When did YOU take your first AP class, and when will your child in mcps?
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Anonymous
+1. People reading college admit lists provided by public high schools often mis-read the large number of kids going to state schools as a failure on the part of the school to get those kids in anywhere better. But, really, most kids who are going to UMCP are doing so because of the cost, not because they couldn't get into a better school. And, it's not just tuition cost, but being able to live at home or get support at home (laundry, meals, etc.) and continue to contribute at home (watching younger siblings, etc.) Not everyone wants to or can pay $200 K for an Ivy League or top tier college, especially if one is also planning on going on to med school or law school or get a PhD. FWIW, it was my child that made the choice to take APs in subject areas of interest. Also, my child thought non-AP classes were miserable because they were majorly boring and the level of discussion was really low. Taking AP had very little to do with getting into college or earning college credit. These actually turned out to be highlights of the day (if you can call any class in HS a "highlight"). DC gets As in APs with some effort and Bs with no effort. So far, DC has gotten 5s on AP exams. So, it's definitely not been a "miserable" experience. |
Anonymous
Could have been athletes, URM, stellar test scores, or some other "hook". I know someone with a pretty odd extra-curricular activity which developed an area of expertise and he got a full ride because of it, even though his grades and classes were only solidly good, not the kind of outstanding which would have been otherwise required to go to such a school. Honestly, it's impossible to look at another kid and school and figure out why they got in and then insist it will work for someone else too. There are way to many variables in admissions these days. |
Anonymous
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Graduated in 1984 and I took 4 APs during high school -- 1 in my junior year and 3 in my senior year (US Hist, Euro Hist, English, and Biology). Went to an Ivy.
My child is just starting MCPS for 9th grade after being in a K_8 private. I am curious about how many APs kids are taking because this thread has not included very much information along those lines. I have interviewed some kids for my university who are taking between 7-11 which sure does sound like a lot. |
Anonymous
+1. UMCP gives Blair magnet students a lot of special attention and incentives to attend. Many (most?) are accepted into UMD Honors or UMD Scholars, which are selective programs offered to only a small number of applicants. A couple dozen are also offered the Banneker/Key scholarship for a half or full-ride scholarship, which covers everything including tuition, housing, books, and food. Considering many "elite" private colleges cost upward of $50000/yr and only offer need-based aid, these UMD scholarships are very attractive by comparison. Of course it's true that these incentives are not guaranteed, and you don't have to be in a magnet program to be offered them. But it's hard to imagine that the magnet doesn't give these students an advantage. |
Anonymous
I was just wondering that. Private schools often don't allow it until 11th but my neighbor's kid is taking some freshman year. Is this why the passing rate is 30% ? |
Anonymous
According to the high school profile posted on the website the passing rate at my DCs MCPS high school is 89% (kids getting 3s, 4s, 5s). If the pass rate at your HS is 30% it sounds like they may be pushing kids who shouldn't be taking AP level classes. |
Anonymous
They don't. High Schools want them to increase their ratings. Colleges don't care. They actually make more money off of the kids that don't have any AP |
Anonymous
| I took AP classes starting in 10th grade. I entered college as a sophomore. My family didn't have money to pay for my college tuition, so that is one reason why I did AP. If I had the opportunity, I would have preferred to do a full 4 years and devote one of those years to studying abroad. So, I guess my perspective is that it might not be school-driven but some instances of not all in MoCo are affluent. I was also in GT classes since 1st grade, so I didn't find the AP classes remotely challenging. So if kids are pushed into it now, that is a problem. I am not sure if my child will take AP classes; she is still in elementary school. |
Anonymous
| Another thing to think about is that even if your kid's school doesn't offer credit for AP classes, they can still be immensely helpful. My kid said that most of what was covered in first semester biology and the intro freshman English classes at his university he had already learned in AP Bio and AP English in HS. So even though he wasn't able to get out of the classes themselves or get credit, it still ended up working well because it was a "confidence boosting" type classes and added a nice "pad" to his GPA. |
Anonymous
This is my main issue with a lot of AP classes. I am a strong believer in rigor and classes that require higher order thinking, however mindless busy work is NOT that and unfortunately a lot of teachers seem to confuse the two. |
Anonymous
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Be sure to check your school's pass rate for the actual class that your child is thinking of taking. See http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/pdf/Report%20on%20MCPS%20AP%20Particiaption%20and%20Performance.pdf Scroll down to see one page report per subject. Some schools do fine with younger test takers (See RM's AP US Government results), but other schools make choices about the order of tests that put the 9th graders at a disadvantage (many more kids score 3s when they could have scored 4 or 5 the next year). |
Anonymous
| My kid took AP starting from 9th grade. Took a boatload of AP/IB. Got college credit for all (around a year and half worth of college credits), but has decided not to graduate early. Instead is working on a double major and a certificate. |