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AP English Lang & AP English Lit...


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Hi all,

I'm trying to form a general plan for dd remaing hs years (she in 9th now), so we've been discussing APs. Dd she is very strong in English, and wants to take both AP English Lang & AP English Lit during her hs years (probably 10th & 11th).

 

My question for those who have btdt, is it worth taking both of these APs? If not, which AP is better to take? (or looks better on a transcript)? Can dd get college credit for both or only 1 or the other? Also, are both just as time intensive?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

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My question for those who have btdt, is it worth taking both of these APs?

It depends on the college, and often the student's major.

 

- Some colleges require a score of 3-5 on both exams to receive credit for both freshman English classes. Dd needed to take both APs.

- Some colleges grant credit for both freshman English classes for a 4 or 5 on only one English AP exam.

- Some colleges do not grant credit for AP at all (this is quite rare).

- etc. You might want to start searching potential colleges' websites to get an idea of credit. Ds could have taken an AP exam for credit, but received it for the easier CLEP exam. His engineering friends were jealous, having struggled through AP classes!

 

If not, which AP is better to take? (or looks better on a transcript)?

That depends on the college as well. I am helping a friend decide which APs her son should take, and we figured out that AP Lit was the best for his situation. We searched his potential colleges' websites, and compared them. AP Lit consistently awarded the most credit. He would have taken both English exams if he had had time.

 

Can dd get college credit for both or only 1 or the other?

Yes - see above. Remember that it depends on the school.

 

Also, are both just as time intensive?

I feel the Literature exam is somewhat more time intensive than Language. The Language course content is mostly a subset of that of the Lit. Also the student has to has thoroughly studied at least five novels to be able to use one for the open response FRQ on the Lit exam. Many high schools teach Lang as an 11th grade class, and Lit as a 12th grade. Dd did Lang in 11th and Lit in 12th. Because she did them in sequence, she did not spend more time on the Lit exam than the Lang.

 

There is more to taking these exams than just the credit, though. Dd is so glad she did both the Lang & the Lit exams. She learned a lot! She had done a lot of writing - both with her WTM-style lit & history study and several IEW programs. Studying and training for the APs helped her focus, improve her speed, and increase her confidence in her ability to do college-level work. It was a valuable experience for her.

 

GardenMom

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Guest sampedo

My son took the English Language and Composition course from PA Homeschoolers last year, and learned a tremendous amount. This year he is taking the literature course. The language course tremendously improved his confidence in his ability to write, and this present course builds on this by utililing this writing ability in literature analysis. I would definitely suggest taking both if possible, even if no credit is given.

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My son took the English Language and Composition course from PA Homeschoolers last year, and learned a tremendous amount. This year he is taking the literature course. The language course tremendously improved his confidence in his ability to write, and this present course builds on this by utililing this writing ability in literature analysis. I would definitely suggest taking both if possible, even if no credit is given.

 

:iagree: My dd also took the AP English Language course from PA homeschoolers (two years ago). Her college (Stanford) gives no credit for either AP English course, regardless of the score. Nevertheless, she is so thankful that she took the class. She's in required Writing & Rhetoric and Humanities classes right now, and she's constantly telling me that the amount and type of writing she did in 11th grade prepared her well.

 

~Kathy

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Another plug for doing both.

AP Lang really helps with non-fiction reading and writing.

AP Lit is an opportunity to explore literature more deeply.

 

Also, I would also suggest not tackling these courses too early, my dds really seemed ready for the thinking required for Lang in 11th grade and would not have benefitted nearly as much taking it earlier. Done right AP Lit is a great high school capstone course.

 

ymmv

~Moira

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