AP Course Audit - Need Help with Process

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Thank you for your help. Is AP Art History also considered a senior class? My dd will most likely major in history. She isn't sure which history major though, but is it 'normal' to take AP courses in what you will major in? Sorry for asking so many questions! I took a quick look at a sample of a syllabus, and it seems like quite a bit of work. I might just call in an honors class with AP exam on her transcript... I am not sure yet. 

 

My daughter is taking AP Art History as a sophomore.  But...that doesn't mean it is typical.  Somewhere there is a list put out by College Board where they have broken down exams from a few years ago by the age of the test taker.  I believe that Art History was taken by mostly seniors but not exclusively.  I managed to save the 2011 report and have attached it below.  I think you should look less at your child's age and more at their interest and ability to handle the test contents. 

 

If you are considering AP solely for college credit then, in some cases, an AP in your chosen major may not be helpful.  Some schools use AP as a credit replacement for a given GenEd course, some straight credit, and some for advanced standing.  How they may allow that to play out in your major may vary.  If you wish to skip an intro level course in your major is a very personal decision and probably very institution and department dependent decision.  I don't think having an AP in a major you are interested in is a bad idea and may be normal-how any results may be used is what could vary.  If you would be upset at having taken AP Biology and received a 5 on the exam only to be told you still needed Bio 101 to major in that subject then...well, my advice would be to look at a track that doesn't include AP or realize that the benefit to having taken AP may come at admissions not in placement.  The one area I have no knowledge about is how that same prospective Bio major would fare in admissions having taken AP but only scoring a 3 on the exam.  I suspect State U and Harvard view it differently.

AP-Program-Summary-Report-2011.pdf

[ariana01]

My daughter is taking AP Art History as a sophomore.  But...that doesn't mean it is typical.  Somewhere there is a list put out by College Board where they have broken down exams from a few years ago by the age of the test taker.  I believe that Art History was taken by mostly seniors but not exclusively.  I managed to save the 2011 report and have attached it below.  I think you should look less at your child's age and more at their interest and ability to handle the test contents. 

 

If you are considering AP solely for college credit then, in some cases, an AP in your chosen major may not be helpful.  Some schools use AP as a credit replacement for a given GenEd course, some straight credit, and some for advanced standing.  How they may allow that to play out in your major may vary.  If you wish to skip an intro level course in your major is a very personal decision and probably very institution and department dependent decision.  I don't think having an AP in a major you are interested in is a bad idea and may be normal-how any results may be used is what could vary.  If you would be upset at having taken AP Biology and received a 5 on the exam only to be told you still needed Bio 101 to major in that subject then...well, my advice would be to look at a track that doesn't include AP or realize that the benefit to having taken AP may come at admissions not in placement.  The one area I have no knowledge about is how that same prospective Bio major would fare in admissions having taken AP but only scoring a 3 on the exam.  I suspect State U and Harvard view it differently.

 

Hi thanks a lot for your help! The main reason I would want to do AP is for college admission, not to get credit. I thought it would maybe look good on a transcript, would you still recommend AP for this reason?

[Muttichen]

Hi thanks a lot for your help! The main reason I would want to do AP is for college admission, not to get credit. I thought it would maybe look good on a transcript, would you still recommend AP for this reason?

 

Definitely!  That's the whole reason we have our kids do APs.  Colleges recognize them so they are an objective way to show that your child has taken a rigorous curriculum and mastered the material.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Hi! I thought I might be able to ask my question here, since this is about AP courses and exams. I think my dd will do AP Literature in her senior year, and because exams are in May, she wouldn't be able to add her AP scores to her admission since college admissions are in October. Has anyone else had this problem? Would it be 'dumb' to do an AP course in senior year? Would it be better to do it in junior year?

 

And can someone describe to me how a syllabus looks like? Does a syllabus just have the names of books you use in that course or does it have more?

 

I would say that it is not uncommon for a student to have no or few AP courses until senior year. Some districts will offer many AP courses, starting with freshmen. But many others don't start until junior year with AP US History. Many students don't have AP until senior year, with an AP English Literature or English Language (which focuses on non-fiction texts) course, or an AP science or math.

 

And of course, there are students who don't have any AP courses, including many sucessful homeschool graduates.

 

I don't think that it is dumb to do AP senior year. However, be aware that in order to list a course as Advanced Placement (AP), the syllabus must be approved by College Board.

 

I did this for two courses this year. Others on this thread and elsewhere on the board have also gone through this process. It isn't that demanding, if you are willing to go through the requirements for that particular course and make sure your syllabus has those elements.

 

It is even possible to adopt one of the sample syllabii as your course syllabus.

 

If you don't want to do this, then you could list it as a course with AP exam. 

 

I would very much suggest googling "ap english literature syllabus". Not only will you find the official syllabus samples, but you will find many teachers around the country who have posted their syllabus and supporting information (like essay assignments or note taking guides).

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Hi thanks a lot for your help! The main reason I would want to do AP is for college admission, not to get credit. I thought it would maybe look good on a transcript, would you still recommend AP for this reason?

 

Using an AP course to satisfy admission requirements or validate the level of challenge or achievement for college admissions is a perfectly legitimate reason to take an AP course. 

 

There are many paths to showing the level of difficulty and challenge a homeschooled student is pursuing.  AP is certainly one valid path and is one that is easily recognized by an admissions board.

 

As Sebastian mentioned above-if you want the course listed as AP on the transcript be sure you either outsource a course recognized by College Board as AP or that you submit your intended syllabus to CB's audit process and gain the approval yourself.  The use of an AP designation on a transcript is heavily protected by CB.  Neither of the hoops to official AP status is overly difficult to get through-it just takes a bit of planning.

[ariana01]

Using an AP course to satisfy admission requirements or validate the level of challenge or achievement for college admissions is a perfectly legitimate reason to take an AP course. 

 

There are many paths to showing the level of difficulty and challenge a homeschooled student is pursuing.  AP is certainly one valid path and is one that is easily recognized by an admissions board.

 

As Sebastian mentioned below-if you want the course listed as AP on the transcript be sure you either outsource a course recognized by College Board as AP or that you submit your intended syllabus to CB's audit process and gain the approval yourself.  The use of an AP designation on a transcript is heavily protected by CB.  Neither of the hoops to official AP status is overly difficult to get through-it just takes a bit of planning.

 

Thank you so much for all your help! I still find it difficult to decide what to do, but will see.. If it turns out my dd 'only' does AP in her senior, so be it :) One other option would be, if I wouldn't want to get it approved by collegeboard, is to call it honors with ap exam, right?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

There are some threads stickies at the top of the forum that include discussion of several people's experiences with AP. They are good to read through.