AP Scholar with Distinction -- Not so Distinct

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC was a National AP scholar. He got the same postcard size certificate as for the AP Scholar with Distinction. Neither made any difference in college admissions or life.

How would you know it made no difference?

[Anonymous]

You can be snotty in the land of good schools, where every kid has access to a full compliment of APs and decent enough teachers so that they can pass all their APs.

Then their is my high school in the rural South. It offers two APs— to seniors only. AB Calc and English Lit. I was the only one to pass either my senior year— with a DMV sneering 3 on the AB Calc that was the first pass in my HS in 5 years.

For kids with crappy teachers in crappy public schools with only a few APs— which is most public high schools, passing an AP means something. Passing 3 or more is rare and an actual accomplishment. No reason to snark on places that don’t prepare kids for TJ and Blair and MIT and Harvard. Put your kids certificate aside and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can be snotty in the land of good schools, where every kid has access to a full compliment of APs and decent enough teachers so that they can pass all their APs.

Then their is my high school in the rural South. It offers two APs— to seniors only. AB Calc and English Lit. I was the only one to pass either my senior year— with a DMV sneering 3 on the AB Calc that was the first pass in my HS in 5 years.

For kids with crappy teachers in crappy public schools with only a few APs— which is most public high schools, passing an AP means something. Passing 3 or more is rare and an actual accomplishment. No reason to snark on places that don’t prepare kids for TJ and Blair and MIT and Harvard. Put your kids certificate aside and move on.

+1 from someone whose high school was two roads over from the dirt roads that still crisscrossed my town and offered no APs. This area has trained parents to think that its accomplished student population is merely mediocre and its teachers are worthy of contempt half the time. What I wouldn’t have given to have gone to the public high school my kids go to now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard University admitted about 1650 undergraduate freshmen in 1965. Last year it admitted about 2024 undergraduate freshmen. Assuming (a simplistic assumption, I admit) a linear increase, the average undergraduate freshmen enrollment is 1834. So in the last 54 years, there were a total of 54 x 1834 = 99036 undergraduate freshmen enrollment.

So, considering this total number of about 99000 undergraduate freshmen enrollment, I get the feeling that admission to Harvard College freshman class is not that big of a deal. I used to think It was such a huge deal before I did this back of the envelop calculation. I just wanted to share. I totally get where the oP is coming from. OP, you aren't alone. I feel the same way you do. But in my case, the feeling is about getting into Harvard College.

When I went to Harvard for college many years ago, my (inward) reaction to “wow, you go to Harvard!” quickly became “Yeah, me and 20K other people.” Lots of whom weren’t any smarter than the kids who were my friends in HS.

There were 20k people attending Harvard College?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can be snotty in the land of good schools, where every kid has access to a full compliment of APs and decent enough teachers so that they can pass all their APs.

Then their is my high school in the rural South. It offers two APs— to seniors only. AB Calc and English Lit. I was the only one to pass either my senior year— with a DMV sneering 3 on the AB Calc that was the first pass in my HS in 5 years.

For kids with crappy teachers in crappy public schools with only a few APs— which is most public high schools, passing an AP means something. Passing 3 or more is rare and an actual accomplishment. No reason to snark on places that don’t prepare kids for TJ and Blair and MIT and Harvard. Put your kids certificate aside and move on.

Uh, it’s “complement” and “there.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can be snotty in the land of good schools, where every kid has access to a full compliment of APs and decent enough teachers so that they can pass all their APs.

Then their is my high school in the rural South. It offers two APs— to seniors only. AB Calc and English Lit. I was the only one to pass either my senior year— with a DMV sneering 3 on the AB Calc that was the first pass in my HS in 5 years.

For kids with crappy teachers in crappy public schools with only a few APs— which is most public high schools, passing an AP means something. Passing 3 or more is rare and an actual accomplishment. No reason to snark on places that don’t prepare kids for TJ and Blair and MIT and Harvard. Put your kids certificate aside and move on.

Uh, it’s “complement” and “there.”

Exactly. Crappy public education. And just not a great proofreader.

[Anonymous]

To the snotty poster who fancies him or herself an editor:

you are the epitome of parents who make this forum so toxic. The person just admitted that they did not have the privilege of growing up with quality schools, so you belittle their writing.

Does that make you feel superior? It makes you look pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can be snotty in the land of good schools, where every kid has access to a full compliment of APs and decent enough teachers so that they can pass all their APs.

Then their is my high school in the rural South. It offers two APs— to seniors only. AB Calc and English Lit. I was the only one to pass either my senior year— with a DMV sneering 3 on the AB Calc that was the first pass in my HS in 5 years.

For kids with crappy teachers in crappy public schools with only a few APs— which is most public high schools, passing an AP means something. Passing 3 or more is rare and an actual accomplishment. No reason to snark on places that don’t prepare kids for TJ and Blair and MIT and Harvard. Put your kids certificate aside and move on.

Uh, it’s “complement” and “there.”

Exactly. Crappy public education. And just not a great proofreader.

Why proofread for a bunch of pratts like yourselves?All those comments show is they don't have a good response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard University admitted about 1650 undergraduate freshmen in 1965. Last year it admitted about 2024 undergraduate freshmen. Assuming (a simplistic assumption, I admit) a linear increase, the average undergraduate freshmen enrollment is 1834. So in the last 54 years, there were a total of 54 x 1834 = 99036 undergraduate freshmen enrollment.

So, considering this total number of about 99000 undergraduate freshmen enrollment, I get the feeling that admission to Harvard College freshman class is not that big of a deal. I used to think It was such a huge deal before I did this back of the envelop calculation. I just wanted to share. I totally get where the oP is coming from. OP, you aren't alone. I feel the same way you do. But in my case, the feeling is about getting into Harvard College.

When I went to Harvard for college many years ago, my (inward) reaction to “wow, you go to Harvard!” quickly became “Yeah, me and 20K other people.” Lots of whom weren’t any smarter than the kids who were my friends in HS.

There were 20k people attending Harvard College?

No, Harvard University. But the people having the “wow Harvard” reaction weren’t making those distinctions. And as an undergrad you do (or at least I did) experience the University as your environment — not the College as a separate/distinct entity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was a National AP scholar. He got the same postcard size certificate as for the AP Scholar with Distinction. Neither made any difference in college admissions or life.

How would you know it made no difference?

DC got the national AP scholar award after graduation. So clearly it made no difference in college admissions. And despite excellent grades, scores, and EC activities, DC was WL at a number of top choices, so getting all 5s and 4s in AP classes didn't help with admissions.

That being said, taking lots of APs in high school was definitely worth it. DC enjoyed the classes, learned a lot, and got a full year of college credit. DC didn't want to graduate early but was able to double major.

[Anonymous]

^^^

Who cares that it didn’t help with the application for admission?

My kid had a full year of college credits in the bag.

So awesome.

[Anonymous]

Awesome for what? How does it help? DC won't graduate any earlier, at least from the more well known institutions. I get that it may help distributions, but there are downsides as well (sometimes you want to take Micro where you are majoring in Econ).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^

Who cares that it didn’t help with the application for admission?

My kid had a full year of college credits in the bag.

So awesome.

I don't care if the "award" helped with admissions. I was just answering the question about how I know it didn't make a difference.

To the PP saying you might want to take micro, at DCs college you can pick and choose what APs you want credit for (assuming your scores meet the requirements). So if you want to take micro in college you don't take the credit for AP Micro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awesome for what? How does it help? DC won't graduate any earlier, at least from the more well known institutions. I get that it may help distributions, but there are downsides as well (sometimes you want to take Micro where you are majoring in Econ).

Sure it can. I have one at a top 25 and his AP’s are allowing him to graduate in 3 years. It isn’t perfect and there are absolutely downsides but it allowed him to attend a school he probably couldn’t have afforded with a fourth year of tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awesome for what? How does it help? DC won't graduate any earlier, at least from the more well known institutions. I get that it may help distributions, but there are downsides as well (sometimes you want to take Micro where you are majoring in Econ).

You’re kidding right? 32 credits accepted as a freshman. My d is pursuing a double major and depending on her study abroad and co-op plans, will graduate at least a semester early. She attends a “well-known” institution too.

Cheers!