<p>My D’s first semester is loaded with AP courses, 2 of which (AP Psych and AP US Gov) are only semester classes, and both are only offered in the first semester. Seems like that is going to make taking those exams in May a little rough. Are these just semester classes at other schools?</p>
<p>AP US is a full year course at our school. Our school offers psych through some of the colleges ( ie Syracuse) but not AP. Some kids self study for AP psych and take the test.</p>
<p>Suzy,
Our school is on block, so we have one semester AP classes too. Teachers offer review classes before or after school starting in March for these students. We haven’t seen d2’s schedule but I am assuming she will have a one semester AP class in the first semester.</p>
<p>Suzy,</p>
<p>My Ds school doesn’t teach AP Psych or AP Gov, but from what I know (from friends at other schools) both of those are usually just one semester classes.</p>
<p>Max - OHMom’s second link is what I was referring to. It uses real tests but it only contains one test (maybe two) per subject. Not enough to prep kids.</p>
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<p>With three kids having taken APs at their urban public high school, I’ve found they put in extra effort. They enjoy teaching highly motivated, high achievers–although I know the good ones work hard with all their students. They all have review sessions after school and on weekends. Some classes have full-day regional workshops on a Saturday. They all serve food, too.</p>
<p>suzy100 – Our HS offers APUSGovt and APMacroEcon as one-semester courses, that are usually paired so that one is taken in fall and one in spring. I don’t know whether the fall-semester kids find it harder to succeed on that test.</p>
<p>My D1 took APUSGovt online the summer before her Junior year, and then took the AP test the following May. She took three other AP classes that school year plus two highly-demanding honors classes. She was overwhelmed with work so didn’t get much chance to refresh the APUSGovt material. USGovt was the last of the four AP tests she took that year, and she didn’t score as high on it as she did on the other three. However, I cannot say whether that’s because the initial course wasn’t as thorough, or because she’d forgotten the material in the intervening nine months and couldn’t review sufficiently, or perhaps she was just exhausted from taking four long intense exams in just over one week.</p>
<p>Our AP Psych, AP GOV and AP ECON (micro and macro) are semester classes and students can take them in either first or second semester. We requested AP Psych to be scheduled in the second semester for S2 although school could not guarantee he would get that. AP GOV and AP ECON are taken in senior year. Like others said, our teachers also offer review classes for all students after school.</p>
<p><a href=“AP%20Psych%20and%20AP%20US%20Gov”>quote</a> are only semester classes…Are these just semester classes at other schools?
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<p>AP Gov is definitely a year long class and at our HS known as the hardest AP after Physics II. Kids routinely do great on the AP exam but don’t get good grades in the class.</p>
<p>We don’t offer AP Psych but it is offered as a semester class taught at the HS by our local community college for college credit. I wonder if that semester prepares kids well for the exam?</p>
<p>Our HS blocks only science classes, no others.</p>
<p>AP Gov is a full year course at d’s school. Psychology is not offered at all but there has been talk of adding it though not as an AP class. This school is heavily focused on applied science so I’m not terribly surprised.</p>
<p>OHmomof2</p>
<p>If the Psych is offered for college credit, why students need to take the AP exam? Would it count as transferred credit for colleges? My older son took the Econ offered through community college (dual enrollment). The cc sent the transcript to his university so he received 3 transferred credit hours for the Econ.</p>
<p>Perhaps there are colleges that do not accept credit hours earned through community colleges?</p>
<p>Sunnydayfun,</p>
<p>Because some schools take AP, some take college credits, and a few don’t take much of either, some students (like my oldest son) double up and take both the college class and the AP exam. My oldest took 6 AP exams but only got credit for Calc B/C (reasons too long to go into), but he did get all of his math classes transferred to MIT somehow (a rarity, I understand). </p>
<p>Community college back then was only $26 a unit, so it was worth a shot to have him do both college classes and AP exams.</p>
<p>My 2015 son will do mostly community college classes and probably only take two AP exams, if any, that would be double of the community college (Physics B and Calc A/B).</p>
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<p>Right. All public colleges and Us in our state must accept the CC credits, but privates and out of state colleges can take them or not as they like, and many seem to favor APs over CC courses, especially those taught at the HS, even though taught by a college prof.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification. Our in-state public universities have the same policy re DE.</p>
<p>S2 chose to take the dual enrollment US history instead of APUSH in the fall. Hopefully OOS schools on his list will accept DE credits.</p>
<p>I guess he could still take the AP test, if he chose. Coming out of a DE course in the subject seems like pretty good prep, that plus a study book might get it done. If it’s important.</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about APs and DEs in general but I will say that D’s older brother had a pretty rocky first year at college and the credits he brought with him from HS have ensured that he has enough credits to be a sophomore now.</p>
<p>How many AP classes will everyone have when they apply to schools? My daughter will have a decent amount compared to the kids in her school ( most rigorous will be checked- I asked). She refuses to take the AP social studies classes - AP global, US etc even though these classes were recommended. She feels very very strongly that if these classes are not where her interests lie then there is no reason to do AP. She will take AP level math, sciences, English and Spanish - but honors US, global etc. Anybody else have a kid who thinks this way? I am new to the AP scene.</p>
<p>I think my d will have 6-7 APs when she applies for colleges. She will have another 3 or 4 in her senior year.
@twogirls, is your D. strong in Spanish? I’ve heard those FL APs are really hard.
D. hopes to take econ (micro, probably) in her senior year from a local college and take the AP test.</p>
<p>My daughter is very strong in Spanish. I also heard that the FL APs are intense. I spoke to her teacher and she agrees that they are intense, but feels very strongly that my daughter belongs in AP and not honors. My daughter was initially on the fence but decided on AP. The teacher said that even though the test may be difficult ( she does not entirely agree), most of the kids do well and the school does a great job at prepping them for it.</p>
<p>She is currently reading the Spanish version of Mockingjay so her skills stay fresh over the summer.</p>
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<p>S’12 absolutely felt this way. He took APs (or DEs) only in courses he enjoyed (English and Social Sciences) and other than one science class, stayed with “regular” math and science and language.</p>
<p>I supported that.</p>
<p>D is taking more but for her it’s about being in the “harder” classes…she enjoys them, her friends are in them, or in a couple of cases, a very good teacher only teaches the AP version of a class.</p>