I Am Taking College Classes Instead of AP..... Wise Move?

Applying to College
50

Harvard accepts AP credit, but requires Advanced Standing to take full advantage of it.

http://oue.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?pageid=icb.page498253&pageContentId=icb.pagecontent1065010&view=view.do&viewParam_name=asgeninfo.html#a_icb_pagecontent1065010_a_icb_pagecontent825552_apexams

http://oue.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k18059&pageid=icb.page498253&pageContentId=icb.pagecontent1065010&view=view.do&viewParam_name=asgeninfo.html#a_icb_pagecontent1065010_a_icb_pagecontent825552_summary

The poster makes it sound like Harvard doesn’t give a flying “hoot” about AP, that is incorrect per their website.

For the students I know who are in districts with few AP courses, they do not let students “push” unless they skip a grade and therefore will graduate early. Thus, the very smartest kids will take Honors Calculus in 12th grade. They do not have placement exams to place ahead into a higher grade’s class.

Of course, if mom or dad is paying for advanced classes, that is different and the assumption is the district plays ball or loses donations. But it has been very difficult to get placement to a higher grade’s courses in the high schools I and my friends and family have dealt with. The situation I know of are:

  • a sophomore in AP Calc BC, who will take multivariate calc online as a junior, and will graduate as a junior - local CC and state colleges stink, no good colleges nearby
  • seniors who took multivariate calc as juniors, so took science research which included entering various state and national science fair/project competitions

Low SES students who are extremely bright may not get the chance to DE unless the program is forced upon the HS (which I believe is the case in Florida).

Perhaps there is a regional difference as well. One might expect the Northeast and the South and West have different takes on the system.