AP tests

[California8429]

I'm wondering how many of you students took AP tests this year and in what subjects?

I took Government and Politics, and World History. We don't have a government and politics class so I had to take the test at a different school

[California8429]

Eh... Not this year.  I have taken Calculus/Any Geo, Writing I, World History, and Spanish AP tests.  Much cheaper than college classes, and for the same amount of credit.  I had a mandatory "Participation in Government" class for my Senior year.  However, no college credit was offered...

May I ask what you got on AP Spanish? I know it's really hard, the highest score any of my friends have gotten is a 3. I'm in Spanish IV now, but I'm not going to AP

[California8429]

I took AP US History. Would love to take Politics and Government, but we don't have the class.

You can/should still take the exam, it's not that hard at all. The only part I actually had to study was the specifics about the judicial system

[California8429]

My high school was hardcore. My AP classes were a hell of a lot more challenging and rewarding than generic 101 in college.

Students always know what's best for them.  They always assume that they have a basis of comparison and a rational and informed and mature world-view.  This is as true about my kindergarten-age son as it is about my graduate students.  

I can assure you that your professors, by and large, do not consider your AP courses to be perfect substitutes for the courses that they teach.  There are some exceptions, I'm sure.  I myself taught AP calculus and AP chemistry, for two years, after obtaining an MS and before going back to grad school to obtain a PhD, and for a very long time I liked to think that any AP course I taught was as good as any freshman-level course being taught at universities.  But once I began teaching university-level courses I understood that this was not the case.

If it is your goal to blow through college in three years, either because of familial economic considerations or because you simply do not enjoy school or because you see education as a means to an end rather than an end in itself, then by all means you might consider applying AP coursework toward your BS degree.  But if you are a serious about learning, about making the most of your education, then I advise you not to apply your advanced placement coursework as a substitute for university-level education.

I hope I'm in financial state in which I can encourage my own son to take advantage of his university's offerings, whatever they may be, once he reaches that point in his life.  Certainly I'll encourage him to take as many AP courses as he can handle, but I won't push him to actually take the AP exam, and if he chooses to, I won't push him to try to get credit in college for those exam scores just to save me money.  But parents do differ in their philosophy regarding what they should and shouldn't do, and I wouldn't tell someone else how to raise his children.

But as a university educator, I can assure you that you are much better off appreciating and bragging about that 5 you scored, and hanging on to it, but ultimately enrolling in the curriculum that your university bulletin suggests.

I'm long through with school and I don't have any kids. I'm not a student, so I don't have a dog in this fight. However, you're way romanticizing college as an experience, greatly overestimating the quality of intro level classes at the average university, and completely discounting the outrageous price of college. If you're at Harvard, by all means, seriously consider if you're ready for the advanced class. However, if after passing an AP exam with a 4 or 5, you're at a state school (with a few exceptions, granted) save yourself the frustration of paying a thousand dollars to share what's essentially a remedial class with 100 hung over frat boys, half of whom shouldn't be at college in the first place. It really isn't that glamorous.
Oh and since everybody is bragging.
Eng Lang 4
US History 5
Eng Lang 5
Euro History 4
French 3

Especially since the Ivy Leagues almost accept no AP test even for 5s and when they do it usually only counts toward and elective if you're in a different major/concentration area

[California8429]

World History* 5
Gov't and Politics 5

*Actually took the class

I didn't take the government and politics test and only read the prep guide the week before and that was the extend of my studying. I was in a classroom with 40 seniors, I'm only a sophomore, er was, at a school far away. They all were writing for their essays until time was called and I had an hour to spare and got a 5... I did manage to drag one friend down with me but she only got a 1.

Hopefully this is what I'll take in the future

Junior
US History*
English Lang and Comp*
Psychology

Luckily I won't be taking AP Spanish!

Senior
English Lit and Comp*
Microeconomics*
Comparative Gov't and Politics*
Calculus BC*
Statistics*
European History (May or not be a class my senior year, we're trying to get it)

Looks like I'll be busy senior year, though Economics and Comparative Politics are only semester courses at our school

[California8429]

APs!  I took one in 2006, two in 2007 and four in 2008.  perfect multiplicative.  bought me 21 credits here at Cornell so I only needed 99 spread over 4 semesters: I have less than 24 left to the magic number of 120, but 12 per semester are needed to mainitain full-time student status without which I'd lose coverage on my Dad's City of New York Teachers' Unions are so f'ing Evil health plan, so we wouldn't want that. Chris Christie might even empathise.

New York not Iowa right?

My sister goes to Cornell. What's your major?

[California8429]

Tis the season to update this.

Sophomore:
World History: 5
Government and Politics*: 5

Junior: (Current year)
English Lang:
US History

Senior:
Calc BC
English Lit
Comparative Politics*
Microeconomics*
European History*

Our counselors are evil and have piled all the single class AP classes on top of one another, too dumb to realize a kid in one AP class, probably will be wanting to take another AP class. So I'm taking CP, economics and Euro outside of school, filling up my transcript schedule with busy-work electives.

[California8429]

3 pages for a short essay?

Mine we're all that long...slightly shorter on the FRQs.

I did Q 2 and 5...though I was debating between 2 and 3 and decided I could just bring up more historical facts by doing question 2.

[California8429]

3 pages for a short essay?

Mine we're all that long...slightly shorter on the FRQs.

I did Q 2 and 5...though I was debating between 2 and 3 and decided I could just bring up more historical facts by doing question 2.

We talkin' 'bout the same test? (not sure what grade you're in, but I think you're above me, and that implies they issue the same test every year) Although I did have the same issue between 2 and 3, but I chose 3.

The test is the same for every high schooler no matter the grade.

[California8429]

Damn. I had 3 pages for the DBQ and a page and a half each for the short essays. But hey, length isn't the most important thing.

I'm in sophomore year, but we got the same test.

I'm sure that's fine. Most people probably wrote about that length. I wouldn't be too worried about it.

What I'm curious is about is how you guys took APUSH in Sophomore year. We don't allow anyone under Junior year to take it (though again, my school sucks).

Half the schools in my area do that actually and make WH a junior class. A committed freshman could take the class and do well in it I think. History isn't the same as advancing through math and science or even english (though I supposed freshman essays wouldn't be that great on the test).

[California8429]

aren't you guys breaking the law by discussing the contents of the exam?

I actually don't think we are because we aren't disclosing what the actual prompt or questions were.

[California8429]

AP English Language was a lot easier than I expected it to be. APWH had easier multiple choice, but the DBQ made me laugh, considering I have no knowledge of cricket whatsoever. Any other feelings?

Last year it was on some green agricultural revolution or something in India, very modern, never new it existed and neither did the students or our teachers.

[California8429]

Tis the season to update this.

Sophomore:
World History: 5
Government and Politics*: 5

Junior:
English Lang: 5
US History: 5

Senior:
Calc BC
English Lit
Comparative Politics*
Microeconomics*
European History*

E-mailed my teachers yesterday. Time for an update.

[California8429]

Shoot, no ones home so I won't see my score until the 16th.

Can you access them online or call?

You can call, but it costs $8. I just e-mailed my teachers.

[California8429]

So:

5 Econ Macro
5 Econ Micro
5 AP Lit
5 AP Euro
5 US Gov
4 Stat

+

5 AP US
5 AP Comp Gov
4 AP Lang
4 AP World

Which gives me a grand total of.... 16 credits!

I am stunned at the 4 in stat, I really am. That class was atrocious.

I'll be talking almost the exact same classes and tests woo