Do Colleges Really Care about APUSH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC loves history and took and got 5s on every history/social science AP at their HS including APUSH as a freshman. Fast forward DC is now a freshman in college (T25 university) and those APs were worth very little in credits his college accepts nor did they allow him to vault past basic poli sci or history requirements. Compare that to the AP maths and hard sciences and languages that entitled him to credit or at least to jump past initial basic requirements in those subjects. So I’d guess colleges don’t care very much about APUSH and the other AP history/poli sci classes.

we are not talking getting credits but admissions results.

I understand but his college doesn’t permit you to use the apush, ap nsl, ap world history, ap euro or ap comparative politics exams for credit or to skip foundational poli sci or history classes. Whereas they do for maths and hard sciences and languages. I think that speaks to what the colleges think of the ap history classes and exams.

Respectfully, what use is that information here? It's been shown that the most rigorous schedule taken is a critical piece in competitive admissions. It appears the OP was asking about admissions.

[Anonymous]

We had this exact question for our STEM-oriented kid. Ultimately kid took regular US history instead of APUSH. Took most rigorous offerings in every other subject (including doubling up on science one year instead of taking a free period). Focused deeply on genuine interests inside and outside of school. Got into an HYP early (this admission season; unfavorable geographic area; no hooks). It's so hard to predict admissions in this era, but we knew with certainty APUSH could be enough extra stress to make junior year miserable, and I'm glad we didn't succumb to the pressure to take it just to check a box. (Pretty sure, speaking of boxes, that "most rigorous" actually was checked; our understanding was that it doesn't have to be EVERY class to fall in that category, at least at our school.) Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC loves history and took and got 5s on every history/social science AP at their HS including APUSH as a freshman. Fast forward DC is now a freshman in college (T25 university) and those APs were worth very little in credits his college accepts nor did they allow him to vault past basic poli sci or history requirements. Compare that to the AP maths and hard sciences and languages that entitled him to credit or at least to jump past initial basic requirements in those subjects. So I’d guess colleges don’t care very much about APUSH and the other AP history/poli sci classes.

we are not talking getting credits but admissions results.

I understand but his college doesn’t permit you to use the apush, ap nsl, ap world history, ap euro or ap comparative politics exams for credit or to skip foundational poli sci or history classes. Whereas they do for maths and hard sciences and languages. I think that speaks to what the colleges think of the ap history classes and exams.

Ivies and T10s don’t take any of those credits. Tells you what they think of high school courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC loves history and took and got 5s on every history/social science AP at their HS including APUSH as a freshman. Fast forward DC is now a freshman in college (T25 university) and those APs were worth very little in credits his college accepts nor did they allow him to vault past basic poli sci or history requirements. Compare that to the AP maths and hard sciences and languages that entitled him to credit or at least to jump past initial basic requirements in those subjects. So I’d guess colleges don’t care very much about APUSH and the other AP history/poli sci classes.

we are not talking getting credits but admissions results.

I understand but his college doesn’t permit you to use the apush, ap nsl, ap world history, ap euro or ap comparative politics exams for credit or to skip foundational poli sci or history classes. Whereas they do for maths and hard sciences and languages. I think that speaks to what the colleges think of the ap history classes and exams.

Ivies and T10s don’t take any of those credits. Tells you what they think of high school courses.

At each ivy/T10, the intial pool of 50k applicants goes through multiple rounds of filtering to get to the final 2k offers, who pretty much have 5s in most APs. If they start giving credits to all the students base on their AP 5s, everyone would be graduating in about 2 instead of 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges want to admit students who challenge themselves. If they don't take a core class at AP level because they enjoy other classes better, that sends a signal.

Do you have kids in college?

DP, yes, and I agree with PP. I don't think every kid should aspire to ivies, even super smart ones, but there is a checkbox on the college counselors recommendation that says "took most challenging possible" and you want that box checked if you are shooting high.

That said why bother a stem kid and make him miserable? So the box isn't checked and you get your engineering degree from Case Western instead of MIT. Is that so bad?

It doesn't say "possible".
The box isn't for "Larla took 12 APs but she could have taken 14".

Several colleges have texted research showing that more than 5 APs has no impact on college performance, and explicitly disregard excess APs.

And everyone understands that school performance at that extreme level has no effect on life, and that everyone forgets almost everything they learned in these courses.

Take a less popular interest to achieve something interesting. Being an AP clone isn't impressive. No one is making lists of "20 under 20 highest weighted GPAs in America".

Holy Ghost, is this the next battlefield for the “my kid just doesn’t test well” TO warrior? Now weighted GPA doesn’t matter or signify anything, as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC loves history and took and got 5s on every history/social science AP at their HS including APUSH as a freshman. Fast forward DC is now a freshman in college (T25 university) and those APs were worth very little in credits his college accepts nor did they allow him to vault past basic poli sci or history requirements. Compare that to the AP maths and hard sciences and languages that entitled him to credit or at least to jump past initial basic requirements in those subjects. So I’d guess colleges don’t care very much about APUSH and the other AP history/poli sci classes.

My kid got credit for his history/social science APs. He didn't get credit for AP Calc BC, multivariable calc and linear algebra because his university (top 20 in the world) wanted to teach proof-based calculus to their own standards. I don't think the ivies give any AP credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APUSH (the test) is really hard. THere's no sense getting a mediocre grade and the a 3. Skip it.

My kids got 5s

Mine got 5s for everything - math, science, foreign language etc etc. In large part that was due to the quality of the teaching at his magnet school and the fact the class got through the syllabus and had time for review. He could do a 5 paragraph essay in his sleep.

My other kid went to a base school where they never got through the AP history syllabus for any subject, and he had to teach himself the last parts of the course from one of those AP review books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges want to admit students who challenge themselves. If they don't take a core class at AP level because they enjoy other classes better, that sends a signal.

Not if the rest of their schedule is tough and they have 1 History AP in the mix.

Conventional wisdom at our school is that a kids aiming for top school should take APUSH, AP-Gov, AP Calc (at least AB), at least one AP Science, AP Lang, AP Lit and AP FL-Lang if they started FL early enough to get that far. After that, they specialize--STEM kids take more science; Soc Studies kids take AP-World, etc.

Is it okay if the AP Science is APES or does it have to be a lab science? This is for a kid that wants Business or Economics in college. Taking this science sequence at private Catholic HS: honors bio; honors chem; honors physics. For senior year wants APES, but will do Honors Bio if lab science is needed for rigor. Any advice?

I'm this PP. Again, speaking at the conventional wisdom among students at our school. I should have said AP bio or chem or physics (beyond Physics 1).

FWIW, there's some sort of indication (a box?) that counselors fill out when the do their recommendation that indicates that the student took the most rigorous curriculum possible at their school. A few years ago when older kid was in the process, I asked the counselor what they would look for to check the box. Counselor told me, students would typically have: APUSH, AP-Gov, BC Calc, at least one of AP Bio/Chem/Physics, AP Lang, AP Lit and AP FL-Lang. She said there were sometimes exceptions, but this curriculum would get the box checked.

This obviously changes across schools-- that's why they ask counselors the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had this exact question for our STEM-oriented kid. Ultimately kid took regular US history instead of APUSH. Took most rigorous offerings in every other subject (including doubling up on science one year instead of taking a free period). Focused deeply on genuine interests inside and outside of school. Got into an HYP early (this admission season; unfavorable geographic area; no hooks). It's so hard to predict admissions in this era, but we knew with certainty APUSH could be enough extra stress to make junior year miserable, and I'm glad we didn't succumb to the pressure to take it just to check a box. (Pretty sure, speaking of boxes, that "most rigorous" actually was checked; our understanding was that it doesn't have to be EVERY class to fall in that category, at least at our school.) Good luck!

You DID succumb to the pressure to take APs for rigor. Just not this one class. That's great it worked out for your kid. But no need to be smug about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had this exact question for our STEM-oriented kid. Ultimately kid took regular US history instead of APUSH. Took most rigorous offerings in every other subject (including doubling up on science one year instead of taking a free period). Focused deeply on genuine interests inside and outside of school. Got into an HYP early (this admission season; unfavorable geographic area; no hooks). It's so hard to predict admissions in this era, but we knew with certainty APUSH could be enough extra stress to make junior year miserable, and I'm glad we didn't succumb to the pressure to take it just to check a box. (Pretty sure, speaking of boxes, that "most rigorous" actually was checked; our understanding was that it doesn't have to be EVERY class to fall in that category, at least at our school.) Good luck!

You DID succumb to the pressure to take APs for rigor. Just not this one class. That's great it worked out for your kid. But no need to be smug about it.

This makes it sound like a kid taking a rigorous curriculum is a bad thing (?!?!). It is a good thing, regardless of college admissions. And perhaps the best (most logical, fairest) top universities have for assessing kids!