APs Bad/ Local University Better?

cate_mcginn
Mon, 10 Jul 2006 14:37:50 +0000

Hi,

Well I just got back my AP scores and they pretty much sucked the big one. I took 4 this past may and didn’t pass any of them; Comp Sci, English, Macro Econ, Stat. I was really surprised by Eng and Econ. Last year I took US History and got a 4. The problem is, other than failing the tests and wasting money, is that I’m pretty much the best my school has to offer. I’m in the top 3 kids of my class (roughly 420) and I’m ahead a year or two in every subject. I’ve already taken AP: US History, Spanish, Comp Sci, Chem, Stat, Eng, Macro Econ. I took US Government and Senior Year English at my local University: University of Texas at Arlington (TX). I intend to take AP Bio, European History, and Calculus my senior year. Along with PreAP Physics 1, Varsity Choir and Theatre Arts 4. (I’m a theatre kid, not a science and math kid). I’ve got a 4.0 unweighted and a 4.6 weighted. So the big dilemma is that my teacher completely and unequivacably suck. They can generally count the number of kids that have passed the AP test in the class on one hand. My stat teacher never used a book, although he kept swearing we would before the test. My English teacher had never taught an AP class before. My Comp Sci teacher was just miserable and taught us programs instead of how to answer problems. And my Econ teacher was great… I don’t know if I froze or what on that test because I should have gotten a 4 or 5. Now I know this sounds like a big rant about me sucking on the tests. But there is a point.

I now only have one good AP score to put on my applications. My SATs are fine as well as SAT IIs. And I intend to apply to schools such as Columbia, Berkeley, NYU, CMU, USC, Boston U, and SMU. So my question is that since I can’t do anything about raising my AP scores before I apply to colleges,

Do you think I could redeem myself a bit by taking classes at my local college: UT @ Arlington?

I only have six classes at my pitiful high school, basically because I’ve run out of APs to take, and seeing as how they are less than intriguing, I’m not sure I would consider them anyway. I’ve never done well with standardized tests. They have never come easily to me. Even my state tests, TAKS, i get terrible scores on the writing portions. Even if in my school I am known as the English/History/Theatre person that can teach anything to anyone. I have already taken two classes during summer sessions and received A’s in both classes. I plan on taking British Literature during the school year my senior year, and possibly another class. Do you think it might help to show that I do well in actual university classes, with college professors and blue book essays? I know I would fit in at a top university, I enjoy the atmosphere, the hard work, the talent. I just don’t want my poor standardized testing to stop me.

So whaddaya think?