What's the difference on AP, honors classes, and the IB in highschool?

GreekGalMK
Wed, 27 Jul 2016 17:04:56 +0000

It all depends on the high school. I don’t totally agree with @FourWalls727 about honors classes only being harder versions of regular classes. At my school, honors classes are more like college level classes. I took 2 AP exams at the end of my junior year (while taking no AP classes, only honors) and I’m not going to lie, they were pretty easy. I’ve also taken real college classes, and I don’t see how AP classes can say that they are “college level.” They’re definitely not as hard as college classes that I’ve taken based on the AP tests.

It is true that usually, if a school offers both honors and AP classes, then AP would be the way to go since it is often more rigorous. At my school, however, honors classes are weighted just as much as APs are at other schools.

If you can find a school with an IB program, I’d say that’s the way to go. Since you have to dedicate all 4 years of high school to it, it shows much more than taking scattered AP classes. The IB classes are also, in my opinion, more equivalent to college level classes than AP classes are.

There has been a lot of research conducted by top universities (Stanford included) about the uselessness of AP classes and how they have gone downhill; now their more about teaching a test than teaching a valuable curriculum. But if you are truly interested in an AP class, go for it.

Here’s a link about the Stanford research

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/23/new-study-challenges-popular-perceptions-ap

Just to put it into perspective: I come from a school that doesn’t offer any AP classes. However, the honors classes are so rigorous at my school that students have very high ACT and SAT scores. For example, although getting a 33 on the ACT is in the 99th percentile for the country, it is about the 90th percentile for my school. Colleges will look at your course rigor in respect to what your high school offers; if your school doesn’t offer AP classes, they won’t expect any to be on your transcript.

So, in short, one cannot blindly say that AP courses are better or worse than honors or IB programs. You have to discover that with concern to the school. First, find a school with a great reputation and then take it from there. Don’t find a school that offers AP classes and then show up there and find out that it has a terrible rep.

One thing that many people are naïve about on this site is the fact that honors classes do not have a set curriculum; however, AP classes do. That’s why one can’t say that an AP class will be harder than an honors class. At my school, I’ve learned more in my honors classes than any of my friends have in their AP classes. Take that for what it’s worth.