High school -> college, 2 scenarios

[michaeljkrell]

Yeah, AP classes were the best things I took in high school. UNO (University of Nebraska-Omaha) took my three in AP History and four in English and gave me 12 credit hours without effecting my GPA.

 

[Milhouse]

Originally Posted by sunshowers

AP isn't just a little bit harder, it means college/university level. It's similar to IB. At my high school you went into it from eleventh grade and you'd complete the equivalent of a uni level course by the end of twelfth grade. If your AP scores are high enough, colleges and universities will give you credits for the corresponding first year courses. In fact, if you have enough AP credits, many post-secondary institutions will allow you to skip the first year of your degree altogether - an awesome way to save on tuition. Taking AP classes can be risky though, because for most high school students it will be the first time they are graded on a curve, and quite a steep one at that (grades are then scaled into scores from 1 to 5). If you want Ivy Leagues, you NEED to be scoring at ~90th percentile or higher so you can get those 5's. Most other good schools will be happy with 4's, and no one cares about 3's. College and university adcoms, and especially Ivy League adcoms, like AP scores because they're standardized the world over. For example, they can look at an AP Chemistry score and know exactly which percentile range you fall within. This is a big plus considering that many high schools inflate grades, and most regional standardized testing is a joke - I walked out of my twelfth grade English provincial exam halfway through (I skipped writing the main essay) and still got a solid B!
That is all wonderful, but you didn't, in any way, rebut my argument against the idea that because AP classes are harder, traditional metrics should be altered, causing compatibility issues when looking at trends over time. But, to make sure I'm perfectly clear, I'll say three things. 1) You are incentivized to take AP courses because you get more learning for the same price while in high school. 2) You are incentivized to take AP courses because it may save you money in college by eliminating some easy freshman courses, allowing you to replace those credits with better credits, effectively getting more education for the same money. 3) So, you have two HUGE incentives; extra learning in high school and college, and a monetary incentive. Why is there any reason to alter the 4.0 ceiling?

 

[Tarmac]

Originally Posted by Milhouse

That is all wonderful, but you didn't, in any way, rebut my argument against the idea that because AP classes are harder, traditional metrics should be altered, causing compatibility issues when looking at trends over time.

Basically, because it doesn't matter. Admissions committees are very familiar with every kind of grading system imaginable, they know with a glance whether yours uses the 4.3 scale or the 4.0 scale. Many prominent high schools use a 0-100 scale anyway, there is no real historical continuity you speak of

 

[redgrail]

Originally Posted by michaeljkrell

It has become a matter of institutional dogma at Harvard that a year off before college is a Good Thing.

In a letter to parents warning that ambitious students often "burn out" at or after Harvard, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions urges students to consider taking a year off before they matriculate"”and over 50 did so this year.

For about 20 of these students, though, deferring is not an option, but a requirement.

They recommend it as an option and 30 students chose to take this option even though they could have entered Harvard directly...

There's a difference between deferring admission and waiting a year to apply.

 

[crazyquik]

Originally Posted by Milhouse

3) So, you have two HUGE incentives; extra learning in high school and college, and a monetary incentive. Why is there any reason to alter the 4.0 ceiling?

As long as there are GPAs, and people care about them, students will try and game the system. In high school I could have taken 'regular' classes, not tried at all, and had perfect 4.0s. Why take a college freshman calc/stat/chemistry class when it could shatter your GPA? Unless, of course, it offers the attractive carrot of inflated grades and the chance for a final GPA over 4.0.

 

[BubblyMasquerade]

Originally Posted by Milhouse

That is all wonderful, but you didn't, in any way, rebut my argument against the idea that because AP classes are harder, traditional metrics should be altered, causing compatibility issues when looking at trends over time.

But, to make sure I'm perfectly clear, I'll say three things.

1) You are incentivized to take AP courses because you get more learning for the same price while in high school.

2) You are incentivized to take AP courses because it may save you money in college by eliminating some easy freshman courses, allowing you to replace those credits with better credits, effectively getting more education for the same money.

3) So, you have two HUGE incentives; extra learning in high school and college, and a monetary incentive. Why is there any reason to alter the 4.0 ceiling?

godamn stop bitching its already done.