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As alot of you probably remember, my son goes to a small rural high school with no AP's or honors courses. I see so much AP talk but was wondering if someone could give me a quick course in the differences between AP and say a second year course in BIO or a specialty science? Also my son is going to be scheduled to take calculus but once again no AP designation. Will this course not prepare him for mathmathics in college? Here is sons schedule for next year, is this suitable or should he perhaps try to fit some college courses through our community college, (which sucks as well)around his work, volunteer and school schedules?

*Senior English (The only elective in English you can take)
*Calculus
*Spanish IV
*Physics
*Anatomy and Physiology
*A social science class, he needs the credit in SS to graduate. And there isn't much to choose from as he's had all the history classes. So it's either Economics, current events or Psychology.

By AFL on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 - 09:01 am: Edit

If your son is shooting for a top-tier college it would certainly "look good" if his record shows that he went after an enrichment opportunity, such as a community college class. If, however, you think that the quality of many of the CC classes is no better than what's offered at the high school, perhaps consider having him enroll in a CC course that he would enjoy that isn't available at his school. This should be something that is comparable to what is offered at the colleges--or types of colleges--he'll be considering. In other words, think "philosophy" or "astronomy," not "woodworking" or "auto mechanics."

While admission officials will NEVER expect applicants to take classes that aren't available to them (e.g.,APs), they do perk up (and reach for those "admit" form letters!)when they see out-of-school enrichment choices.

By R Storm (Anonrs) on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 04:04 am: Edit

For social studies, I would recommend Economics, a very traditional college prep class (that many kids seem to avoid these days because it can be a bit of a drudge).

I know someone who is currently enrolled in a hs Psychology class. She finds it very interesting and there is actually much more substance to it than what I thought there would be. But quite a bit of the substance deals with brain structure and chemistry -- not a bad thing at all, but perhaps it might be perceived as a bit redundant (in part) of the Anatomy and Physiology class that your son will be taking? (I really have no idea -- just a random thought).

Current Events seems like the "weakest" of your three social study options. Undoubtedly it could be a very interesting class, but I wonder if selective colleges would consider it rigorous -- particularly if there is even a shadow of bias against small rural high schools. (Does this course attract all the poor students /slackers at your son's school because they think "there's nothing to it"?)

Re philosophy at the CC (if your son is interested in this topic): it's an excellent analysis, logic, writing, etc skill-builder that will really help him in college! A warning though -- any half-way decent philosophy course will entail a *considerable* amount of work (reading and writing); perhaps more than he can comfortably take on with his hs classes, work and activities. (said as the mom of a philososphy major who discovered his love for this subject through a philosophy course taken in his junior year of hs).

Have you posted your spring tour impressions yet?

By 1sttimecollegemom on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 09:46 am: Edit

Actually, almost every kid in the school tries to take the current events class, from top all the way to bottom. I had it way back when also and really enjoyed the class. As far as rigourous, I would say no, however, it's practical side still hangs with me today. The ciriculum basically entails reading Newsweek magazine, watching the news (the major network evening news not the local ones) and ALOT of geography. Tests every week cover the hot topics of the week, along with special interest topics covered due to the news. I'm dating myself here but I remember learning about the middle east during the Iranian hostage crisis, and the love of reading the news was learned during this time. I wish he could take this class, but I think I'll probably take your advice and suggest economics to him. He is getting a new job which will give him 20 to 30 hours a week, along with his 5 or more hours of volunteer work and I honestly don't know if he could fit the philosophy in. It's a 45 minute drive to the CC, and with every things else, I'm afraid he may be over extending himself. Thanks!

P.S. I haven't posted my tour impressions yet, but will try to do so today. It was actually very surprising!

By Smiles on Saturday, June 01, 2002 - 09:31 pm: Edit

I've heard that there are some pretty good online AP courses. I've never taken any, but I hear that they are excellent for people with busy and unpredictable schedules because of their flexible nature...Just a thought, 1st. :-)

By Guammom (Guammom) on Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 05:44 am: Edit

I agree with Smiles. We come from the island of Guam and as you can imagine our selection of courses is also limited. My son is currently taking an on line class with Stanford University under the Education Program for Gifted Youth. I have spoken to his school and have requested they include his on line class on his transcripts, and they have agreed. He wants to get into engineering and is taking a programming class. Like Smiles mentioned, the nice thing about the class is the flexibility. High school students can complete the class under their time frame.

By kingkong123 on Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 07:43 pm: Edit

Hi, my name is Bryan. I will be a senior next year. I go to a highly seletive high school. I have taken a number of honors and AP courses. I just want to know the chances of me getting into the top-tier colleges ( UC IRVINE, UC BERKELEY, UCLA, ETC.) This is my schedule for next year.

Economics AP/U.S Government AP
Statistics AP
Spanish IV AP
Biology II AP
English 4
Trigonometry H
( I will also take some classes at a community college)

GPA=3.7
SATI= 1580 (M=800 V=780)
SATII=780,790,790

I have received Honors and high Honors on many Golden State Exams. I have done 100 hours of community services and joined many clubs.Is being Vietnamese give me the edge when applying to UC Berkeley, Davis, or Irvine?

By Warrior (Warrior) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 01:41 am: Edit

I have a few things to say about online course since it's brought up.

Our school here only offers AP Comp Sci online program, and it is evident that the test scores are generally much lower than the students learning in physical presence.

The teacher posts lectures and assignments online expecting the students to read it and be ready for the weekly quiz/exam, which is done in person. What ends up happening is that the students lose motivation to work on their own, on top of not having good accessibility to the teachers.

So same advice as SAT courses... depending on the type of person you are, you might not want to take it.

Of course, this is one easy enhancement to the courseload. For most people, online courses require the least commitment.