Advanced Placement (AP) Classes
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Advanced Placement (AP) Classes
Advanced Placement class.
See the College Board's website about
this at http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/
From that page:
"AP gives students an opportunity to take college-level courses and exams while
still in high school. There are 33 courses in 19 subject areas, offered by 13,000
secondary schools around the world."
Nov 2008
My sophomore daughter has taken Honor Biology in her
freshman year. She would like to take AP Biology exam on
May. Does anybody know any resource, such as on-line
course, tutorials or tutors for AP Biology? Or does any
college provide AP Biology course? Thanks
Julia
I believe you can go on line to the AP website and find
former questions. I had my Honors Bio. Students practice
writing one essay per week and then we critiqued it. They
want to concisely give factual information, in an
organized way, without the fluff.
kl
Strategies to pass the AP Chemistry Test (Jan 2010)
I need some strategies, advice on how to pass AP Chem test in May. How do kids
manage to study for this? I have one of those AP CHEM preparation books and there is so
much content I just don't know how a kid can absorb it all (while they are actively taking
classes in high school) How have other kids managed to study all this material to the point
of
passing the exam? Do you think a kid should study every night from now until May? I think
this may be the only way. What resources are available that don't require excess amounts of
$$?
Thanks
Need help
I asked my daughter who took AP Chemistry a few years ago at BHS, and did very well on the
Exam, whether she had any wisdom to pass on -- this is what she said:
''The point of an AP class is that it covers the material on an AP exam. To the extent that
the
student tries hard and learns the material as it is covered in the class (i.e. does what is
expected in any class), and reviews the material some for about 2 weeks before the exam
then they will more than pass it.
Therefore the student really just needs to make sure he or she is really understanding each
unit as the teacher covers it. If that happens, it will only take a little bit of review
right before
the test so everything is fresh.''
anon
I took three AP classes my first semester senior year of high school.
No tutors- I'm not sure how they would help since the volume of the
material, not its difficulty, is the issue. You're worried about the
sheer amount of stuff he needs to absorb. Well, it's only February
first. He has plenty of time to start memorizing, using quiz lists,
flash cards perhaps, and some review books.
Your question implies that some amount of money will solve this
problem. Tutors and Kaplan inc have an interest in making you believe
this, but your kid can do it on his own. Grad school isn't going to be
any easier !
PhD Mom.
AP Chemistry for HS Sophomore? (Feb 2008)
Our daughter is a freshman at a small private high school
in the EB. She is considering taking an AP Chemistry class
in her sophomore year. Her teachers have encouraged her to
go for the challenge. She doesn't intend at this point in
her school career to be a science major down the line. Her
academic grades & study habits are excellent, but she is
equally interested in art, music, dance, photography and
wants to pursuit these interests along with her school
work. She says she doesn't want the AP class to ''take
over'' her life, but I think it will for the duration.
Anyone have experience in these waters? Is AP Chem too
stressful for a HS sophomore? Will we need to hire a tutor
(Chem teacher will not be be tutoring AP students)? Do
students get in depth knowledge in AP courses or is it a
stressful speed through? Do colleges really pay attention
to these classes? I'm trying to figure out what's in it
for her. Am proud she's been offered this opportunity, but
not sure that the stress and possible meltdowns are worth
it. Grateful for any advice.
Mom
My son is trying to figure out whether to sign up for
chemistry or AP chemistry for next year,when he will be in
10th grade at Berkeley High. Has anyone had recent
experience with these courses? Do you have any advice?
Class selection for next year is happening next week so,
unfortunately, time is of the essence.
Thanks,
Mom who doesn't know what to advise
As a former AP teacher (although not chemistry), I would
say that the general rule of thumb is that AP is for
students who LOVE the subject matter and do not mind that
it takes over their life. An AP class is supposed to
generate 2 hours of homework per night, and many, if not
most, students who take AP math and/or sciences end up
with private tutors. The must-have-a-4.5-GPA-to-go-to-an-
elite-private-school student might also surivive if that
is his/her goal, but it will not be fun. IMHO, AP is over-
rated and is neither the best teaching or learning
method. It might save you some money in college fees and
boost GPA's, but the workload is brutal, so weigh your
options carefully.
--love it or leave it
To Both Parents Who Asked About AP Chem,
I am a current BHS senior who took AP Chemistry my junior
year. I never thought the class to be very difficult. The
general sense I got was that the sophomores in the class
were very challenged, yet the juniors seemed to be hardly
challenged. The class is heavily math based, and much of the
work involves taking abstract concepts involving chemical
reactions and converting them to and from mathematical
equations. Anyone who is strong in math and science should
have little trouble keeping up in the class. I personally
required very little work to get an A in the class, and my
lack of dedication shows in my score of 4 on the AP test. I
was able to take 4 AP classes and still pursue other
interests outside of school with a weighted GPA far above
4.0. I believe that students should make the most of their
time in school, by taking the classes that interest and
challenge them most, but should always keep in mind ''never
to let school get in the way of your education''.
Hope this helps.
BHS Senior
My daughter took chemistry at Berkeley High as a freshman
and constantly complained that she didn't learn much. Many
of the students weren't all that interested in chemistry and
the teacher spent a lot of time just managing the class.
She's in AP Biology now and she is learning a lot. The AP
classes, however, are really fast-moving survey courses
where students have to absorb lots of material. It is a huge
amount of work. Since my daughter is in the International
High School, she is considering taking IB Chemistry next
year since she didn't learn enough in her regular chemistry
class.
Frances
If you're talking about CPS and Jack Coakley, go for it.
He may be the best teacher in the world. My daughter, who
is not a scientist, loved his class.
Hello,
Making these choices in high school can be stressful for
both teen and parent and I empathize with you.
AP courses are definitely viewed highly by college
admissions representatives. Colleges want to know that
students have challenged themselves academically and taken
all available avenues to achieve the best high school
education they can. However, if a student doesn't do well
in an AP course, that also will be given consideration by
admission officers. So, although I would always encourage
students to take AP courses, I recommend that students be
selective, and take AP courses in areas which interest
them and they believe they can be successful.
If you daughter currently has an aversion to taking this
course, she may not be successful, and even worse; this
may give her distaste for all AP courses. I would let it
go and look at other AP courses that interest her more.
Colleges really want to see an academic record that
reflects steady progress in academic areas, in addition to
a record that reflects the particular interests and
talents of students.
Also, at the same time she continues following a strong
academic curriculum, if your daughter feels there may be
an interest in pursuing a career in the arts, I would
encourage her to begin taking as many courses in these
areas as possible. She will then be at the top of her
game in getting admitted to a specialized higher education
institution IF she decides to follow that path in a few
years.
I hope this is helpful, and please feel free to contact me
if I can help you further.
Corbina
I noticed your posting and wanted to respond since your
question is very often asked by our clients (I direct a
college admission consulting company here in SF.) If you are
interested in knowing how colleges view taking AP's it would
surprise you--they would prefer only 11-12th graders to take
them. AP's mean advanced and qualify for college credit.
Parents like their students to take AP courses because they
feel these ''arm'' their students in the fight for a space at
college. Colleges on the other hand don't want students
effectively ''testing'' out of their courses because they feel
what they have to teach is much more valuable (and it may
be). Wait until junior and senior year. If your student is
really advanced in Chemistry, have them do a chemistry
project with a teacher, attend an science summer program at
CAL or compete in one of the many science fairs taking place
around CA. It will be much more interesting for a college to
see this type of ''proof'' of advanced ability because it is
truly ''beyond the norm''.
david
I taught AP Chemistry at BHS for many years. I think
a lot of students want to take AP Chem for the prestige or
because they think regular chem will be too easy for
them.
My advice is to take regular chemistry unless you are
bored in most science and math classes because they move
too slowly for you.
AP Chem requires a lot of work because it covers a
lot of material in a short time (the test is in May so the
teacher must cover all the curriculum in that time). The
course also requires the teacher to teach to the test.
That may not be a bad thing since the test covers a
comprehensive curriculum; but a lot depends on the teacher
being able to present that curriculum in an interesting
way and not skimming over the basics in order to get to
the hard stuff which you must master for the test.
My own daughter took regular chem at El Cerrito High
School and went on to major in sciences at UC Santa Cruz
and to become a doctor. I think she may have foundered in
AP Chem had she taken it. She didn't even do very well in
regular Chem. But she did very well in Science Fair and
learned how to study in college. Perhaps she would have
learned to hate sciences had she taken AP Chem. I don't
think it's out of the question since she was involved in
lots of activities and probably wouldn't have taken the
time to study that's required in that course.
Steve B
Your daughter should take AP chemistry if she is interested
in the topic and wants to dig a little deeper into it. One
AP course won't necessarily overwhelm her life if it's
something she wants to do and has the ability to absorb the
topic. Taking an AP course for its status or to get college
credits isn't necessarily a good idea, and neither is taking
it because a teacher or a parent want her to. Our high
school offers AP chemistry the 2nd half of the year, once
students have had a chance to decide if they are interested
enough in the regular topic to want to get a deeper
education. My son is a sophomore at a private HS and loves
AP chemistry--it's a little more work, but not overwhelming.
He is also an avid musician and has other interests as well.
Most high schools recommend against taking more than 1 AP
course in the sophomore year, but that also varies according
to the child's abilities and wishes.
Good luck.
AP chemistry mom
I noticed your posting and wanted to respond since your
question is very often asked by our clients (I direct a
college admission consulting company here in SF.) If you are
interested in knowing how colleges view taking AP's it would
surprise you--they would prefer only 11-12th graders to take
them. AP's mean advanced and qualify for college credit;
parents like them because they feel these ''arm'' their
students in the fight for a space at college. Colleges on
the other hand don't want students effectively ''testing'' out
of their courses because they feel what they have to teach
is much more valuable (and it may be). Wait until junior and
senior year. If your student is really advanced in
Chemistry, have them do a chemistry project with a teacher,
attend an science summer program at CAL or compete in one of
the many science fairs taking place around CA. It will be
much more interesting for a college to see this type of
''proof'' of advanced ability because it is truly ''beyond the
norm''.
david
I have a different take on AP classes. I found them valuable
because my kids got to make friends with other academically
inclined students. I thought Latin at Berkeley High was
great for the same reason. It was work for them to take AP
classes, but it was not overwhelming. They continued to have
time for extra-curriculars and goofing off.
anon
My daughter is taking AP chem this year as a sophomore at
O'Dowd and my son took it as a junior. Both have enjoyed it
and felt though it was not easy it was nothing they could
not handle. Both do well in school in general. They felt
regular chemistry ''is a joke''
Jenny
Re: ''Our child thought that regular chemistry was a joke'' -
- I think your kid is right, and that's the problem. Our
kid has signed up to take AP English, AP History and AP
art as a junior. This means she pretty much has to take
regular chemistry next year. (Somehow we were convinced to
have her take that intro science class freshman year --
another ''joke,'' ha ha.) It's not really practical for
every kid to take AP classes in every single subject, but
the problem is that the non-AP classes ARE jokes. Why they
can't have a reasonable regular curriculum paralleling the
AP curriculum I do not know. Your choice should not be
between time-intensive AP classes and glorified study
halls, but that does seem to be the choice offered.
Anonymous
If you are thinking of having your student take the AP Chemistry class I would
ask, are you considering AP Chemistry to arm your student for college? Or, is
your student truly advanced beyond the normal sophomore science
curriculum to the point where he/she needs this type of challenge? If the first
answer is more accurate, I wouldn’t bother taking the AP Chemistry class as a
sophomore.
There is a misperception about AP courses that exists among parents: AP’s
are not the silver bullet that most parents imagine. While AP’s can give
parent’s piece of mind, the colleges don’t really respect AP’s...in fact, they
don’t really consider most high school courses to be rigorous or advanced
enough. This is why there is such an emphasis on supporting evidence in the
way of extra-curriculars and contents to “prove” a student’s superiority to
colleges before the admission process begins. Finally, as I mentioned before
on BPN, colleges dislike students taking AP tests because it means that a
student will spend less time paying fees at the college; a fact that negatively
effects the college’s financial situation.
If a student is showing advanced work, private colleges would rather see that
student enter college than continue at a normal high school and take AP’s..in
fact, they would simply rather educate the student through early admission to
college. Simon's Rock of Bard College for example, feeds advanced high
school students into college two years early.
''collegematcher''
I'd like to disagree with something another BPNer said about
how colleges view AP classes. While it's true that some
colleges may prefer that students not use them to get out of
basic classes and graduate early, those colleges just don't
offer credit for AP classes/tests. This varies widely by
college. As to whether taking AP classes is seen as a plus
by college admissions people, I've always heard that an AP
class is only a plus on your record if you do well in the
class. In other words, don't take AP classes in subject
areas that you're not good at and truly interested in.
Having just spent the past year going to campus tours with
my college-bound daughter, I can tell you that the most
selective schools will tell you that if your school offers
more advanced courses (honors and AP) and you don't take
them, you won't be considered for admission. That doesn't
mean you have to take them all, but you have to take some.
Mom of a BHS senior
Editor Note: also see a similar discussion specific to
Berkeley High School here:
AP Chemistry or regular chemistry in 10th grade at BHS?
Jan 2004
How can I find out what AP classes are offered at Berkeley High School?
A good place to check for AP and honors courses (at BHS and any other school)
is on the UC website http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/ Since I would guess that all
honors and AP classes are recognized by UC (at least I can't think of any that
aren't) you can find the lists here for the schools you want to check.
--Sally
Can anyone tell me what is on the reading list for the senior AP English
classes - used to be British Literature and something like Modern World Lit.
- don't know if it's still the same. Thanks. Miriam
English Literature Reading List
http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/english/html/lit_cours002.html
this page was last updated: Aug 15, 2010
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