Ap Classes a Waste? Ap or not to Ap…that is the Controversial Question

| Posted: 28-01-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 12 | Rating: (58)

(?)

“OK, well, I haven’t been getting enough hate mail lately, so I thought I’d give you my opinion on AP classes, and why I think your guidance counselors may be stretching the truth when they state their overall importance.

First off, before I go off on my rant, let me tell you what I see a LOT of around here lately: kids getting loaded up with 3, 4, or in some cases 5 AP classes in one semester, and they’re doing mediocre in ALL of them….which ultimately KILLS their chances of getting in to a top college.

Why?

Usually, it’s because ONE of the classes is completely over their heads, and they have to struggle so much to keep up in that class that they can barely keep their heads above water in the other classes.

Then, when they go to apply to college, most schools do NOT take weighted GPA’s, so they only see what the UN-weighted GPA is…and in many cases don’t bother to look past that. For example, recently, we had a student that we knew of (NOT a client) that had a 4.0 GPA….who didn’t get in to ANY colleges that he applied to. At first blush, you wonder how in the hell can he not get in anywhere, then we realized that he had FIVE (!!!!) AP classes.

In other words, he was getting straight B’s in all of his honors classes, and that, sadly, is all the colleges looked at. So, in their eyes he didn’t really have a 4.0, he had a 3.0, which wasn’t enough to get in. And, he started out at a community college.

So, what I’m saying is that your guidance counselor is telling you the truth when they say that ‘A B in an AP class is as good as an A in a regular class.’ It is……but only to the high school, so they’re only telling you part of the truth. To most colleges, it’s still a ‘B’. In fact, most high schools are ranked by the number of kids that have AP classes, so it’s to their advantage to push your student to get in….even if it’s not in the kid’s best interests.

Hold on, it gets even worse:

When these kids finally drag themselves exhausted into college, they get the shock of their lives to find out that the schools really don’t give them college credits for all the classes that they took, and they get to count two or three at best. No, not always, but often this is the case.

So, here’s the big question: just how many should YOUR kid be taking?

Here’s my short, generic answer: (By the way, if you want a longer, more specific answer, then call my office at 480-588-1966 to schedule a consultation)

As many as they can….withOUT sacrificing their overall GPA. In other words, it’s kind of a Catch 22…..they want to see you push yourself as much as possible, but they also expect to see more ‘As’ than ‘Bs’.

BUT, if you find that one AP class in particular is taking an extra-ordinary amount of effort and time….and it is NOT what your student wants to major in….do NOT be shy about dropping the class for a regular one. In most cases, it will not hurt their admission chances, and usually you wind up with a much happier student, a higher overall GPA, and more time for all the other stuff that colleges want to see like community service, internships and the like.

Well, that’s it for now. Be sure to give my office a call if you have any questions. We’re here to help with ALL areas of college planning from helping your kids pick a career and major to selecting schools, to helping you afford school without having to sacrifice your standard of living. If you haven’t been in yet, be sure to give us a ring to schedule a consultation at 480-588-1966. I’m busy these days, but whatever effort you exert to get in here WILL be worth it.

Ryan P. Blomster

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: Planning, College, Ryan, Blomster

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/ap-classes-a-waste-ap-or-not-to-apthat-is-the-controversial-question-317734.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Ryan Blomster is the nation's leading expert on getting into and paying for colleges-as well as helping students choose their careers and command top money in their fields. He is also famous for helping families that didn't save enough for college get on track for the retirement.

Ryan has been a college industry insider for over 5 years, and has worked with over 550 families from start to finish in the college planning process. He has also interviewed admissions officers from top schools throughout the country to learn the truth about how the admissions process really works. He is an instructor of various adult education courses on the subject and the author of "What Your Guidance Councilor isn't telling you".

College Planning Consultants of Arizona
Firm helps parents and students with the college application and Financing processes. www.MakingCollegeAffordable.com

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

Ideas to Make the College Admission Process Easier
By: Ryan P Blomster | 28/01/2008 | Education
One of the things that we have found is that it does no good to apply to so few colleges that you don't get admitted anywhere or admitted to only 1 or 2. You don't need to apply to 30 different colleges, and in fact, it can actually hurt you in the long run. But, the ideal amount is to apply to 6 to 8 colleges.

Interviewing for College in Style
By: Ryan P Blomster | 28/01/2008 | Education
When preparing for your college interview, take the time to be presentable.

Start Planning Your Career And Job Networking Contacts Before You Finish University Or College
By: Shaun Z. Stevens | 14/11/2007 | Careers
What can you do to plan and move along your career before you finish college or university? The answer is plenty. Basically it boils down to job experience and references as well as the networking and chosen industry and workforce contacts that you can make and proliferate. Your career job preparation...

Career Planning: The Step Ahead
By: Matthew Noel | 13/10/2005 | Careers
Career planning is an excellent way to prepare for what the world ahead has to offer you. While many people find that career planning is something that is done in college, it can be and should be done throughout life...

Study Skills: Top 10 Revising Mistakes (part I)
By: Mark Patterson | 05/01/2007 | College and University
Do you make these mistakes when revising? I have prepared for you a list of the most frequent blunders that students make – and I will tell you how to avoid them...

Student Loan and Student Loans
By: Christian | 13/09/2005 | Education
A major with the intent of pursuing a degree of higher education. Student loans can be granted through various lenders with a governmental guarantee, or can be granted.

Scholarships, Fellowships and Government Grants, Oh My!
By: Amber Lowery | 16/12/2005 | Education
Nearly every student is eligible to receive free funding for his or her education expenses. Both the U.S. Federal and State Governments, as well as private organizations, offer free money to assist students with paying for a college education.

Scholarships are Your Friend
By: Dewitt Shotts | 26/03/2006 | Careers
Would you like have your college attendance fully paid? Do you realize that there are more than one million scholarship possibilities? Is someone just going to hand you money to go to college? Read on!

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 30 grace period apply to a J-2 visa ...
By: fsn | 23-07-2008
does the 30 grace period apply to a J-2 visa holder?

I wanted to tell me if national college was a good ...
By: bigmand32 | 22-07-2008
i wanted to tell me if national college was a good place intend school.

Looking for the soils report/boring logs for The ...
By: Jeff Pease | 22-07-2008
looking for the soils report/boring logs for The Grossmont College Health Physical Sciences District

Pacing calendar
By: dleeodahl | 22-07-2008
Is there a month pacing calendar for Literacy and Writing that can be found online or purchaed? I have the writing and reading curriculum, but I have new teachers that don't know and have never used curriculum. I need something that I can give to them that will guide them weekly. DC

Really nice young man looking for room/board for Wharton College in Texas, Can you help?
By: room and board needed | 21-07-2008
A young man, age 18, is looking for room and board for area close to Wharton College in Texas. Parents can not pay. He works small part time job. Would pay cheap rent for a single room, just needs to be able to shower, and prepare for classes. May even be able to help with chores around the home. He's a good, honest kid that wants to succeed in life. Can anyone help him?

Independent college advisor
By: Jill A. | 21-07-2008
Can anyone recommend a legitimate and professional independent college advisor in New York City? The goal would be to help my 18 year old son, who is taking a year off between HS graduation and college. Thank you. jitylu@aol.com

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Education Articles

The Vedic System Of Education
By: Victor Epand | 25/07/2008
A Gurukul provides a type of education that ranges from how to live a life, to cooking and to running a business, among other things.

What Are Student Loans and Where to Find Them
By: Daniel Millions | 24/07/2008
There are basically two places where you want to actively look for student loans. The first would be the federal government and the second would be private lenders. In order to be considered for any of the loans given out by the federal government, you are first going to fill...

The Chickasaw Language
By: Jacob Lumbroso | 24/07/2008
The Chickasaw language is derived from the Muskogean family and is spoken by Chickasaw inhabitants of Southeastern Oklahoma. It is one of the less common Native American languages, as only about 1,000 individuals speak it today.

Disadvantages of Public Schooling
By: Uchenna Ani-Okoye | 24/07/2008
When we consign our children to public schools, we feel satisfied that they are receiving 'quality education'. But, are we really getting our money are worth?

Nazi Jews:a Historical Paradox
By: Brian Cuban | 24/07/2008
Would it surprise anyone to learn that there were upwards of 150, 000 soldiers of partial Jewish descent serving in the Nazi army during World War II?

Homeland Security: The New Age of Counterterrorism
By: Henley-Putnam University | 23/07/2008
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, it became clear that much more needed to be done to protect America's freedoms and interests - both at home and abroad. The US Government, in response, created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over five years ago and...

Hypnotherapy Training Course
By: Khurram Zeb | 23/07/2008
Some things to keep in mind if you want to become a hypnotherapist.

The Hitler Pact: a Blood Oath
By: Brian Cuban | 23/07/2008
The Hitler newphews are alive and well in Long Island, NY. What can they tell us about their infamous uncle?

More from Ryan P Blomster

Interviewing for College in Style
By: Ryan P Blomster | 28/01/2008 | Education
When preparing for your college interview, take the time to be presentable.

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.64, 16)

Ap Classes a Waste? Ap or not to Ap…that is the Controversial Question

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Education Articles

More from Ryan P Blomster

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter