All the decisions are in, and I was also accepted to Stanford (totally shocked and ecstatic!), Williams (early write), and Rice. (Rejected from Harvard, Penn, and Princeton.) Thanks to the fantastic financial aid, I'll be deciding between Stanford and Columbia for next year. So blessed and excited!

Received a likely letter from Columbia University! (Totally shocked. But homeschoolers can make it to the Ivy League!) Also accepted to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (waiting on merit aid), George Mason's honors college (with 10k merit aid), University of Maryland's honors college (waiting on merit aid), and the University of Alabama's honors college (finalist for the CBHP research honors program, guaranteed NMF full-tuition+ scholarship). I'm still waiting to hear from the rest. I'm excited for next year!

Has anyone taken AP Chemistry with PA Homeschoolers? I'll be a junior this year, and I'm considering it. Every review of the class I've seen has complimented the teacher highly and the level of preparation for the AP exam (and SAT subject test!). I'm a little worried that the subject could be really boring, and I don't want to rope myself into a super time-consuming class that sucks up my free time to pursue my own interests. It does look like a great class, though. So what did you guys think of the class? Why should students take AP Chemistry (the class in general, not specifically even PAH)? Thanks!

e

Keep in mind that the APUSH exam is changing this school year, so it may not be the best time to take it.

We're a little stuck on planning for science next year. I'll be a sophomore, and I took Apologia biology in 8th grade and chemistry last year in 9th. I've been doing APs in history and English, and while I'm taking AP Euro and AP Lang this year, I really don't want to ignore the math and science side of things (math already got slowed down last year because of all the AP work.) I'm part of the way through precalculus (though I'll finish it this school year), so I obviously couldn't tackle AP Physics C. I really want a challenge, though! So, it's between Apologia physics (the easiest option), or self-studying AP Chemistry, AP Bio, or AP Physics B. Since they're changing the Bio exam, this year, I don't know that this would be the best time to do it since I wouldn't be familiar with the changes. Also, I've read that AP Physics B isn't the greatest class to take because colleges don't accept credit for it because it's not calculus-based. AP Chem could work - I just did chemistry last year, but I'm worried that it could turn out to be extremely boring! (Yes, while it does sound trivial, I want to feel like I'm learning something applicable to the real world instead of mindless problems based on fifty different formulas!). I'm definitely up for self-studying: I've taken three AP exams before, one of them successfully elf-studied, so I'm familiar with the drill. Anyway, sorry for this long post - if any knowledgeable someone could offer an opinion, it would be so appreciated! In what order have your kids done the AP sciences?

Just wanted to chime in with a different view on Mrs. Inspektor's class. I took AP Lit last year, not AP Lang, but I did not see a focus on creative-writing people (of which I am certainly not one!). She did do an optional two-week unit during her maternity leave in which we could write a short story or begin a novel, but not everybody did this and this was the first time she'd ever done this in class. Considering that AP Lit is even more of a creative class than AP Lang because we studied fiction instead of nonfiction, perhaps this might be helpful to those considering either one.

There are definitely some APs that are way easier than others - one factor you might want to consider is that some are only semester courses (government and the economics courses), while others are usually year-long. I did AP U.S. government in the spring of 8th grade and scored a 5 - it was definitely a good first AP. Not an overwhelming amount of material, and I was already interested in politics. You can find some idea of how difficult the different exams are online - College Confidential, a discussion forum, can be very helpful. People disagree in their evaluations, but there is a consensus on some as the hardest: Calc BC, Chemistry, etc.. Last year, as a 9th-grader, I took AP US History and AP English Lit with PA Homeschoolers.

In the 2010-11 school year (8th grade) I did a half-semester course in economics that sparked a deep interest - I'm considering majoring in it. We didn't use a textbook, but an assortment of books (mostly from a free-market perspective). We used: Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury (and I ended up reading all the rest of the books in the Uncle Eric series.) the accompanying Bluestocking Guide: Economics (the title was something like that - I'm not sure), which included questions, writing assignments, and outside reading. Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell Economics: A Free Market Reader by Jane A. Williams and Kathryn Daniels (published by Bluestocking Press) the Teaching Company's Timothy Taylor economics lectures. It was a bit scattered, but it was incredibly interesting and I've been reading about economics-related topics ever since (including a birthday subscription to The Economist.) Then I got really interested in trade policy and read all about the arguments for and against tariffs.

Still waiting in Michigan for my scores to come by mail. Since the College Board has a monopoly on educational testing, I really didn't want to give them more money (to call) on something I'd find out in a few weeks anyway! Apparently they mail out in geographical order, or at least they have in past years, from west to east.

I'm taking these classes: AP European History (PA Homeschoolers, Mrs. Harrison) AP English Language and Composition (PA Homeschoolers, Mrs. Inspektor) finishing up Foerster's Precalculus and starting Calculus in preparation for BC as a junior finishing Henle Third Year and studying for the SAT Latin subject test Apologia Physics (or possibly an AP science) Bible study Also choir, extensive volunteering at the library (and a job there starting in February), political involvement, and piano. I'll probably also be doing a lot of independent reading and listening to Teaching Company lectures on various topics.

Definitely doable, if the student is motivated. I just finished AP Lit (pretty similar to AP Lang) and APUSH, and feel quite confident about my exam scores thanks to those classes. To succeed, I found that you need to have good time management skills, or be willing to learn fast! Keeping a planner with all the assignments worked well for me to stay on top of things and break it down all the work into more doable parts. Those two classes definitely consumed about 40% of my school time, but they greatly benefited my writing. Also, I highly recommend Mrs. Inspektor and Mrs. Richman (mother and daughter). They are both extremely organized, encouraging, and helpful.

I'm taking AP Lit Thursday morning and APUSH Friday morning. I know my PA Homeschoolers classes have prepared me well - I'm excited!

I'm in 9th grade (unless I decide to graduate early), and currently taking APUSH and AP Lit (a little unusual - it's usually taken in 12th grade, but I felt I was up for the challenge) through PA Homeschoolers. The classes are going extremely well for me. Last year I actually self-studied for AP Gov and received a 5 - again, strange, because people don't usually do APs in 8th grade, but I was on track to graduate early and I wanted to try it out just for a test run. Next year I plan to take AP Euro and AP Lang through PA Homeschoolers, likely AP Latin, and possibly self-study for one of the AP Calc tests. I love my AP classes - not only are they challenging and fulfilling academically, but I love meeting and Skyping with like-minded, smart students from around the country.

Here's the newest edition (I think) of the Wilson text, which is called American Government: Institutions and Policies: http://www.amazon.com/American-Government-Institutions-James-Wilson/dp/0495802816/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334505995&sr=8-3. Hmm...I don't remember exactly what I did - I do know that I read the textbook pretty quickly just so I had lots of time to review the study guide, notes, FRQs, etc. I don't think it really matters that much what you do, though, since the material is the same.