<p>I will be interested to find out how S feels coming out of AP Stats today. It’s his first AP (his school only offers AP classes in math, although lots of kids take the science, FL, English, etc. and do fine). I think 9th grade is a little early to start this, but he’s a lopsided kid (finished Pre-Calc and took the SAT Math2 in Dec.; AP Stats is a one semester spring class). So far, he hasn’t worried about the testing so I shouldn’t either, but I was trained up by D’11 who took everything too seriously and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. The good news is that there are only 3 weeks of school left!</p>
<p>MissyPie is right
IF the chosen college accepts those APs…and its getting a core item out that wont affect major etc…it’s worth considering.</p>
<p>In our Srs case, the chosen U does not accept AP credit for any of the humanities, arts, history, psych, statistics types of things…and only gives credit for the AP credit for things like BC Calc, or a 5 in Spanish etc at the beginning of the 3rd semester if they have skipped lower level courses and successfully completed the higher level ones at a certain level…then the AP credit is applied towards advanced standing.</p>
<p>So of the 10 APs…few will amount to much…</p>
<p>This has always given me pause . . . Why do so many consider gen eds something to “get out of the way,” as if, for a math major, courses in literature or philosphy are simply drivel one must endure to get to the good stuff. The idea of college is to become broadly educated, not merely a specialist in what one likes. </p>
<p>This is especially disturbing when I consider APs, which are predominantly “intro” courses and college gen eds will include a whole range of acceptable courses (not just the broad “intro”) to fulfill a gen ed requirement. Western Civ might be a snore and a half, but history of the Reformation might be very interesting. A student might never know he would’ve loved history had he just done and AP in high school to get that history requirement done with.</p>
<p>I think many students, my D1 included, feel that the reward for enduring uninteresting but necessary courses in high school is to get that broad education in her chosen area of interest in college. She is pursuing a very specific learning agenda which she hopes will make her more attractive to employers. Each person is different, of course.</p>
<p>OrdinaryLives</p>
<p>You make a good point…I guess thats why at least at our 2011 Sr’s chosen U, no one can use any APs towards any of the core/distribution requirements etc nor can they opt out of a oreign language all together. Everyone, regardless of major/discipline will take humanities, writing and critical reading etc courses, whether it be Russian Literature or Changing Law after the Reformation etc etc…</p>
<p>The APs are used to only level/place students in the math, physics, bio, chem and foreign language types of classes.</p>
<p>Lets face it–the survery of western civ types of courses often leave students cold…which is why so many try to get out of them…
Great material can be a bore with a TA in a large auditorium.</p>
<p>Also, I have been told that another factor to consider regarding AP’s is that even if the college will accept AP credit for a science course, medical schools will not.</p>
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<p>The governor of our great state of Texas wants to move in the opposite direction:</p>
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<p>[Texas</a> governor wants $10,000 college degree - Yahoo! News](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110211/us_yblog_thelookout/texas-governor-wants-10000-college-degree]Texas”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110211/us_yblog_thelookout/texas-governor-wants-10000-college-degree)</p>
<p>Snowbeltmom, I’ve had some firsthand experience with that! This year, a student of mine was unpleasantly surprised to discover that the med school where she applied told her she had to have Calc or Stat on her transcript; the AP score wasn’t high enough for the med school, so they needed to see a class. Yikes! Good thing she had time in her schedule for Stat.</p>
<p>Missypie, I saw that article . . . scary.</p>
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<p>Right. That is why the student needs to use the credit thougtfully. Med school won’t care if the student uses his HS AP Art History credit, and the student could use those extra hours to take an additional science course.</p>
<p>“MissyPie is right
IF the chosen college accepts those APs…and its getting a core item out that wont affect major etc…it’s worth considering.” - Fogfog</p>
<p>Fofog is right that Missypie is right - APs are all about flexibility. They give college students options. (What options depend on the college and the major). One can use them to graduate early, study abroad or double major. Not every student will want to take any particular option, but it is nice to have them.</p>
<p>Well, I just wish that APs could transfer within families. D1 has a peck and a half of them, and can only use a few. D2 is unlikely to have any. A pity resources can’t be shared. :)</p>
<p>We are in California, not Texas, but the idea of reducing the cost of college by relying more on AP classes gives me pause. Some–most!–kids just aren’t ready to take college classes in high school. I’d argue that many of the potential college students who most need low-cost college options are also the high school students who aren’t going to be knocking off lots of AP courses.</p>
<p>Do many of the schools use CLEP tests anymore? I CLEPped out of 36 hours back in the day. It was a Godsend. My major required 89 hours, not counting gen ed and prerequisites, plus a full semester of student teaching.</p>
<p>“Fogfog is right that Missypie is right” LOL. I do agree that students should explore a variety of disciplines in college and not narrow their focus too soon. How many of us majored in/have built careers on subjects that are not taught directly in High School? However, being able to get a correct placement level in math, science, foreign language, etc. is useful, as is avoiding some of those large weeder lecture classes at big universities.</p>
<p>@fogfog: After advice from current students, D is planning to take a “safety semester” of her current FL even though she is quite committed to learning another new one. Checking the box sounds like a great balance in case intensive daily classes gets overwhelming.</p>
<p>Our daughter had 5 AP’s and rec’d 5’s on all of them, but her college did not accept the credits. She was simply able to place out of certain intro classes. In one subject though, she still took the intro class because she thought the AP class was so poor.</p>
<p>We had a different experience. D took several APs with no thought of actually getting college credits. So we were pleasantly surprised when she received enough credits to graduate a semester early.</p>
<p>missypie: CLEPs are accepted in many schools throughout the U.S.</p>
<p>Hi all! So…is your son/daughter going to get a summer job this year? Next year?</p>
<p>Job will be next year. S will be attending summer school this year, because of the number of credits required at his school, taking an elective means taking summer school. Also, next summer he will be able to drive.</p>
<p>I was really hoping for this summer. She could detassel and earn pretty good cash in a short period of time, but the allergy queen has, of late, been breaking out in hives, maybe from all the time spent on the ground during track season. Sending her out into a corn field may be a colossally stupid move. </p>
<p>She might be able to work a few hours a week at open gym, but I’m afraid she’ll most likely be waiting for her 16th birthday so she can get a regular job indoors. Means bank of mom is going to have to stay open for a bit longer. Sigh.</p>
<p>Since my son loves soccer, and he’s only 14, we encouraged him to work as a referee for youth soccer games. The games are on Saturday morning and last through June. He really likes it. He works all of 90 minutes and banks all his money. Then, youth soccer picks up in the fall, and he’ll work those Saturdays. Right now, he’s totally consumed with his distance running (along with his academics). He has a big district meet in the coming days, and he really wants to qualify for the regional meet – a tough task since our district has some of the top distance runners in the state.</p>