would not be appropriate for an AP course. Actual engineering courses besides CS are typically sophomore level courses that require calculus and physics as prerequisites (and different engineering subjects have different engineering courses).</p>
<p>Yes, some CS majors require linear algebra, but not multivariable calculus. However, they still require freshman calculus (and sometimes the linear algebra course is combined with differential equations).</p>
<p>AP Anthropology
AP Astronomy
AP Linguistics</p>
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<p>AP Human Geography is pretty much an anthropology course.</p>
<p>^I see the resemblance, but anthropology is a much broader subject. Plus, I’m almost inclined to say get rid of AP Human Geography altogether. From my own college website explorations, APHG seems to be the least accepted AP credit. Anthropology would be much more rigorous too.</p>