Are APs worth it?

[DreamPrince]

Recently, I've been in a lot of pressure to take an AP. I had signed up for AP Studio Art, and I did get in. However, I also got into Yearbook.
I made this decision on 3 factors: 1. I’m going to MICA for summer program which will be college level. 2. I really wanted experience the feel of making an actual product to sell. 3. I’ve had a bad history on APs, I’ve found them to fast paced for me. Even an ‘easy’ AP like Psychology was challenging. But I go to a competitive school, where everyone takes at least one AP. According to my brother, if I don’t take an AP, it will reduce my chances of getting to college because I will look like I didn’t challenge myself enough compared to other students. I also have the issue my parents being thrilled over my acceptances, telling them the truth would break their hearts. So, I really don’t know what to do.

 

[Like A Star]

Hate to break it to you but most college classes are fast paced and I do recommend taking at least one or 2 AP classes since its a good way to start making smarter study methods. I feel like it somewhat helps you understand how important it is to study each day and to start looking into different study methods. Gl

 

[AM]

This is highly subjective based on the college and study you’re going to take though. It’s better to ask yourself if advanced courses make sense for what your intended goal is acadamically. Some colleges are more worried about what’s in your pocket more than anything else. Looking into what the colleges you are interested in demands and some statistics like graduation and acceptancd rate can provide you better context.

 

[air_dan]

Take as many APs as you can, but that you can handle. If you believe that you can pass the AP Test then its worth taking the class. I had so much credit from my AP classes that I almost was able to skip a full year of college ( I was able to just take one class at a time torwards the end which was relaxing) which saves a lot of money. But it is all about you. If you fell too stressed out its fine, Colleges like AP classes when you do well in them, but if taking them will lead to bad grades then they aren't worth it.

 

[Legendary Latios]

Preface: I haven't heard of schools having acceptances into AP classes, just overall criteria that you should meet.

I'd say yes, APs are worth it, coming from someone who is currently in 4 (calculus, physics, english, and music theory), and is more than a little nervous for the upcoming exams. AP classes are hard, but they are for college credit, which allows for multiple positives. First, they can definitely save you money. Most schools, outside of the MIT's, Harvard's, etc will take either a 4 or 5 on the exam, which, depending on how you score and your college, can save a lot of money. For example, I got a 5 on AP US History, and that will be an elective that I won't have to take at Northeastern (Huskies for life), and depending on my scores this year, I can knock off other classes that I'd need to take. $90 is not that much in comparison to college.

Second: the experience of them, as some of the others have been saying, it gives a lot of very good experience, and you are already prepared for the difficulty of college. As for the point about what the colleges see, I agree with Dan, they look really good if you have good grades in them, as it tells them that you do well in rigorous settings and thus a better fit.

Best of luck mate.

 

[Blazade]

Anecdotally, a lot of my AP classes didn't end up getting me college credit, but did go a hell of a long way toward preparing me for harder classes I elected to take (you can usually email the professor to skip a recommended prerequisite) and helped me put my best foot forward in classes in my major.

Take what you can handle, but you'll probably be glad you were exposed to advanced concepts in high school when they go at a faster pace in college.

 

[Oglemi]

Don't sacrifice giving up a class you really want to take for taking an AP course. I would say take AP courses as much as you can, as they do help a ton for getting through your gen ed classes in college (if I hadn't taken AP courses in high school I would have had to take another semester of college to graduate myself). But as someone that's "been there done that" I can safely say do what will make you happy more than anything. High school and college go by way too quickly, do what you can to enjoy your time doing them. I know too many people that overloaded on courses and it really really hurt their mental health stress-wise. Of course this also comes with the balance of money and paying for college, and whether or not those AP courses will help you achieve scholarships of some kind, etc., in which case I would strongly take said AP course into consideration if the money aspect is something of importance to you/your family.

As AM said, you should research your schools to see if they weigh taking AP courses in consideration for acceptance, but from what I remember, most high schools in the U.S. still don't even offer AP courses, or if they do not more than a couple, so it's not something that's taken into strong consideration outside of private colleges iirc, since "level playing field" and all.

 

[doublenikesocks]

What are your goals and what do you plan on majoring in? Also, look up what classes are needed for your major and if your college allows AP classes to be used as credit for any classes. If your high school gives a GPA bump for taking AP classes, that is something to consider if you plan on applying to a competitive college to get into. Be wary that taking an AP class and not passing is a waste of time and effort, so do your best to pass the test.

For general advice, I recommend taking at least a few AP classes, even if you haven't decided on your major. Some general ed classes are dreadfully boring, and not having to pay to be bored is worth the effort. In addition, taking AP calc and passing will help you if you are a STEM major. If your school offers it, AP physics will help a lot as well if you are a STEM major.

Taking 7 AP classes in high school and passing all of them would have put me on track to graduate in 3 years had I continued my chemistry degree, however I changed my major and had to start over. Having that sold background in calc and chemistry was super important because college is really fast paced and it is easy to get left behind should something happen like a mental health breakdown that happens to a lot of college students.

 

[DreamPrince]

What are your goals and what do you plan on majoring in? Also, look up what classes are needed for your major and if your college allows AP classes to be used as credit for any classes. If your high school gives a GPA bump for taking AP classes, that is something to consider if you plan on applying to a competitive college to get into. Be wary that taking an AP class and not passing is a waste of time and effort, so do your best to pass the test.

For general advice, I recommend taking at least a few AP classes, even if you haven't decided on your major. Some general ed classes are dreadfully boring, and not having to pay to be bored is worth the effort. In addition, taking AP calc and passing will help you if you are a STEM major. If your school offers it, AP physics will help a lot as well if you are a STEM major.

Taking 7 AP classes in high school and passing all of them would have put me on track to graduate in 3 years had I continued my chemistry degree, however I changed my major and had to start over. Having that sold background in calc and chemistry was super important because college is really fast paced and it is easy to get left behind should something happen like a mental health breakdown that happens to a lot of college students.

But I’m not a STEM Major. I’m an Illustration/Computer Animation/Graphic design Major. ( Haven’t decided yet. )

Anyway, I spoke to my parents about it finally, they said they’d talk to the school personally about a compromise. But I’ve been thinking of taking the class online, has anyone done it here.

 

[faint]

But I’m not a STEM Major. I’m an Illustration/Computer Animation/Graphic design Major. ( Haven’t decided yet. )

Anyway, I spoke to my parents about it finally, they said they’d talk to the school personally about a compromise. But I’ve been thinking of taking the class online, has anyone done it here.

It doesn't matter what your major is. If you take the AP exam and pass it for college credit, you may fulfill a natural science / math / whatever else requirement. Even if that doesn't happen, you'll be ahead of the game in credits and can graduate sooner.

 

[Roy]

From a GPA standpoint, how does making an A in an AP class compare to making an A in a regular class? And is there a difference in A+, A, A-, etc.?

If you're going to a competitive school where GPA is more of a factor, I'd personally prioritize maximizing GPA before deciding if the material would be "useful." Reason why I say that is because you'll likely learn exponentially more in college, so worry about that first.

 

[Hulavuta]

I agree with everyone here that it matters only depending on the specific school you're planning on. When I was in high school, I really felt pressured to do AP and was made to feel that if I didn't, I'd be extremely behind. I only ended up doing half of one, and looking back it didn't really slow me down at all. I got my Bachelor's in 4 years which is pretty standard, and I'm starting grad school in the fall. But I went to community college for two years first, and all they really require was that you finished high school (and even there there are some exceptions). So again, you obviously should check up the specific schools you want to get into to see if it's necessary. I agree 100% that you shouldn't prioritize it over a class you really want to take. From my experience, AP classes really aren't anything like actual college classes anyway. Others might disagree with me there but that's how I feel.

Anyway, I spoke to my parents about it finally, they said they’d talk to the school personally about a compromise. But I’ve been thinking of taking the class online, has anyone done it here.

I did my last 2 and a half years of high school online, and it really is a hassle even for the easier classes. Taking any class online automatically becomes harder when you don't have a teacher actually teaching you and classmates to learn with. Are you very self-motivated and disciplined? Are you gonna get distracted by being on the computer often? I was.

Your teacher is going to be available for phone calls and emails but it's up to you to be really proactive in getting help. But if you're someone who learns mostly on his own in classes anyway, then it might work out for you. Since you said it's AP Studio Art and it seems you're really passionate about it, it might work out.

 

[fanyfan]

Some school districts do give additional points for APs - mine, for instance, gives 5 for A in AP, 4.5 for A in honours and 4 for A in standard. Many of the districts that are doing this are also penalising harder for getting poor grades in those - I believe my district is implementing a policy in 2020 where a C and below in an AP weighs as much as a C and below in a standard. As for A, A-, etc., I've never heard a case where that affects GPA, but my school district doesn't have those so I wouldn't know firsthand.

My school does the 5 for A in AP as well, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a trick. I was told that colleges recalculate the gpa anyway, so it doesn’t actually affect anything. At least, that’s what I was told. So basically, if that’s true, APs are worth just as much as regular classes

 

[The Immortal]

Definitely worth it. I took two APs and got credits for it, which allowed me to skip some courses at university. If I hadn't, I probably would have had to take classes in summer to finish within four years - that or an overload. I wish I had done more APs but I hated school and didn't want to stay an extra hour at the end of the day. Make the sacrifice if the subject is relevant to you.

 

[mudd_skip]

What I've found is that many colleges aren't even accepting AP credit. They want all of their freshmen to start on a "level playing field" because not all high school systems offer the AP program. Additionally, AP classes just focus on preparing you for the test, not necessarily actually learning and internalizing information. For example, in my AP US History class, everything we learned, from basic material to how to write essays just in the way that would get us the most credit on the exam. In summation, while I do think that the AP option is nice for a more rigorous course, it's not entirely worth it in my opinion for these reasons.

 

[Mr.E]

AP classes are certainly very, very worth it from the financial perspective, being a really cheap means of college credits if you go for an advanced degree, but depending on your choice of program/career all it did for me was allow me to take more easy electives while waiting to take all my required courses. In that sense, it might still be worth the stress now to take the tougher (AP) course to allow you to take fewer/easier courses at uni, so you can better focus on tougher classes when the time comes. I also still chose to take the science courses I tested out of, since they were a major component of my chosen career path (chemistry), but I found that to be one giant waste of a time refresher of the shit I learned in AP Chem.

 

[Gweebis]

AP is really nice to have since it can cover certain classes. If you feel it's too stressful to focus on some of the AP classes, you should at least try to take the AP writing course to avoid first-year writing as, while it's not super hard, assignments eat up a lot of time and are graded rather subjectively as prose and writing can be appealing to some but not to all. I had IB classes instead of AP classes, and I deeply regret not searching out some AP classes to take as IB credits were only taken if you got perfects/near perfects on the exams.

 

[zapzap29]

AP classes are worth it from a financial perspective if the college you go to accepts AP credits. Just by passing the AP test you can skip a college course that will most likely be worth hundreds of dollars. It also gives you a feel of what college classes are like. If you can't keep up with the workload then no pressure, you can always drop to a more appropriate level that you'll have an advantage in since you learned it already in AP.

 

[MikeDawg]

In a general sense, if you are trying to get into a top-tier university, you should be taking the hardest schedule your high school has to offer. All the aforementioned stuff about saving money, time, etc is also super important, even if you don't graduate early (I came in with 30 credits, and thank god for that, because with the amount I've been fucking up in college, I'd have been here for 6 years otherwise lol).

I think the balance of work & fun should be skewed in high school (and college if you need to go to med/law/a good grade school). You aren't going to remember this moment 3 years from now when you're in college. You will certainly remember whether you got accepted or rejected from the school you wanted, though, because that has a direct impact on your life 3 years from now. Don't kill yourself with work, but don't deprive future-you of opportunities.