complete idiot's guide to HS and APs

FBItomboy007
Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:31:17 +0000

I agree with the above posters in that when you take APs completely depends on your school. My private school does not allow APs until junior year, but my honors classes before then were more difficult than AP classes some of my friends were taking. It is the difficulty of the course, not the name, that is most important to colleges. This is another reason why students have As in AP classes but do not score well on the AP test - the curriculum is not difficult enough to adequately prepare them.

I would definiltey not recommend self-studying and AP English or History course. Even after two writing-heavy high school honors English classes, my AP class is a giant step up. And my teacher professes that she grades as we will be graded on the AP. Middle school English will definitely not prepare you enough. As for AP History, I have about 400-500 pages of typed-single spaced notes from the first trimester. This is not something you can self-study and take a single test on with expectations of suceeding.

The amount of work in AP classes also vary. All of mine require 1 hour + of homework each night and are extremely difficult. As an above poster stated, at some schools these classes barely rquire work. I would definitely inquire as to the difficulty of the courses before you take them to understand what your courseload will look like. Good luck!!