HS: taking a regular class and then the AP class

[Anonymous]

How would colleges see this?

Say, if a student took US history one year, then AP US history the following year. Got a B in the US History class, but liked the subject and wanted to take APUSH the following year.

I tend to think colleges would look down on this but IDK for sure.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I think that would be tremendously boring...they are basically the same class. APUSH doesnt go much deeper, just teaches more to the test.

[Anonymous]

That's not rigor. Basically taking the same class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that would be tremendously boring...they are basically the same class. APUSH doesnt go much deeper, just teaches more to the test.

+1 I think US History is a bad example. But it's not uncommon at my kids HS for a student to take regular psychology and then AP psychology. The regular class is a fairly light overview with a lot of focus on mental health and learning, things that are very relatable for the students. AP goes deeper and has a big research component. Same with other sciences -- you are required to take honors biology or honors chemistry before taking the AP class.

[Anonymous]

My kid took Honors Chemistry and loved it and is interested in taking AP Chem. There is some stuff that repeats, but a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't covered in the Honors class.

[Anonymous]

Depending on the school, students might have to take Bio before AP Bio, or Chem before AP Chem. So in sciences, I don't think they'd see is as duplication so much as in history classes.

[Anonymous]

Common, in fact often required in the sciences; one is the high school level and the other is the introductory college level. Different material, the latter presumes you have some familiarity from the high school level class. Totally different text books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the school, students might have to take Bio before AP Bio, or Chem before AP Chem. So in sciences, I don't think they'd see is as duplication so much as in history classes.

I feel like that's how it was "back in my day." It's just modern times that kids fling themselves into the AP sciences without any background.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that would be tremendously boring...they are basically the same class. APUSH doesnt go much deeper, just teaches more to the test.

+1 I think US History is a bad example. But it's not uncommon at my kids HS for a student to take regular psychology and then AP psychology. The regular class is a fairly light overview with a lot of focus on mental health and learning, things that are very relatable for the students. AP goes deeper and has a big research component. Same with other sciences -- you are required to take honors biology or honors chemistry before taking the AP class.

OP here. APUSH was just an example, but it would apply to what you stated: psych, chem, bio..

Our school doesn't require taking the regular class before you take the AP class, though. So, I'm wondering how colleges would view that.

As for rigor, while AP classes are generally more rigorous than non AP classes, I do think that the fact that it's in the same subject would make it less rigorous, but again, IDK for sure how colleges would view it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid took Honors Chemistry and loved it and is interested in taking AP Chem. There is some stuff that repeats, but a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't covered in the Honors class.

What school district is this?

[Anonymous]

This is definitely a thing for science courses. Haven't heard of it in history. Would ask your HS college counseling office.

[Anonymous]

Our school's required science sequence is chem, physics, AP bio, then any AP science elective you want. No APs in 9th and only APUSH allowed in 10th. This has not held students back from Harvard and the like.

[Anonymous]

Appropriate and recommended to take the high school regular science course before the AP version.

Not the case for history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school's required science sequence is chem, physics, AP bio, then any AP science elective you want. No APs in 9th and only APUSH allowed in 10th. This has not held students back from Harvard and the like.

Our schools don't require this, so that's why I'm not sure how colleges would view it.

So, what I'm understanding is that going this route for science classes is ok (from a college admissions perspective), but not classes like APUSH.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, depends totally on the subject.
History is a bad example.
But obviously all kids take English and languages before the corresponding AP classes.
And many/most science classes are the second class. Some schools have you do Calculus I before AP Calc B/C.

If your kid did US History and loved it, the next class shouldn't be APUSH - it should be an elective history class or some sort that your high school offers, AP or not.