At the end of last year, I was a happy junior. I was unstressed about college, knew exactly where I wanted to go, had a great boyfriend and a great group of friends. I also had to choose my classes for my senior year.
I was so excited. I’d been interested in taking AP Literature and Composition since my sophomore year, when my ex boyfriend was enrolled and I helped him with most of his work. He’d receive a novel or poem to read, and either question me about it, or hand it off to me to read for him. It was rather fun for me.
Also, they had a few new courses, one of which was AP US History. The teacher who was to teach it was my Econ teacher at that time, and he’s a great teacher, so I signed up to take it. I did figure that I’d end up taking both AP tests.
Now? It’s AP Test Time, 2008. Guess what? I took AP Spanish and I will be taking AP English Language. No APuSH, no Lit&Comp… And I’m regretting that I even bothered to take the Spanish test.
I don’t regret challenging myself, but I do regret challenging myself in the wrong way. My Spanish IV class is nothing like an AP class – all we’ve done is reiterate the same concepts that have been taught to us since Spanish I, first semester. We don’t really learn anything new! It’s kind of sad. As for the English Language… I’m feeling confident, but at the same time, I felt confident about AP Spanish, so that isn’t helping me to feel better.
I don’t think AP tests are bad, but I do think that one shouldn’t take tests that they aren’t obviously prepared for. It’s kind of sad that I had to learn the hard way, and waste eighty-four dollars of my parent’s money, but what can I do about the past?
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I wouldn't have taken the AP exams for either Calc or English Lit&Comp if I wasn't required to by my school. I took the classes for a challenge, and got my challenge. I didn't want to take the tests...I can't even get credit for them at my college! Add into that my test anxiety...
amp;
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
My school can't force us to take the exams - they refuse to pay for it, and the county refuses to allow them to force us to take exams that we have to pay for. I guess I'm lucky, in that sense.
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Very lucky. The entire county's policy is that if you take an AP class, you're taking the exam, or you automatically fail the class.
I kinda needed another english and math credit to graduate. So I had no choice in the matter. -_-;
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
That's just evil.
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Tell me about it.
There's reason behind my negative amounts of school spirit.
There really is.
-_-
I can't wait until I'm out.
Just 18 more days...
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
We have 24, and most everyone in the county gets out this week. We're also the first class since the school opened (50 years ago) to have our graduation after the underclassmen are out. We're actually getting out the day after we normally would have graduated (first Tuesday in June, unless it's June 1).
I dislike my new principal. So much.
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Are weekends included in your number? Because the first Tuesday in June is four days before I graduate. I'm out on the sixth...
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
Yeah, I included weekends... When I don't, people get confused, and when I do, people still get confused.
I get out the 4th, graduate the 14th (we have senior stuff, like our class trip and such).
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I didnt include weekends...
We go to school until the day of our graduation, the sixth.
We don't get anything special, either. Just a senior picnic the day after finals are done with...and all the grade levels get a picnic anyway.
And you get a class trip? I'm so jealous!!! There's a trip on the last day of school, to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, but seniors don't get to go, because we have to "practice" for the graduation...and then they kick us out of the school half an hour after the bus leaves...*pouts* I won't get to see the hat shop this year! I ALWAYS haunt the hat shop!!!!
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
I've taken three AP tests in my courses at high school, and have two more to go. My school requires them for all students who take an AP class, but fortunately they pay for it.
My problem with AP tests, and any standardized test, is the idea that you can determine a person's comprehension of a subject or intelligence with an impersonal test. Plus, AP tests just cause a lot of undue stress.
They're stopping the class trip next year... It's a seniors-only thing, but it's more-or-less to get us back on the school grounds - from our last day of school until we graduate, if we are found on school grounds (outside of the trip or getting our cap&gown), we will not walk. We're not technically visitors, but they don't want us hanging around and getting the underclassmen in trouble, or bothering the teachers. :P It's kind of stupid.
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I never thought AP courses were any more difficult than the standard level courses. That may not be everyone's experience, but it was mine. I wish I would have taken more AP classes in high school since they were graded on a 5.0 scale instead of a 4.0 scale. It would have been a great GPA booster!
The only real difference in AP courses at my school, now that I look back, would be the workload. And the tests...the tests were pretty killer...
But I just had more work, in general. That made it difficult on me, but it really wasn't the course that was harder...just the workload. And a lot of the work was kinda pointless, too...
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
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The Story of Myself
My senior year I took AP Chemistry, Statistics, English Literature, and Spanish Literature. I got a 5 on Chem and English Lit., a 4 on Stats, and a 3 on Spanish Lit. I took 3 other AP classes in my junior and sophmore years, Spanish Language, U.S. History, World History. I learned a lot from all my AP classes, got a GPA boost and apparently learned enough from the class to do quite well on the tests. My college, UC San Diego, gives college credit for AP scores, so I've had a prime enrollment time for the past two years and I got credit for 8 classes.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
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