<p>Do those of you with AP credit, esp. at more distinguished universities, feel as if you didn’t get the education you would have if you had taken the college course? Is it easy to catch up when you’re taking a second-year course or are you behind when compared to those who took the university course as opposed to skipping out with AP?</p>
<p>Truthfully…it depends on the course and the school. I know kids who have gotten kicked in science/math and others. Many students at top schools realize that AP is not what it is sold to be…not the equivalent of a college course.</p>
<p>I feel that I’ve gotten a good grounding, even in my bio class. It’s the beginning bio for bio majors, and the kids that have taken the exam start out with this course. But I see kids around me in lab that I assume took AP but are totally lost in lab (and the labs aren’t <em>that</em> difficult.) They’re constantly asking me questions about “what do we do” and “how did we get these results” that make me wonder if they even did labs in their AP course…something that I thought was an essential part of the course and helped me understand the material a lot better.</p>
<p>But yeah, I think it depends on the course and the school.</p>
<p>Like I said…they have taken the exam but they haven’t taken a good course many times. It is interesting to see. Several kids in classes I have taken have a very inflated idea of their ability…kicked them hard. I took no AP courses because my prep school didn’t offer them. My Chem classes in HS were high level and we dropped back and reviewed basics in a separate session one evening for the AP because we hadn’t used the materials they test on for so long. I’d say it was pretty much the same in other classes as well. Many suburban kids have been sold big time on AP and they don’t realize that many kids in the courses at college have had much higher levels of preparation. It is a shock and they do the best they can to catch up. I’d say it is mixed.</p>
<p>“Several kids in classes I have taken have a very inflated idea of their ability…kicked them hard.”</p>
<p>Ding ding ding</p>
<p>I am really glad I took all the AP courses that I took because it has opened way for a double major- as an engineering major…</p>
<p>I have heard of folks NOT using the AP credits & “cruising” in their adjustment to their colleges & others who have used their AP credits to have more room to “explore” & take courses they would not otherwise have had an opportunity to take and/or double-major and/or get a masters & bachelors in 4 years. Some others have used AP credits to satisfy “core” requirements so more courses can be taken they are really interested in.
A lot depends on the quality of the HS AP course you took. NOT all AP courses are created equal. The AP courses at the HS my kids attend cover in depth the same textbook used in most colleges, cover to cover.</p>
<p>I am not here to bash AP but rather as you point out HImom that there is a great variance in the quality. Some fine HSs don’t offer APs or IBs yet have high quality high level courses. You are correct that students can use the AP or SATII in many ways. The OP was asking about the downside and thus my comments werer addressing that question.</p>
<p>another downside nobody’s mentioned is the effect APs have on scheduling. Many schools do not give a full year credit for AP courses. For example ucla gives 1 quarter credit for Calculus AB, and 2 quarters for BC. This means that when you show up as a frosh you have fewer choices if you take the next math class in the series. You’re “off-quarter” so there’s fewer choices in the class and discussion sections. Not only that, almost everyone else in the class comes from 2 groups – those that also passed the AP test, and those who failed the class and are retaking it. So you’re up against a tough crowd for the curve.</p>
<p>my AP credits were used for general studies requirements, not classes pertaining to my major, so I’m not hating it nearly as badly.
it’s given me room to pursue a minor, which is cool.</p>
<p>I used my AP credit for everything except the sciences. I didn’t feel like getting a 40% to pass the Chem or Bio APs would be helpful in the long run going Pre-med…</p>
<p>This is what I am getting:
8 Math Credits (For Calc I and II for Engineers) So since I didn’t have to take calc I or II, I have empty spaces first and second semester of my sophomore year
8 Physics Credits (Opens up one slot)
4 Credits of History (Using for my second major)
4 Credits of Political Science (Using for my second major)
So as of now, I am really 1 semester “ahead”</p>