APUSH Online vs. In-Person

[Anonymous]

Our rising junior said many of his friends took APUSH online due to various reasons (time conflicts, ECs, etc.). Will the online version be discounted when it comes to college application? Also wonder whether the online version would cover as much as that of regular version. Thx.

[Anonymous]

it is now noted on the transcript if the class was online, so I think unless you have a score to back up the A in the class, it may be discounted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it is now noted on the transcript if the class was online, so I think unless you have a score to back up the A in the class, it may be discounted

What if the student isn't trying to transfer the credit to a college and just wants to take the course to meet the USH portion of the diploma requirement, while also aiming for a GPA bump? In other words, the kid may not even sit for the AP exam. When people say it will be "discounted," what does that really mean? There will still be a grade. The grade will be factored into the GPA. The weighted grade will be assigned to reflect the AP level. I notice many people want to tell parents that it is "discounted" and that colleges don't consider it, but honestly, that just seems like something parents are pushing rather than the truth.

[Anonymous]

It will look like they were aiming for a GPA bump by taking an easier class. At more selective universities, they'll notice and think less well of the applicant than their classmate who took in-person APUSH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will look like they were aiming for a GPA bump by taking an easier class. At more selective universities, they'll notice and think less well of the applicant than their classmate who took in-person APUSH.

These are anecdotes, not facts. As an example, there’s also a perception that students with accommodations are “gaming the system” to get extra time on exams, but making that assumption would require admissions officers to apply it uniformly and that’s simply not realistic. With tens of thousands of applications to review, admissions offices are unlikely to engage in that level of granular scrutiny. In reality, raw metrics such as GPA, SAT scores, and AP coursework are likely screened first, often using some form of automated or AI-assisted process. Even then, trying to flag or penalize online coursework would be impractical and ineffective. Many schools across the country do not offer certain AP classes in person, leaving students no choice but to take them online. The same is true for homeschooled students, who routinely complete coursework online. Screening for this at a national scale is cumbersome and yields little meaningful value. A student could, for example, legitimately take a course online to free up space in their schedule for another in-person class.

Parents need to stop presenting speculative anecdotes as facts. This kind of misinformation is fueling unnecessary panic around college admissions and contributing to the unhealthy frenzy we see today ... one that ultimately harms kids the most.

[Anonymous]

The online class has about half of the screen time as the in person class.

[Anonymous]

If this is not common in your HS, it would look odd. It is a reddish flag and likely make AO look at the application a little more skeptically.

This is an extremely common tactic to take harder classes online. Take a PE, Personal Finance class online and no one would bat an eyelid. Take an AP class online and if that is not really common, you just have a strike on your application.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the thoughts. I'm OP. Kid said many of his friends took APUSH online, so I assume it's not uncommon. There's no way he can fit in 8 courses into the schedule, so I guess either he has to take APUSH online or drop one course

[Anonymous]

One of my kids took APUSH in person, got an A and a 5 on the exam.

Another of my kids took APUSH through Virtual VA, got an A and a 3 on the exam. Only took the class online because of an Academy schedule that made it not possible to take the class in person.

It depends on why you want to take APUSH in the first place. If it is just to take a History credit, then you could take a regular or Honors history credit instead. If it is to take an AP class and get credit for college, from my experience watching both of my kids, the in person class will be infinitely better to prepare them for the exam.

If it's to have an AP class on your transcript to impress colleges, the colleges will assume you took it online to skirt the system and get an easier AP credit.

So, I guess it all depends on what your end goal is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids took APUSH in person, got an A and a 5 on the exam.

Another of my kids took APUSH through Virtual VA, got an A and a 3 on the exam. Only took the class online because of an Academy schedule that made it not possible to take the class in person.

It depends on why you want to take APUSH in the first place. If it is just to take a History credit, then you could take a regular or Honors history credit instead. If it is to take an AP class and get credit for college, from my experience watching both of my kids, the in person class will be infinitely better to prepare them for the exam.

If it's to have an AP class on your transcript to impress colleges, the colleges will assume you took it online to skirt the system and get an easier AP credit.

So, I guess it all depends on what your end goal is.

Lots of kids take APUSH online, some do great online at get a 5 on the AP exams, others don't. Your kid who took it online and got a 3 on the AP exam may have gotten a 3 on the exam even if he/she took it in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the thoughts. I'm OP. Kid said many of his friends took APUSH online, so I assume it's not uncommon. There's no way he can fit in 8 courses into the schedule, so I guess either he has to take APUSH online or drop one course

My daughter is in a similar position. She needs to take an academy class, and that puts her at 8 courses. The academy class cannot be taken online, so it will have to be one of her APs.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fine. I mean, maybe if you're going for a top 10 school, it could be an issue. Otherwise, it's fine. It's still an AP. Even better if you can get a good AP score, but fine even if not or it's senior year.

[Anonymous]

I was the pp that noted it will be on the transcript. Many people are not happy that it will be noted. So I was letting you know. A very selective school may wonder why you are taking it online if you don't have academy classes or are a high end athlete.

and pp above, no one knows if you have accommodations on your college app. But this is new, and they will know if your kid took online classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will look like they were aiming for a GPA bump by taking an easier class. At more selective universities, they'll notice and think less well of the applicant than their classmate who took in-person APUSH.

These are anecdotes, not facts. As an example, there’s also a perception that students with accommodations are “gaming the system” to get extra time on exams, but making that assumption would require admissions officers to apply it uniformly and that’s simply not realistic. With tens of thousands of applications to review, admissions offices are unlikely to engage in that level of granular scrutiny. In reality, raw metrics such as GPA, SAT scores, and AP coursework are likely screened first, often using some form of automated or AI-assisted process. Even then, trying to flag or penalize online coursework would be impractical and ineffective. Many schools across the country do not offer certain AP classes in person, leaving students no choice but to take them online. The same is true for homeschooled students, who routinely complete coursework online. Screening for this at a national scale is cumbersome and yields little meaningful value. A student could, for example, legitimately take a course online to free up space in their schedule for another in-person class.

Parents need to stop presenting speculative anecdotes as facts. This kind of misinformation is fueling unnecessary panic around college admissions and contributing to the unhealthy frenzy we see today ... one that ultimately harms kids the most.

I am someone who said it is looked upon less well, and I have experience in the field.