Alright, so I’m guessing because of all of your progressive attitudes, that most of you are in or have taken an AP class at one time or another. I have to tell you that I was quite an AP junky myself. I took eleven AP classes total and seven in my senior year. At the end of my senior year, a girl came up to me and told me that I was close-minded for taking so many AP classes and not taking appreciation of crown-molding or something like that. Now I’m not disrespecting the arts. I love going to art museums, ballets, and concerts, but a lot of students seem to have this negative outlook on AP and IB classes. Their argument is that the teacher doesn’t really allow you to learn the subject but just teaches for the test.
What I say to that is then, that’s just not the best teacher. Anyway, it’s really up to you if you want to delve deeper into a subject. I also think AP classes are positive because they teach you how to manage your time better in college and in life. I’m having some minor time management issues my first year in college, but nothing compared to what I would have had if I did not have the habits I acquired in AP classes.
Finally, I say, when in doubt figure it out. Do you know how much money AP classes save you in college? My college, which only ended up taking three of my AP classes because of credit caps, still cost way cheaper because of those AP courses (to the sound of 15 grand.) So if someone’s telling you that you’re not really learning in AP classes or that the classes are not really like college, that’s just a cop-out. Study hard and get those 5’s, it’ll be worth it (chi-ching) in the long run.
I took several GT (gifted and talented) classes, which were a step above the AP classes in high school. Why they did it that way, I'm really not sure, there were so few of us that carried over from GATE classses in elementary that the classes were super small (I think the biggest GT class had 10 students). I personally found the classes to be easier than the AP and regular classes because a lot of the teachers simply didn't feel that they needed to go too far into detail because our classes were so small and we knew most of it.
Those in the GT classes were considered the "best" students so got away with a lot more and were given a break I suppose is how they thought of it. Kind of crappy that it was done that way, but at the time, I didn't mind... it gave me time to do something other than go over the same concepts that have been drilled into us since 1st grade. So, while the classes were great for slacking off, they really didn't offer much in the form of an education... even though, we did shoot the shit about life a lot more in those classes.
When I switched and finished high school from home, I took a lot of different courses. Classic Lit, Greek Mythology, South American Culture, etc instead of the same boring old History and English classes. It kicked much ass and I'd choose that over GT any day.
But yeah, it really depends on the teacher.
I think in some cases, AP course do prepare you for the workload you have in college. However,I do think in some places, the Ap curriculum is way watered down. So far in college though, my AP classes have been pretty helpful, but I think it was mainly based on the teachers... not necessarily the two letter of doom.
lol, the question I would ask them is what is the alternative to the AP classes? The regular classes? Are they going to be better than the AP in content and projectivity? More than likely, no, otherwise what would be the point in AP?
My school doesn't carry AP classes, but there are other options of bussing to a school that does... only its just too much trouble for what its worth.
I say to you, forget the naysayers, more than likely they're just jealous they're not able to take them.
I only took one AP course way back in the day (of '96-'97), and I didn't pass the test. I'm not sure how it happened.. Was I not paying attention or did the teacher just not prepare? In any case, the class was fun, so it was worth it.
And yes, taking out a chunk of credits does help you out in the long run. =)
AP classes are definitely worth it. I'm learning a lot this year in my five AP classes, and it's not just what's on the test. In fact, I hate taking standardized tests so much that I opted out of them and am paying to be enrolled in a local college's honor academy where the teachers who are certified to teach AP classes are would be able to go and teach at a real college. They teach the same curriculum and whatever grade we get in the class, the college takes, even though we didn't attend the class on their campus.
I graduated from the IB program at my high school, and I'll say that it was the best decision I've ever made. Granted, with far more homework than the average student, I learned MUCH more and appreciated my education as a result. Further, I dont think taking that many AP or IB classes makes you close-minded at all. I'm a lover of the arts as well, but I balance it well with my academics. Cheers!
AP classes can definitely help a lot. They help prepare students for college, they provide a fantastic environment for students that are ready for it, they give students an edge when taking other standardized tests like the SAT or ACT, and they save a lot of money when they go off to college.
But, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Sure, it's great to have at least some AP credits in high school, but if you have six classes everyday, and all of them, or most of them, are AP, you may not exactly have much of a life outside of school. And, I don't mean just social life, but I also mean extracurriculars and community service. If you're so busy with studying, homework, and stressing over some course or other, you can miss out on other opportunities. Not all scholarships are awarding on a purely academic basis. Besides, it's fulfilling to be able to participate in these activities in addition to having a rigorous curriculum and high GPA.
Then we have other levels of classes, and we also have electives.
At my school, not only do we have AP, but we also have the option of dual enrolment with a local community college. These classes, to me, seem more like an honors class than anything, but they're still good classes. I can speak from experience that I've learned and grown a lot in my Humanities class. Others I know have spoken nothing but good things from their College Algebra class, too. And, these community college credits can carry over to other colleges and universities, thus giving roughly the same benefit as APs when it comes to saving money.
Honors classes aren't evil. I took American Government and Economics honors classes last year because I didn't feel the need to overload on AP classes. Three out of six was enough for me. Besides, it turned out to my advantage because now I have a foundation for AP Macroeconomics next semester. Instead of going blindly into that specific AP subject, I now have something to build off of. Also, I already know the teacher, and we're going to have a great time with each other for another year.
Then we have electives. Electives, I believe, can be very valuable to students, especially if they want some help in figuring out what they're good at, what they're like, and what they may possibly do when they're trying to figure out their majors, jobs, and careers. From taking Exploratory Teaching I (and II, this year), I've figured out that maybe being a professor would be a spiffy career for me. In taking Journalism, I've figured out that maybe being a journalist isn't what I should be, but perhaps I should get a degree in PoliSci and be a contributing author or columnist one day. Sure, the credits for these classes aren't weighted, and they're not the hardest classes on the planet, but they provide a method of growth for me; they give me good experiences and knowledge. Quite frankly, I'm nothing but grateful for those opportunities.
Anyway, just my two cents. As I said, AP classes on the whole are pretty awesome, but I think there are other things to take into consideration as well.
"Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt."
"Freedom of press is limited to those who own one."
H. L. Mencken
i took two and did fine on them both, good experience
JZ
Everybody is different. So, one AP class can't fit everybody. Therefore, you can only get out of an AP class what you put in. Simply sitting in class all day long, is not going to enrich your mind. It is when you actually committ yourself to bigger and better things that you will achieve bigger and better things.
I have seen so many of my fellow AP students that simply didn't care. They brought the whole level of our AP classes down. They weren't reading the required books, writing the essays, or answering the study questions on their own. So, the teacher had to compensate for that in class. Time that should have been spent on furthering our knowledge was spent on getting my peers caught up to where they were supposed to be.
I don't really know that I got that much extra out of my AP classes, but I do know that I got more out of them than I would have gotten out of on-level classes.
Not only did I clear out seveal of my history and literature credits, but it also was a majorstep up, since I was completely used to the socratic discusstion format, and could handle writing a paper a week!